DIY Sun Science vs SOS Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.”
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.
- Streaming high-resolution datasets
- Educational videos
- User-guided tours
- Analysis tools
- 100+ datasets
- Global and flat map views
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | DIY Sun Science | SOS Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (21 ratings) | 4.7 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 91.7% of reviews — better | 85.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 21 — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 134 MB | 249 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Lawrence Hall of Science | University of Colorado Boulder |
Customer experience
DIY Sun Science
SOS Explorer
In-app purchases
DIY Sun Science
No in-app purchases
SOS Explorer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is DIY Sun Science free?
Is SOS Explorer free?
Which has better reviews, DIY Sun Science or SOS Explorer?
Do DIY Sun Science or SOS Explorer have ads?
Which is updated more often, DIY Sun Science or SOS Explorer?
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