# Earth vs SOS Explorer

The clearest difference is update cadence: Earth at every 4 months against SOS Explorer's every 11 months. SOS Explorer's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 74%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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 SOS Explorer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 20 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Earth's written reviews are positive against 86% of SOS Explorer's.

Earth ships an update every 4 months, SOS Explorer every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 5, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Earth | SOS Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-now/id494633346/reviews) | **[4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **42** | 20 |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 181 MB | 249 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jet Propulsion Laboratory](https://appshunter.io/developer/347075767) | [University of Colorado Boulder](https://appshunter.io/developer/972210292) |

## What reviewers say

### Earth

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-now/id494633346)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌍 Real-time Earth data visualization
- 👍 User-friendly interface and easy navigation
- 🎨 Beautiful and mesmerizing graphics
- 📊 Comprehensive satellite data from NASA/JPL
- 🆓 Free access to scientific information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on older devices
- ⏳ Slow loading times on poor internet
- 🔍 Difficult to understand without scientific background
- 🗺️ Antarctica and polar regions blacked out/missing
- 📐 Zooming and scrolling too sensitive

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Celsius/Kelvin temperature unit options
- Satellite information (height, launch date)
- ISS tracking capability
- Ocean current visualization
- Ice sheet data layers


### SOS Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422)

Explore interactive animated datasets of Earth and space phenomena, from planetary rings to climate change models. This app brings complex environmental processes to life in an intuitive and captivating way, making learning accessible anywhere.

**Highlights:** Streaming high-resolution datasets, Educational videos, User-guided tours, Analysis tools, 100+ datasets, Global and flat map views

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Earth free?

Earth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SOS Explorer free?

SOS Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Earth or SOS Explorer?

SOS Explorer is rated higher. Earth averages 4.6 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while SOS Explorer averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.

### Do Earth or SOS Explorer have ads?

Neither Earth nor SOS Explorer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Earth or SOS Explorer?

Earth ships an update every 4 months, and SOS Explorer every 11 months. Most recently, Earth was updated on September 5, 2026 and SOS Explorer on September 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*