Comparison

DIY Sun Science vs SOS Explorer

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

Head to head
About

DIY Sun Science

Explore the Sun through hands-on activities and real-time data. This app offers 15 engaging experiments, live solar images from NASA, and educational videos to foster understanding of solar science for families and educators.

Highlights
  • 15 hands-on solar activities
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Live Sun images from NASA SDO
  • NASA Earth and space observatory images
  • NASA solar videos
  • Learn about solar activity
Features
Read full description

DIY Sun Science is designed to make it easy for families and educators to learn about the Sun anywhere, anytime! The app is developed by UC Berkeley’s The Lawrence Hall of Science, the Children's Creativity Museum, and Sciencenter; funded by NASA. HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES DIY Sun Science includes 15 easy-to-use hands-on activities to learn about the Sun and its important relationship with Earth. Learn how to cook in a solar oven, measure the size of the Sun, or explore shadows in model Moon craters! Each activity includes step-by-step instructions that have been tested by educators, kids, and families. Activity materials are easily available and inexpensive—you may already have many of them in your home! SUN OBSERVATORY Want to see the Sun right now in different wavelengths? Use DIY Sun Science to view live images of the Sun from NASA’s SDO satellite in the Sun Observatory. Afterwards, you can learn more about the solar activity you observed and test your new knowledge. IMAGES AND VIDEOS See awe-inspiring images of the Sun from NASA’s Earth and space observatories! Learn about the different features of the Sun and how scientists are studying it. You can even watch NASA videos of the Sun from the past 48 hours. Praise & Reviews: —Featured by Apple in "Best New Apps" and "Education" —Common Sense Media: “DIY Sun Science is a great way to spark interest in astronomy and inspire learning. The activities are fun and engaging, and they tie in nicely with important astronomy concepts.” —Gizmodo: “A must for budding astronomy enthusiasts.”

About

SOS Explorer

Explore interactive animated datasets of Earth and space phenomena, from planetary rings to climate change models. This app brings complex environmental processes to life in an intuitive and captivating way, making learning accessible anywhere.

Highlights
  • Streaming high-resolution datasets
  • Educational videos
  • User-guided tours
  • Analysis tools
  • 100+ datasets
  • Global and flat map views
Features
Read full description

SOS Explorer (SOSx) Mobile is a free, flat screen mobile app version of the popular NOAA Science On a Sphere (SOS). This revolutionary software takes SOS datasets, usually only seen on a 6-foot sphere in large museum spaces, and makes them accessible, portable, and interactive anywhere. SOSx Mobile can immerse the user in animated images such as Saturn’s rings, atmospheric storms, climate change, and ocean temperatures to help explain sometimes complex environmental processes in a way that is intuitive, captivating, interactive, and entertaining. A desktop version, called SOS Explorer, is also available. Thank you for using SOS Explorer (SOSx) Mobile. We are committed to continually improving our software and providing you with an engaging and educational experience. We hope you enjoy the new features and enhancements in version 1.2! Please continue to share your feedback with us as we work on improvements. We appreciate your patience and support. Features include: • Streaming, high-resolution datasets • Educational videos • User-guided tours • Analysis tools • 100+ datasets • Global and flat map views Sample datasets: • Recent Hurricane Seasons • Bird Migration • Earthquake Activity • Snow and Ice • Ocean Currents • Historical Tsunamis • Facebook Friendships • Air Traffic • Planets of the Solar System • Climate Change Models • 360 Underwater Imagery • Narrated Movies • ...and so much more!

Screenshots

DIY Sun Science4 screens
SOS Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SOS Explorer at 4.7 against DIY Sun Science's 4.4. On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SOS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 20 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 92% of DIY Sun Science's written reviews are positive against 86% of SOS Explorer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DIY Sun Science ships an update every 6 months, SOS Explorer every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
DIY Sun Science versus SOS Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDIY Sun ScienceSOS Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (21 ratings)4.7 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews91.7% of reviews — better85.7% of reviews
Number of ratings21 — better20
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size134 MB249 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Lawrence Hall of ScienceUniversity of Colorado Boulder

Customer experience

DIY Sun Science

All ratings21 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.2%

SOS Explorer

All ratings20 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

None

DIY Sun Science

No in-app purchases

None

SOS Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DIY Sun Science free?
DIY Sun Science is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SOS Explorer free?
SOS Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DIY Sun Science or SOS Explorer?
SOS Explorer is rated higher. DIY Sun Science averages 4.4 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while SOS Explorer averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.
Do DIY Sun Science or SOS Explorer have ads?
Neither DIY Sun Science nor SOS Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DIY Sun Science or SOS Explorer?
DIY Sun Science ships an update every 6 months, and SOS Explorer every 11 months. Most recently, DIY Sun Science was updated on October 17, 2026 and SOS Explorer on October 9, 2026.

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