Comparison

LastQuake vs ShakeAlarm

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

Head to head
About

LastQuake

Receive real-time earthquake alerts and contribute to scientific research by sharing your experiences. This app provides critical safety information and allows you to notify loved ones during seismic events.

Highlights
  • Real-time earthquake information
  • Customizable notifications
  • Eyewitness comments, photos, and videos
  • SMS notification service
  • Post-earthquake safety tips
  • Interactive felt map
Features
Read full description

LastQuake is a free, mobile application dedicated to alerting populations and gathering testimonies in real-time when an earthquake occurs. Designed by seismologists, LastQuake is the official app of the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC). Thanks to the participative action of its users, only a few minutes are needed for the EMSC to estimate earthquake effects and notify the population. [LastQuake is an ad-free app!] ** AN INNOVATIVE EARTHQUAKE DETECTION METHOD ** EMSC detects earthquakes using: ∘ Earthquake witnesses, who are the first to feel an earthquake, hence the first informed that an event is happening. ∘ Internet and mobile technologies, which allow rapid information collection of the effects observed by witnesses, who are asked to fill in a questionnaire and share photos and videos. Want to learn more about our detection system? Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNCaHFxhZ5E ** COMMITMENT TO POPULATIONS AFFECTED BY EARTHQUAKES ** Information and communication are cornerstones in preventing risky behaviors. EMSC contributes to the reduction of seismic risk by providing you with: ∘ real-time information ∘ post-earthquake safety tips ∘ SMS service that allows victims to notify their loved ones. ** YOUR INVOLVEMENT MATTERS ** LastQuake is a citizen science project. Your contribution helps refine our understanding of earthquake effects while fostering our support in disaster preparation and response. ** KEY FEATURES ** ∘ Real-time information and data ∘ Customizable notifications (destructive earthquakes, earthquakes near you) ∘ Access to comments, photos, and videos by eyewitnesses ∘ Information-sharing via social media ∘ SMS service to notify loved ones when in the area impacted by an earthquake ∘ Post-earthquake safety tips ** WHAT'S NEW ** ∘ Interactive felt map ∘ Customizable notification test ∘ Earthquake notification through voice synthesizer ∘ Copy-paste available for comments ∘ Minor bugs fixed ∘ New languages available: Croatian, Czech, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Hebrew ** WHAT IS EMSC? ** EMSC is an international non-profit scientific NGO founded in 1975. Based in France, EMSC federates data from the seismological observatories of 86 institutes from 57 countries. While operating a real-time earthquake information service, EMSC advocates for public participation in scientific research. Its core product, LastQuake, paves the way for innovative approaches to building more disaster-resilient communities, making EMSC among the pioneers of disaster apps dedicated to earthquakes and tsunamis.

About

ShakeAlarm

Receive timely alerts for detected earthquake events. This application provides an early warning system to help you prepare for seismic activity.

Highlights
  • Earthquake event detection
  • Early warning system
  • Seismic activity alerts
  • Engineering team alerts
Features
Read full description

With this app you can receive an early warning in case an Earthquake event is detected by our Engineering team.

Screenshots

LastQuake4 screens
ShakeAlarm4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: LastQuake at 4.8 against ShakeAlarm's 3.5. LastQuake also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 2). ShakeAlarm's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 90%). On price, update cadence, 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LastQuake holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LastQuake has 2.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of LastQuake's written reviews are positive against 100% of ShakeAlarm's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LastQuake ships an update every 3 months, ShakeAlarm every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
LastQuake versus ShakeAlarm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLastQuakeShakeAlarm
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.2K ratings) — better3.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews89.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEMSCWeir-Jones Engineering Consultants Ltd.

Customer experience

LastQuake

All ratings2,149 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews346 reviews
Positive89.9%
Neutral4.6%
Negative5.5%

ShakeAlarm

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

LastQuake

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes after major earthquake events
  • Notification settings not persisting
  • Overlapping UI elements on certain screens
  • Inaccurate earthquake location data in some cases
  • Delayed or missing earthquake updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved notification settings and customization
  • Enhanced map functionality (e.g. zoom, panning)
  • Integration with other earthquake/disaster preparedness apps
  • Expanded data reporting and citizen science features
  • Localized earthquake information and alerts

ShakeAlarm

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

LastQuake

No in-app purchases

None

ShakeAlarm

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LastQuake free?
LastQuake is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShakeAlarm free?
ShakeAlarm is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LastQuake or ShakeAlarm?
LastQuake is rated higher. LastQuake averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while ShakeAlarm averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.
Do LastQuake or ShakeAlarm have ads?
Neither LastQuake nor ShakeAlarm shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LastQuake or ShakeAlarm?
LastQuake ships an update every 3 months, and ShakeAlarm every 2 months. Most recently, LastQuake was updated on October 26, 2026 and ShakeAlarm on October 9, 2026.

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