Comparison

Universal Zoom vs CMB Maps

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
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

CMB Maps

Explore detailed all-sky maps of cosmic microwave background radiation from the Big Bang. Compare different generations of fluctuations in high resolution and view galactic coordinates and microwave sources.

Highlights
  • 4K resolution CMB maps
  • Compare multiple maps
  • Zoom and scroll for details
  • Sky reference map
  • Educational demonstration tool
Features
Read full description

Amazing cosmic microwave background all-sky maps on your iPhone and iPad! This app allows you to see and compare different generations of CMB fluctuations. It includes 4K resolution all-sky COBE/WMAP/Planck CMB maps and allows you to zoom in and scroll around for map details. You can choose to view a single map, or compare multiple maps by tilting your device. A sky reference map is also included to show the galactic coordinates, notable Milky Way components, and microwave point sources. Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is the afterglow radiation from the Big Bang. Its temperature is extremely uniform, but with tiny fluctuations as you will see in these maps. 

In 1992, COBE satellite made the first detection of the CMB fluctuations. The following WMAP and Planck mission were able to scan the sky at better and better resolution. The successes of these CMB observations have provided us great understanding of the Universe over the last decades. Check the Wikipedia page for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background This app is designed and made by Qingqing Mao at Vanderbilt University for the purposes of astronomy education and demonstration. The included CMB maps are generated by NASA and ESA. COBE, WMAP and sky reference image credits: 
NASA / WMAP Science Team. 
Planck image credits: 
ESA and the Planck Collaboration. Author's personal website: http://mqq.io Suggestions and feedback are very welcome. Please leave your review, or visit author's website for contact information.

Screenshots

Universal Zoom4 screens
CMB Maps2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: CMB Maps at Free against Universal Zoom's $5.99. CMB Maps also leads on iOS requirement (6.0 vs 15.5). Universal Zoom's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (97% vs 67%). On ads, in-app purchases 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

CMB Maps 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 356 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 97% of Universal Zoom's written reviews are positive against 67% of CMB Maps's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Universal Zoom versus CMB Maps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniversal ZoomCMB Maps
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (356 ratings) — better4.0 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews96.6% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings356 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 4 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.56.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size175 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGamifyItQingqing Mao

Customer experience

Universal Zoom

All ratings356 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews386 reviews
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.8%

CMB Maps

All ratings14 ratings
Positive78.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.4%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

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

CMB Maps

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Universal Zoom

No in-app purchases

None

CMB Maps

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Universal Zoom free?
Universal Zoom costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CMB Maps free?
CMB Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Universal Zoom or CMB Maps?
Universal Zoom is rated higher. Universal Zoom averages 4.8 out of 5 from 356 ratings, while CMB Maps averages 4.0 from 14 ratings.
Do Universal Zoom or CMB Maps have ads?
Neither Universal Zoom nor CMB Maps shows ads.

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