SoHO Viewer vs Mars Info Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SoHO Viewer
Access and view the latest images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO). Receive push notifications when new images are available, keeping you updated on solar activity. This app is a convenient tool for anyone interested in space imagery.
- Download latest SoHO images
- Display solar images
- Push notifications for new images
- Badge notification for new images
- Image courtesy of SOHO consortium
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SoHO Viewer is a simple application for downloading and displaying the latest images taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO). It includes push notifications so you can be notified by a badge on the application when new images are available. It was quoted as “one of the ten best free applications to have on your iphone if you like stargazing:” http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/112210-free-iphone-stargazing-apps.html It appears in Mars 2015 edition of Sky And Telescope, page 70. Images are courtesy of SOHO consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. If you had like to see images taken by Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) please use the SDO Viewer application.
Mars Info Lite
Explore the surface of the Red Planet with an interactive 3D globe. Discover significant locations like volcanoes, craters, and mountains, and view detailed information about each. This version offers a curated selection of points of interest.
- Interactive 3D Mars globe
- Rotate, tilt, and zoom controls
- Pinpoint key locations
- View location details (name, type, size, coordinates)
- List of selectable locations
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Explore Mars using simple gestures to rotate a globe, tilt, zoom and select locations. Credits - Viking Orbiter MDIM 2.1 map of Mars - NASA NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio: GMM-3 MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter) Topography map GMM-3 Free-Air Mars Gravity map GMM-3 Bouguer Mars Gravity map GMM-3 Crustal Mars Thickness map Features: - Ability to pinpoint about 80 the most interesting areas on the map of Mars, including volcanos, craters, plains, mountains, spacecrafts. - Displaying some information about the location, such as its name, type, short description, size and coordinates. - Ability to select locations on the 3D globe and on the plain list. - Zoom, rotation, tilt of the globe. Lite version is limited to display 7 locations for each category, i.e. you will see 42 places vs 80 (currently) in a full version.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mars Info Lite at 4.4 against SoHO Viewer's 3.4. Mars Info Lite also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 69%) and ratings volume (200 vs 19). SoHO Viewer's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Mars Info Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mars Info Lite has 200 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of SoHO Viewer's written reviews are positive against 96% of Mars Info Lite's.
SoHO Viewer ships an update every 2 months, Mars Info Lite every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SoHO Viewer | Mars Info Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (19 ratings) | 4.4 (200 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.1% of reviews | 96.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 19 | 200 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 210 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jérôme Diaz | Viktor Goltvyanytsya |
Customer experience
SoHO Viewer
Mars Info Lite
User reviews
SoHO Viewer
From 19 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and practical app
- 👍 Good for observing the sun
- 👍 Useful for solar observers
- 👍 Provides current solar images
- 👍 No ads
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 App stopped updating
- 🐛 Images not downloading
- 🐛 App not working
- 🐛 Blacked out for days
Mars Info Lite
From 200 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to navigate and self-explanatory
- ✨ Fantastic graphics and useful information
- 🚀 Responsive navigation around Mars
- 💡 Great for learning about Mars
- 🌟 Awesome info graphics and data
Room to improve
- 🐛 Pinpoints shifted 90 degrees in longitude
- 🔭 Can't zoom in close enough
- 🖼️ Picture can be unsteady when scrolling text
Bugs and requests
SoHO Viewer
Reported bugs
17 issues- System goes down during solar max
- App is all blacked out
- App has one still image that shows absolute zero
- App stopped updating
- Latest update is a fail, app crashes
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Images from SoHo viewer not downloading
- App not updating any images
- App won't update pictures past a certain date
- Images do not update
- App is not updating any more
- App not updating
- EIT views have lagged by almost a week
- App won't update no more
- Application not working after last update
- Will not update
- App crashes after 15 seconds
- App not working
Requested features
15 requests- Access to archives
- Add video sequences
- Add H Alpha shots
- Add more information (e.g., solar wind)
- Add zoom function
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Add close-ups of active regions
- Move masking images to end/beginning
- Add description under each pic (filter, description, UV)
- Add links to 'pic of the week'
- Make it more navigable
- Needs video for reference, like weather radar
- Video clip/slideshow of last N frames
- Automatic save function with frequency setting
- Update iOS for better efficiency
- Update to run more efficiently on phone and iPad
Mars Info Lite
Reported bugs
2 issues- Pinpoints shifted 90 degrees in longitude
- Crashes immediately on iPhone 4s
Requested features
4 requests- Implement geomorphology data
- Add ability to zoom out and see Mars alignment with other planets
- Add VR support
- Add apps for other planets
In-app purchases
SoHO Viewer
No in-app purchases
Mars Info Lite
No in-app purchases
