NASA Visualization Explorer vs Galaxy Map
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Advanced space-based research stories
- Cutting-edge research visualizations
- View Earth from new perspectives
- Travel to inaccessible locations
- New stories updated weekly
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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 -
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.
- Interactive 3D galaxy map
- Explore nebulae and supernovae
- Fly through planetary atmospheres
- Land on planets
- Based on NASA data
- Available in 100+ languages
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Galaxy Map sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. NASA Visualization Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
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.
| Parameter | NASA Visualization Explorer | Galaxy Map |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (86 ratings) | 4.6 (609 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.7% of reviews | 79.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 86 | 609 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 601 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NASA | Andrei Nistorescu |
Customer experience
NASA Visualization Explorer
Galaxy Map
User reviews
NASA Visualization Explorer
From 86 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
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- 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)
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- 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
NASA Visualization Explorer
No in-app purchases
Galaxy Map
- Buy ship - Alien Destroyer$0.99
- Buy ship - Alien fighter$0.99
- Remove ads$1.99
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- 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?
Is Galaxy Map free?
Which has better reviews, NASA Visualization Explorer or Galaxy Map?
Do NASA Visualization Explorer or Galaxy Map have ads?
Which is updated more often, NASA Visualization Explorer or Galaxy Map?
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