# Mancos vs StraboTools

The clearest difference is price: StraboTools at Free against Mancos's $2.99. StraboTools also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). Mancos's advantage is chart position (#178 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

StraboTools is free to download; Mancos costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Mancos against 5.0 for StraboTools. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 10 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Mancos's written reviews are positive against 100% of StraboTools's.

Mancos ships an update every 4 months, StraboTools every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 31, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mancos | StraboTools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mancos/id541570878/reviews) | [5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strabotools/id1496239162/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **13** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#178** | — |
| Size | 10 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hunt Mountain Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/328710008) | [The University of Kansas](https://appshunter.io/developer/726307325) |

## What reviewers say

### Mancos

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mancos/id541570878)

**Currently charting:** #178 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

Explore the geology of the United States and other regions with this app. Access state geological maps, formation data, and stratigraphic columns. Discover local fossil collections directly from your device.

**Highlights:** Interactive geological maps, Searchable by name or GPS, State-level geological data, Geological formation information, Regional stratigraphic columns, Fossil collection discovery

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### StraboTools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strabotools/id1496239162)

This app assists geologists in the field by analyzing photographs to provide quantitative data on rock fabric and mineral composition. It offers tools for measuring fabric orientation, determining color index, and detecting edges in rock images.

**Highlights:** Edge Fabric tool for orientation analysis, Color Index tool for mineral composition, Edge detection filter, Analyzes photos in-app or imported, Useful for plutonic and other rock types, Supports thin section study

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mancos free?

Mancos costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is StraboTools free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mancos or StraboTools?

Mancos and StraboTools are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 13 and 10 ratings respectively.

### Do Mancos or StraboTools have ads?

Neither Mancos nor StraboTools shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mancos or StraboTools?

Mancos ships an update every 4 months, and StraboTools every 2 months. Most recently, Mancos was updated on August 31, 2026 and StraboTools on June 4, 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.*