# Earth vs Micro Fi

The clearest difference is update cadence: Earth at every 4 months against Micro Fi's every 44 months. Earth also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (42 vs 4). Micro Fi's advantage is iOS requirement (8.1 vs 13.0). On price, review sentiment, 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.

Earth holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Earth has 42 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of Earth's written reviews are positive against 75% of Micro Fi's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Earth ships an update every 4 months, Micro Fi every 44 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Earth | Micro Fi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-now/id494633346/reviews)** | [4.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/micro-fi/id818703782/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **42** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 44 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 181 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **8.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jet Propulsion Laboratory](https://appshunter.io/developer/347075767) | [Celestron, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/445142854) |

## 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


### Micro Fi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/micro-fi/id818703782)

This application connects to a specialized handheld microscope, allowing users to view magnified images on their mobile devices. It facilitates exploration and discovery of the microscopic world directly from a smartphone or tablet.

**Highlights:** Connects to Wi-Fi enabled microscopes, View magnified images on mobile, Explore the microscopic world, User-friendly interface

**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 Micro Fi free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Earth or Micro Fi?

Earth is rated higher. Earth averages 4.6 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Micro Fi averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do Earth or Micro Fi have ads?

Neither Earth nor Micro Fi shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Earth or Micro Fi?

Earth ships an update every 4 months, and Micro Fi every 44 months. Most recently, Earth was updated on November 4, 2026 and Micro Fi on November 1, 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.*