SOS Remote vs Canvas Teacher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SOS Remote
Control a Science On a Sphere® system with your mobile device. Adjust sphere orientation, manage datasets, and enhance presentations with interactive features. Ideal for educational settings.
- Adjust sphere orientation
- Control dataset playback
- Load presentation playlists
- Search and browse data catalog
- View dataset descriptions
- Create presentation playlists
- Draw on and zoom datasets
- Dynamically adjust dataset layers
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SOS Remote is a universal app for the iPhone*, iPod Touch*, and iPad that is used to control a Science On a Sphere® (SOS) system. SOS is a room sized, global display system that uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data onto a six-foot diameter sphere, analogous to an animated globe. SOS is used as an educational tool to help illustrate Earth System science to people of all ages in a way that is intuitive and captivating. The SOS Remote app affords greater interaction capabilities and ease of use compared to previous SOS controllers such as the Wii Remote. With this app, you can: • Adjust the orientation of the sphere in an intuitive way • Control playback of datasets • Load any presentation playlist stored on the SOS computer • Quickly search and browse the entire SOS Data Catalog and select datasets at random to load on the sphere • View a dataset's description and presenter notes while giving an SOS presentation • Quickly create a presentation playlist directly from the iPad • Draw on and zoom into a dataset loaded on the sphere • Dynamically turn on/off dataset layers and pips and adjust their transparency • Split the sphere into 2-4 vertical slices to replicate a portion of the dataset around the sphere • Perform full alignment of the sphere using an intuitive three step process * Note: The iPhone/iPod Touch support only a subset of the features described above. The iPad supports all features. Requirements: • In order to functionally use the SOS Remote app, you must have a Science On a Sphere® (SOS) installation • Wi-Fi or Bluetooth access to the SOS computer that is being controlled • SOS Software Version 5.5.0
Canvas Teacher
This mobile companion helps educators grade assignments, provide feedback, and manage classes efficiently from anywhere. It allows for annotation, audio/video feedback, and communication with students. The app streamlines class management tasks for teachers on the go.
- Mobile grading with SpeedGrader
- Annotate assignments
- Audio/video feedback
- Post class announcements
- Manage Inbox and messages
- Update assignment content
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Save time. Teach on the go. Canvas Teacher helps educators, instructors, and teachers grade, give feedback, and manage their classes from anywhere. What you can do • Grade or mark work: Use mobile friendly SpeedGrader to annotate assignments, apply rubrics and give written, audio, or video feedback • Communicate: Post class announcements, reply in discussions, and send messages right from your device • Update content: Adjust due dates, publish/unpublish assignments, or fix typos in seconds • Stay connected: Manage your Inbox, reply to student questions, and keep class communication flowing on the move Canvas Teacher is designed for educators—making mobile grading and class management faster and easier.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SOS Remote at 100% against Canvas Teacher's 26%. SOS Remote also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Canvas Teacher's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (96K vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
SOS Remote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canvas Teacher has 96K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of SOS Remote's written reviews are positive against 26% of Canvas Teacher's.
SOS Remote ships an update every 8 months, Canvas Teacher every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SOS Remote | Canvas Teacher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.6 (96K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 26.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 96K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 183 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NOAA Science On a Sphere | Instructure Inc. |
Customer experience
SOS Remote
Canvas Teacher
Bugs and requests
SOS Remote
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Canvas Teacher
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes frequently
- Inability to save grades and annotations
- Inconsistent behavior when rotating device
- Issues with loading student submissions
- Problems with syncing data between app and web version
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to access and edit modules
- Improve grading tools and functionality
- Allow customization of notification settings
- Enhance integration with other platforms
- Improve stability and reliability
In-app purchases
SOS Remote
No in-app purchases
Canvas Teacher
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SOS Remote free?
Is Canvas Teacher free?
Which has better reviews, SOS Remote or Canvas Teacher?
Do SOS Remote or Canvas Teacher have ads?
Which is updated more often, SOS Remote or Canvas Teacher?
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