Universal Zoom vs MapSize
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
MapSize
Explore the true sizes of countries, overcoming the distortions of traditional map projections. Compare any two territories side-by-side, move them freely, and discover fascinating statistical data about their relative dimensions. An ideal educational resource for geography enthusiasts.
- Accurate size comparison
- Overcomes map projection distortion
- Compare any two territories
- Interactive territory movement
- Learn relative size statistics
- Educational geography tool
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Traditional maps use the Mercator projection due to the earth's spherical shape, which distorts the size of countries near the poles. Because of this, you may be surprised to see how big some countries really are in comparison to others! With this app you can compare any two territories, move them around, and learn interesting statistics about their relative sizes. This is an excellent educational tool for students and teachers interested in geography.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MapSize at Free against Universal Zoom's $5.99. MapSize also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). Universal Zoom's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (356 vs 32). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
MapSize is free to download; Universal Zoom costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Universal Zoom holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universal Zoom has 356 ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Universal Zoom ships an update every 4 months, MapSize every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Universal Zoom | MapSize |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (356 ratings) — better | 4.5 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 96.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 356 — better | 32 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 175 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GamifyIt | Jason Horsley |
Customer experience
Universal Zoom
MapSize
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
MapSize
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Universal Zoom
No in-app purchases
MapSize
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Universal Zoom free?
Is MapSize free?
Which has better reviews, Universal Zoom or MapSize?
Do Universal Zoom or MapSize have ads?
Which is updated more often, Universal Zoom or MapSize?
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