Comparison

NVS Explorer vs PSE

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

NVS Explorer

Access real-time ocean data for the Pacific Northwest. Visualize conditions from various observing assets, view historical data plots, and share findings via email or SMS. Customize units and save favorite assets for quick access.

Highlights
  • View real-time ocean data
  • Access 24-hour, 7-day, and 30-day data plots
  • Share data plots via email or SMS
  • Searchable list of observing assets
  • Save favorite observing assets
  • Display data in scientific or common units
  • Data plots for tuna fishers
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) Visualization System (NVS), your tool for easy access to data for Pacific Northwest waters, from California to British Columbia. NANOOS is a regional member of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing Systems (IOOS) program and is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide this service. NVS displays data from a diversity of providers, including federal, tribal, state, academic, industry and non-profit organizations, who operate a wide variety of observing assets such as buoys, shore stations, sea-bed and coastal land-based stations. This composite view provides a more comprehensive view of ocean conditions. NVS allows you to browse through a map of all NANOOS observing assets. You can then look at the most current data available, or obtain a plot of the last 7 days. Plots can be saved to your phone or iPod. Plots can shared by either email or SMS. FEATURES: o View the most recent data from all NANOOS observing assets o View 24 hour, 7 day and 30 day plots of data for trends in conditions o Share plots via Email or SMS o Searchable List view of Observing Assets o Favorites o Data display in either Scientific or Common Units o Plots for Tuna Fishers

About

PSE

Manage your utility account and stay informed about power outages. Check your balance, make payments, and report outages with ease. Get real-time restoration updates and customize notifications.

Highlights
  • Check account balance
  • Make bill payments
  • Report power outages
  • Track outage restoration times
  • Manage personal preferences
  • Start, stop, or move service
Features
Read full description

The PSE app provides easy access to your account when you're on the go. Check your balance and make a payment with just one click. Track & report power outages in your neighborhood and check on restoration times, all in the palm of your hand. Manage your account: • Review your account balance, prior month’s charges and pay your bill • Use and securely save your preferred payment method – eCheck, debit, credit, PayPal or Venmo • Manage personal preferences - select your desired bill due date or enroll in paperless billing • Change or update your account security, including password and security questions • Start, stop or move your residential service Stay informed about outages: • View outage status on the map, searching by address, city or ZIP code • Easily report an outage • Set your preferences to receive outage notifications by email, text or phone

Screenshots

NVS Explorer4 screens
PSE3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NVS Explorer at 60% against PSE's 14%. NVS Explorer also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.9) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). PSE's advantage is ratings volume (14 vs 3). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NVS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of NVS Explorer's written reviews are positive against 14% of PSE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NVS Explorer versus PSE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNVS ExplorerPSE
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings) — better3.9 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews — better13.9% of reviews
Number of ratings314 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB229 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNANOOS-IOOSASSOCIATIONPuget Sound Energy

Customer experience

NVS Explorer

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative0.0%

PSE

All ratings14 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral7.1%
Negative21.4%
Written reviews173 reviews
Positive13.9%
Neutral5.8%
Negative80.3%

Bugs and requests

NVS Explorer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

PSE

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezes when trying to log in
  • Outage map does not show current outages
  • Keeps logging users out unexpectedly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Support for Apple Pay and digital wallets
  • Ability to schedule future bill payments
  • Improved outage status updates and ETAs

In-app purchases

None

NVS Explorer

No in-app purchases

None

PSE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NVS Explorer free?
NVS Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PSE free?
PSE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NVS Explorer or PSE?
NVS Explorer is rated higher. NVS Explorer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while PSE averages 3.9 from 14 ratings.
Do NVS Explorer or PSE have ads?
Neither NVS Explorer nor PSE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NVS Explorer or PSE?
NVS Explorer ships an update every 3 months, and PSE every 3 months. Most recently, NVS Explorer was updated on October 9, 2026 and PSE on October 14, 2026.

Other comparisons