Comparison

NVS Explorer vs Pacific Power

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

Pacific Power

Manage your electricity account on the go. Pay bills, report power outages, and receive real-time updates on restoration status. Stay informed with alerts for bill readiness and potential service interruptions.

Highlights
  • Pay bills
  • Report power outages
  • Check outage status
  • Receive outage alerts
  • View account balance
  • Payment confirmations
Read full description

With this free app from Pacific Power, you can pay your bill, report a power outage or check the status of an outage from anywhere 24/7. Bill-ready and payment alerts help you stay up-to-date with your account. Outage alerts keep you in the know during storms. Features: • Report an outage or check the status of a previously reported outage for your home or business. • Get the latest outage details including estimated restoration time, crew status and cause of the outage. • Receive outage restoration alerts on your device to stay informed during a storm or service interruption. • Review your account balance. • Pay your bill quickly with your debit card, credit card or through your checking or savings account. • Receive payment confirmations and bill-ready alerts on your device. • Easily swipe between multiple electric accounts to pay bills and get outage details for each. • Log in with your existing Pacific Power user ID and password, or quickly and easily create an account to access secure services through the app. • Stay connected with direct dial to customer service, get the latest news and tips, and follow our social media channels. Data charges may apply for notifications. Fees apply for debit and credit card payments.

Screenshots

NVS Explorer4 screens
Pacific Power4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NVS Explorer at 60% against Pacific Power's 6%. NVS Explorer also leads on rating (4.3 vs 1.8) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Pacific Power's advantage is ratings volume (182 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 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pacific Power has 182 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of NVS Explorer's written reviews are positive against 6% of Pacific Power's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NVS Explorer ships an update every 3 months, Pacific Power every 6 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NVS Explorer versus Pacific Power: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNVS ExplorerPacific Power
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings) — better1.8 (182 ratings)
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews — better6.3% of reviews
Number of ratings3182 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNANOOS-IOOSASSOCIATIONKUBRA Arizona, Inc.

Customer experience

NVS Explorer

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

Pacific Power

All ratings162 ratings
Positive16.0%
Neutral6.8%
Negative77.2%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive6.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative90.5%

Bugs and requests

NVS Explorer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Pacific Power

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Face ID authorization expires monthly
  • Password reset email links non-functional
  • Login credentials not saved despite settings
  • Account activation loops indefinitely
  • Password validation rejects valid passwords
Show 11 more
  • UI elements overlap blocking input fields
  • Usage history pages fail to load
  • Data usage display errors
  • Comment posting functionality broken
  • App crashes on certain iOS versions
  • Payments show as pending indefinitely
  • Duplicate payment processing
  • Account shows as inactive despite activation
  • Password requirements unclear/inconsistent
  • Biometric settings reset after logout
  • App version update stuck in loop

Requested features

12 requests
  • Persistent biometric authentication
  • Reliable password reset functionality
  • Pending payment status indicators
  • Payment history view
  • Auto-pay setup capability
Show 7 more
  • Apple Pay integration
  • Extended billing history (more than 6 months)
  • Dark mode option
  • Better outage reporting UX
  • Account settings management in app
  • Email address update functionality
  • Cost comparison with previous billing periods

In-app purchases

None

NVS Explorer

No in-app purchases

None

Pacific Power

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NVS Explorer free?
NVS Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pacific Power free?
Pacific Power is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NVS Explorer or Pacific Power?
NVS Explorer is rated higher. NVS Explorer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Pacific Power averages 1.8 from 182 ratings.
Do NVS Explorer or Pacific Power have ads?
Neither NVS Explorer nor Pacific Power shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NVS Explorer or Pacific Power?
NVS Explorer ships an update every 3 months, and Pacific Power every 6 months. Most recently, NVS Explorer was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pacific Power on November 1, 2026.

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