Comparison

Universal Zoom vs Universe Maker

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

Head to head
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
Currently charting
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

About

Universe Maker

Explore the potential histories and futures of a universe by adjusting its fundamental components. This educational tool allows users to experiment with radiation, matter, and dark energy to observe how these elements influence cosmic evolution.

Highlights
  • Simulate universe histories and futures
  • Tinker with universe composition
  • Observe cosmic evolution
  • Experiment with radiation, matter, and dark energy
Read full description

Universe make lets you the many possible histories and futures that a universe can have. Scientists believe that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate and will expand forever. If the composition of our universe were to change, however, its future could be quite different. Our universe contains three things: radiation, matter, and dark energy. Together, these three components control the evolution of the universe. Universe Maker invites you to tinker with the composition of our universe and watch its history and destiny change.

Screenshots

Universal Zoom4 screens
Universe Maker1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Universe Maker at Free against Universal Zoom's $5.99. Universe Maker also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.5). Universal Zoom's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (366 vs 11). On review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

Universe Maker is free to download; Universal Zoom costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Universal Zoom holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universal Zoom has 366 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 97% of Universal Zoom's written reviews are positive against 100% of Universe Maker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Universal Zoom versus Universe Maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniversal ZoomUniverse Maker
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (366 ratings) — better4.0 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews96.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings366 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 4 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#150 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.59.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size175 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGamifyItChristopher Leet

Customer experience

Universal Zoom

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

Universe Maker

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

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

Universe Maker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Universal Zoom

No in-app purchases

None

Universe Maker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Universal Zoom free?
Universal Zoom costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Universe Maker free?
Universe Maker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Universal Zoom or Universe Maker?
Universal Zoom is rated higher. Universal Zoom averages 4.8 out of 5 from 366 ratings, while Universe Maker averages 4.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Universal Zoom or Universe Maker have ads?
Neither Universal Zoom nor Universe Maker shows ads.

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