Earth vs ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Earth
Visualize global climate data from NASA satellites, including temperature, CO2, and sea level. Explore 3D Earth models with interactive controls and color-coded maps to understand environmental conditions.
- Global climate data visualization
- Satellite data from Earth Science
- Surface air temperature maps
- CO2 and CO levels
- Ozone and water vapor data
- Gravity and sea level variations
- Interactive 3D Earth model
Read full descriptionHide full description
NASA's Earth Now is an application that visualizes recent global climate data from Earth Science satellites, including surface air temperature, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and water vapor as well as gravity and sea level variations. Data sets are visually described using "false color" maps. Color-coded legends are provided to indicate relative strength or weakness of an environmental condition. The resulting 3D model of the Earth may be rotated by a single finger stroke, and may also be zoomed in or out by pinching 2 fingers. It was developed by the Earth Science Communications and Visualization Technology Applications and Development Teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with support from NASA Headquarters.
ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples
Explore interactive samples demonstrating powerful mapping and spatial analysis capabilities. View source code for each sample to learn how to integrate these features into your own applications. Covers maps, layers, feature editing, routing, analysis, and augmented reality.
- Interactive mapping samples
- View source code
- Map and scene visualization
- Feature editing and geodatabases
- Routing and directions
- Spatial analysis
- Augmented reality integration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Explore the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for iOS with dozens of interactive samples. Experience the SDK's powerful capabilities and learn how to incorporate them into your own apps. View the code behind each sample from within the app and see how easy it is to use the SDK. + Maps - Open, create, interact with and save maps + Layers - Display vector and raster data in maps and scenes + Features - Work with Feature layers and geodatabases + Edit Data - Add, delete, and edit features and attachments + Display Information - Show graphics, popups, callouts, and sketches + Search - Find addresses, places, and points of interest + Geometry - Create geometries and perform geometric operations + Route & Directions - Calculate routes between locations and around barriers + Analysis - Perform spatial analysis via geoprocessing tasks and services + Cloud & Portal - Search for webmaps and list portal group users + Scenes - Visualize 3D environments and symbols + Utility network - Work with utility networks, performing traces and exploring network elements + Augmented reality - View data overlaid on the real world through your device's camera The source code for the app is available on GitHub: https://github.com/Esri/arcgis-runtime-samples-ios
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Earth at 42 against ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples's 10. On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Earth against 4.7 for ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 10 respectively.
Earth ships an update every 4 months, ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 5, 2026 and August 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Earth | ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (42 ratings) | 4.7 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 42 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 181 MB | 137 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory | ESRI |
Customer experience
Earth
ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples
Bugs and requests
Earth
Reported bugs
12 issues- App crashes on startup or during use
- Endless 'Loading model' message
- Crashes on iPhone 4 and older devices
- Pixel doubler requirement on iPad
- No landscape orientation support
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Doesn't fill iPhone 5 screen properly
- Extremely slow data loading
- Menu navigation issues
- Equator display shows slashes of emptiness
- Zoom sensitivity causes twitchy behavior
- Text readability issues against Earth background
- Geographic data coverage gaps
Requested features
17 requests- Celsius/Kelvin temperature unit options
- Satellite information (height, launch date)
- ISS tracking capability
- Ocean current visualization
- Ice sheet data layers
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Methane concentration data
- Snapshot/screenshot capability
- Adjustable animation playback speed
- Manual timeline scrolling for animations
- Higher resolution maps for Retina displays
- Landscape orientation support
- iPad version
- Google Earth integration
- More detailed explanations of data
- Selectable date ranges for animations
- Atmospheric CO2 levels (previously removed)
- Surface temperature data (previously removed)
ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Earth
No in-app purchases
ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Earth free?
Is ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples free?
Which has better reviews, Earth or ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples?
Do Earth or ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples have ads?
Which is updated more often, Earth or ArcGIS Runtime SDK Samples?
Other comparisons















