Cosmic Eye vs Universal Zoom
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Enormous zoom factors
- Subatomic to cosmic scales
- Real photographs
- Computer model renderings
- Inspired by 'Powers of Ten'
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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.
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.
- Seamless zooming across scales
- Visual comparisons of objects
- Jargon-free scientific explanations
- Audio narration
- Over 270 objects presented to scale
- Multi-language support
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Cosmic Eye ships an update every 6 weeks, Universal Zoom every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | Cosmic Eye | Universal Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 2.9 (89 ratings) | 4.8 (365 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.2% of reviews | 96.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 89 | 365 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 175 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Danail Obreschkow | GamifyIt |
Customer experience
Cosmic Eye
Universal Zoom
User reviews
Cosmic Eye
From 89 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
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- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Cosmic Eye
- Cosmic Eye ProFree
Universal Zoom
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cosmic Eye free?
Is Universal Zoom free?
Which has better reviews, Cosmic Eye or Universal Zoom?
Do Cosmic Eye or Universal Zoom have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cosmic Eye or Universal Zoom?
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