# Earth vs ISS Explorer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ISS Explorer at 100% against Earth's 74%. ISS Explorer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Earth's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 10 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ISS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Earth's written reviews are positive against 100% of ISS Explorer's.

Earth ships an update every 4 months, ISS Explorer every 10 months. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Earth | ISS Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-now/id494633346/reviews) | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iss-explorer/id1429876038/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **42** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 181 MB | 747 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jet Propulsion Laboratory](https://appshunter.io/developer/347075767) | [NASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/355542146) |

## 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


### ISS Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iss-explorer/id1429876038)

Explore a detailed 3D model of the International Space Station. Rotate, zoom, and select individual components to learn about their function and systems. Organize your view by turning parts and labels on or off.

**Highlights:** Interactive 3D ISS model, Rotate and zoom functionality, Selectable parts with isolation, Detailed information on components, Hierarchical part organization, Toggle parts and labels

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Earth free?

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

### Is ISS Explorer free?

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

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

ISS Explorer is rated higher. Earth averages 4.6 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while ISS Explorer averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.

### Do Earth or ISS Explorer have ads?

Neither Earth nor ISS Explorer shows ads.

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

Earth ships an update every 4 months, and ISS Explorer every 10 months. Most recently, Earth was updated on October 20, 2026 and ISS Explorer on October 20, 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.*