Comparison

SOS Remote vs iNaturalist

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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

About

iNaturalist

Identify plants, animals, and fungi using your camera or imported photos. Get AI-powered species suggestions and connect with a global community of nature enthusiasts to learn more about the natural world and contribute to scientific conservation efforts.

Highlights
  • AI species identification
  • Record species observations
  • Contribute to scientific data
  • Explore biodiversity
  • Connect with nature enthusiasts
Currently charting
Read full description

Your photos of plants, animals, fungi, and more can help protect nature all around the world. iNaturalist is free, nonprofit, and community-powered. iNaturalist helps millions of people learn about and document the nature around them. Point your camera at plants, animals, and fungi to get instant identification suggestions, then share your photos or sound recordings as an "observation." Then, see your observation get reviewed by a global community of knowledgeable nature-lovers to turn it into a useful data point for science and conservation efforts. Your everyday moments of curiosity can directly contribute to protecting nature, and you don't need any previous experience or knowledge to get started. iNaturalist is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to connecting people to nature and advancing biodiversity science and conservation, and is freely available thanks to the generous support of our community. KEY FEATURES • Identify species from anywhere in the world • Contribute to science by sharing your observations • Keep a record of species you see • Explore and protect biodiversity • Connect with and learn from other nature enthusiasts

Screenshots

SOS Remote2 screens
iNaturalist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SOS Remote at 100% against iNaturalist's 49%. SOS Remote also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1). iNaturalist's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (714 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

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

SOS Remote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iNaturalist has 714 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 49% of iNaturalist's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SOS Remote ships an update every 8 months, iNaturalist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
SOS Remote versus iNaturalist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSOS RemoteiNaturalist
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.1 (714 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better48.6% of reviews
Number of ratings3714 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#72 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB220 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNOAA Science On a SphereiNaturalist

Customer experience

SOS Remote

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

iNaturalist

All ratings707 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral8.8%
Negative18.5%
Written reviews451 reviews
Positive48.6%
Neutral15.3%
Negative36.1%

Bugs and requests

SOS Remote

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

iNaturalist

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App freezes when suggesting IDs on audio clips
  • Inconsistent tap responsiveness in search menu
  • Observation time not accurately filling based on upload time
  • Map showing incorrect observation locations
  • Crashes and performance issues on some devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to type in address/coordinates for location
  • Option to add observations to projects during upload
  • Batch editing/uploading of observations
  • More precise search filters (e.g. aquatic, parasitic, migratory)
  • Bring back colored observation markers on map

In-app purchases

None

SOS Remote

No in-app purchases

None

iNaturalist

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SOS Remote free?
SOS Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iNaturalist free?
iNaturalist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SOS Remote or iNaturalist?
SOS Remote is rated higher. SOS Remote averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while iNaturalist averages 4.1 from 714 ratings.
Do SOS Remote or iNaturalist have ads?
Neither SOS Remote nor iNaturalist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SOS Remote or iNaturalist?
SOS Remote ships an update every 8 months, and iNaturalist fortnightly. Most recently, SOS Remote was updated on October 23, 2026 and iNaturalist on October 27, 2026.

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