Comparison

NASA Visualization Explorer vs Galaxy Map

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

Head to head
About

NASA Visualization Explorer

Explore advanced space-based research through engaging stories and stunning visualizations. See Earth from new perspectives and journey to distant locations through a direct connection to NASA's research spacecraft. Discover cutting-edge science delivered weekly to your device.

Highlights
  • Advanced space-based research stories
  • Cutting-edge research visualizations
  • View Earth from new perspectives
  • Travel to inaccessible locations
  • New stories updated weekly
Features
Read full description

NASA SCIENCE: REVEALED! This is the NASA Visualization Explorer, the coolest way to get stories about advanced space-based research delivered right to your iOS device. A direct connection to NASA’s extraordinary fleet of research spacecraft, this app presents cutting edge research stories in an engaging and exciting format. See the Earth as you’ve never seen it before; travel to places otherwise unavailable to even the most intrepid explorers! Download it now, tap into the power of NASA’s cutting-edge research today and check for new stories every week! - WiFi or cellular connection required -

About

Galaxy Map

Explore the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies in an interactive 3D map. Discover nebulae, supernovae, and planets, with stunning visuals based on NASA data. Ideal for education and space enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D galaxy map
  • Explore nebulae and supernovae
  • Fly through planetary atmospheres
  • Land on planets
  • Based on NASA data
  • Available in 100+ languages
Features
Read full description

The galaxy map is an interactive map of the Milky Way galaxy, Andromeda and their satellite galaxies. Explore the Orion Arm's nebulae and supernovae from the comfort of your spaceship. Fly through the atmosphere of Mars and many other planets and you can even land on them. Discover the galaxy in a stunning three dimensional map based on NASA's artistic impression of the Milky Way galactic structure. Photos are taken by NASA spacecraft and ground based telescopes like Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray, Herschel Space Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope. This interactive 3D map is excellent for teachers to use for instruction, and it is a great astronomy resource for students to explore the Milky Way galaxy and space as they learn more about the universe we live in. Available in over 100 languages! You can also From the outskirts of the galaxy, in the Norma-Outer spiral arm to the galactic center's supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, discover a galaxy full of amazing facts. Notable structures included: the Pillars of Creation, Helix Nebula, the Engraved Hourglass Nebula, the Pleiades, the Orion Arm (where the solar system and the Earth are located) with its Orion belt. Check out neighboring dwarf galaxies such as Sagittarius and the Canis Major Overdensity, stellar streams as well as internal galactic components such as a variety of nebulae, star clusters or supernovae. Explore space and get a little closer to our wonderful universe with this awesome astronomy app! The Galaxy Map requires internet access to retrieve information from the wiki.

Screenshots

NASA Visualization Explorer4 screens
Galaxy Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Galaxy Map at 4.6 against NASA Visualization Explorer's 3.3. Galaxy Map also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 51%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). NASA Visualization Explorer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support 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. Galaxy Map sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. NASA Visualization Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Galaxy Map holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Galaxy Map has 609 ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of NASA Visualization Explorer's written reviews are positive against 80% of Galaxy Map's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NASA Visualization Explorer ships an update every 3 months, Galaxy Map monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
NASA Visualization Explorer versus Galaxy Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNASA Visualization ExplorerGalaxy Map
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (86 ratings)4.6 (609 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.7% of reviews79.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings86609 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB601 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNASAAndrei Nistorescu

Customer experience

NASA Visualization Explorer

All ratings86 ratings
Positive51.2%
Neutral11.6%
Negative37.2%
Written reviews211 reviews
Positive50.7%
Neutral11.4%
Negative37.9%

Galaxy Map

All ratings609 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive79.8%
Neutral6.7%
Negative13.5%

User reviews

NASA Visualization Explorer

From 86 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Stunning visuals
  • 🔍 Informative content
  • 👍 Easy to navigate
  • 🤓 Great for science enthusiasts

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • ⏱️ Slow loading times
  • 🔒 Requires account sign-in
  • 💤 Lack of new content updates

Galaxy Map

From 609 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌌 Impressive 3D galaxy and nebula visualizations
  • 🚀 Spaceship exploration feature with landing capability
  • 📚 Educational content about space and astronomy
  • 🎮 Fun and engaging gameplay mechanics
  • ✨ No ads in free version

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive paywall for most content
  • 🐛 App crashes and fails to load
  • 🎮 Poor control mechanics for flying and walking
  • 🔍 Lack of zoom functionality or unclear controls
  • 🌑 Black holes look too similar to each other

Bugs and requests

NASA Visualization Explorer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Freezing on tutorial screen
  • Incompatibility with iOS 10+
  • Video playback issues
  • Unreliable server connectivity

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline content viewing
  • Interactive data visualizations
  • Support for older devices
  • Customizable notification settings

Galaxy Map

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • Explore button shows nothing
  • Pinch-to-zoom doesn't work
  • App won't load on iPad
  • Text displays as boxes in language settings
Show 4 more
  • Mars moon orbital speed incorrect
  • App kicks users out during exploration
  • Loading issues and incomplete functionality
  • Inconsistent performance across platforms

Requested features

18 requests
  • Search button to find galaxies and objects
  • More diverse and realistic black hole designs
  • AR feature to identify stars/planets in real sky
  • More free content and objects
  • Exoplanet additions (TRAPPIST-1e, J1407B)
Show 13 more
  • Ability to click on stars within galaxies for details
  • Generated planets around stars
  • Sandbox/creation mode for user-generated content
  • Animation for Milky Way and Andromeda
  • More galaxy variety in the app
  • Coordinates filter for objects
  • Space-Engine style gameplay
  • Flying through galaxies feature
  • More female character customization options
  • VIP version option
  • Brown dwarfs addition
  • Photosphere viewing mode
  • More detailed star information

In-app purchases

None

NASA Visualization Explorer

No in-app purchases

13 purchases

Galaxy Map

One-time13
  • Buy ship - Alien Destroyer$0.99
  • Buy ship - Alien fighter$0.99
  • Remove ads$1.99
Show 10 more
  • Buy ship - Alien Destroyer$1.99
  • Buy ship - Alien fighter$1.99
  • 3D Visualization Pack$1.99
  • Buy ship - Dragon Frigate$1.99
  • Essentials bundle - SALE$2.99
  • Remove ads$3.99
  • 3D Visualization Pack$3.99
  • Ultimate bundle - SALE$4.99
  • Essentials bundle$4.99
  • Ultimate bundle$8.99

Questions

Is NASA Visualization Explorer free?
NASA Visualization Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Galaxy Map free?
Galaxy Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NASA Visualization Explorer or Galaxy Map?
Galaxy Map is rated higher. NASA Visualization Explorer averages 3.3 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while Galaxy Map averages 4.6 from 609 ratings.
Do NASA Visualization Explorer or Galaxy Map have ads?
Galaxy Map shows ads; NASA Visualization Explorer does not.
Which is updated more often, NASA Visualization Explorer or Galaxy Map?
NASA Visualization Explorer ships an update every 3 months, and Galaxy Map monthly. Most recently, NASA Visualization Explorer was updated on October 7, 2026 and Galaxy Map on October 12, 2026.

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