Comparison

Cosmic Eye vs Universal Zoom

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

Head to head
About

Cosmic Eye

Explore the universe from subatomic particles to the observable cosmos with incredible zoom capabilities. View real astronomical and microscopic photographs alongside stunning computer-generated models. This app offers a journey through scales inspired by iconic scientific visualizations.

Highlights
  • Enormous zoom factors
  • Subatomic to cosmic scales
  • Real photographs
  • Computer model renderings
  • Inspired by 'Powers of Ten'
Features
Read full description

Cosmic Eye allows to user to zoom in and out of a preset image, by enormous zoom factors, reaching down the smallest known sub-atomic particles and up to the entire observable universe. Where possible, the app displays real photographs obtained with modern objectives, telescopes, and microscopes. Other views are phenomenal renderings of state-of-the-art computer models. This app draws inspiration from a progression of increasingly accurate graphical representations of the scales of our Universe, including the classical movie “Powers of Ten” (1977), directed by Charles and Ray Eames.

About

Universal Zoom

Explore the universe's vastness and intricacy through interactive visual comparisons. Seamlessly zoom from subatomic particles to the observable universe, gaining intuition about scale and size with stunning imagery and clear explanations.

Highlights
  • Seamless zooming across scales
  • Visual comparisons of objects
  • Jargon-free scientific explanations
  • Audio narration
  • Over 270 objects presented to scale
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

The universe is endlessly vast. A single atom is impossibly small. And somewhere between those two extremes lies everything that has ever existed. We believe that feeling — the electric, spine-tingling sense of scale — belongs to everyone. Not just scientists. Not just students. Everyone. That's why we built Universal Zoom. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Zoom seamlessly from the Planck length to the edge of the observable universe — about 300 objects presented to perfect scale. • Compare any two objects side by side: how many Earths fit inside Jupiter? How does a virus measure up against a skyscraper? Instant, visual, intuitive. (No other scale app lets you do this.) • Go deeper with audio narration and short, accessible explanations — the facts that matter, in plain language. WHAT YOU'LL EXPLORE • Elementary particles — quarks, leptons, and bosons. Atomic nuclei, atoms, and DNA. Living cells. Animals and landmarks. Planets, stars, and galaxies. A deep dive into physics, biology, and astronomy — with short, plain-language articles that make even particle physics easy to grasp — in 40 languages, with metric, imperial, or powers-of-ten units. • Real high-resolution photos and electron microscope images, where possible. Original artwork for things that can't be photographed — like elementary particles and DNA structures. • No ads. No in-app purchases. Pure discovery. BUILT WITH YOU We're a team of two (Andrey and Oksana) from Canada who have poured a decade into this app because we genuinely love science. Most objects come from community suggestions — carefully fact-checked and updated with every new discovery. Over 200 more are already in the queue. FOR EDUCATORS Used by teachers worldwide to visualize scale, build measurement intuition, and turn abstract numbers into "aha" moments. Available at 50% off for schools via Apple School Manager (20+ copies). FOLLOW THE JOURNEY Sneak peeks and upcoming additions: @gamifyitapps on X, YouTube, and TikTok. Feedback and ideas: gamifyitapps.com/contact

Screenshots

Cosmic Eye4 screens
Universal Zoom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Universal Zoom at 97% against Cosmic Eye's 38%. Universal Zoom also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.9) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Cosmic Eye's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $5.99) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On ads and device support 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

Cosmic Eye costs $0.99 and Universal Zoom $5.99 up front. Cosmic Eye sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Universal Zoom asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Universal Zoom holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 89 and 365 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Cosmic Eye's written reviews are positive against 97% of Universal Zoom's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cosmic Eye ships an update every 6 weeks, Universal Zoom every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Cosmic Eye versus Universal Zoom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCosmic EyeUniversal Zoom
Price$0.99 — better$5.99
Rating2.9 (89 ratings)4.8 (365 ratings) — better
Positive reviews38.2% of reviews96.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings89365 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB175 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDanail ObreschkowGamifyIt

Customer experience

Cosmic Eye

All ratings88 ratings
Positive38.6%
Neutral13.6%
Negative47.7%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive38.2%
Neutral14.7%
Negative47.1%

Universal Zoom

All ratings356 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews389 reviews
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.8%

User reviews

Cosmic Eye

From 89 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Visually captivating experience
  • 🌌 Great for understanding scale
  • 👍 Easy to use and understand
  • 💡 Interesting concept and educational
  • 🤩 Amazing and spectacular app

Room to improve

  • 💸 Requires multiple purchases
  • 🤔 Misleading pricing and free versions
  • 💰 Feels like a scam for money
  • 😠 Frustrating upgrade system
  • 👎 Poor implementation and graphics

Universal Zoom

From 365 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fascinating and informative
  • 🚀 Smooth and seamless experience
  • 💡 Puts things into perspective
  • 👍 Great learning tool for all ages
  • 👍 Visually appealing and well-designed

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔇 Background music could be improved

Bugs and requests

Cosmic Eye

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Upgrade not working
  • In-app purchase not working after payment
  • App crashes on load
  • Cannot move camera freely
  • Low resolution graphics
Show 2 more
  • Only loads in portrait mode
  • Banner ad present despite screenshots showing no ads

Requested features

17 requests
  • Zoom out of the universe and into the atomic nucleus
  • Zoom in to Planck length and out to beyond the universe
  • Make it so we can zoom out of the universe and very far into the atomic nucleus
  • Make it so we can zoom in all the way to Planck length and all the way out to Beyond the universe
  • Make it so we can zoom out of the universe and very far into the atomic nucleus
Show 12 more
  • Make it so we can zoom in all the way to Planck length and all the way out to Beyond the universe
  • Add multiverse functionality
  • Add other universes
  • Add our universe after zooming out of the cosmic web
  • Turn off automatic zoom
  • Make it possible to zoom without it zooming automatically
  • Make it possible to turn off resetting at the end
  • Make the speed slower
  • Allow replacement of the initial photo with a photo of loved ones
  • Slow down the display significantly for screensaver use
  • Disable auto-lock for screensaver use
  • Add more detailed sections between jumps in scale

Universal Zoom

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incorrect information for some objects
  • Compatibility issues on older devices
  • Typos and minor errors in text

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more objects and comparisons
  • Customizable object feature
  • Support for more languages
  • Ability to toggle between metric and imperial units
  • Search and filtering options

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cosmic Eye

One-time1
  • Cosmic Eye ProFree
None

Universal Zoom

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cosmic Eye free?
Cosmic Eye costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Universal Zoom free?
Universal Zoom costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cosmic Eye or Universal Zoom?
Universal Zoom is rated higher. Cosmic Eye averages 2.9 out of 5 from 89 ratings, while Universal Zoom averages 4.8 from 365 ratings.
Do Cosmic Eye or Universal Zoom have ads?
Neither Cosmic Eye nor Universal Zoom shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cosmic Eye or Universal Zoom?
Cosmic Eye ships an update every 6 weeks, and Universal Zoom every 4 months. Most recently, Cosmic Eye was updated on October 26, 2026 and Universal Zoom on October 26, 2026.

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