Comparison

LastQuake vs Epicenter

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
Currently charting
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

Epicenter

Explore global earthquake activity from the past 30 days on an interactive globe. View detailed information, animate seismic events over time, and customize map displays. Includes companion apps for Apple Watch and a Today Widget for quick access to recent data.

Highlights
  • 30 days of global earthquake data
  • Interactive rotatable and zoomable globe
  • Earthquake details (magnitude, depth, source)
  • Date scroller and animation
  • Customizable map terrain and fault lines
  • Apple Watch app for recent data
  • Today Widget for quick access
Features
Read full description

Epicenter — Global Earthquake Monitoring & Alerts Track global seismic activity with timely earthquake notifications, one of the most comprehensive earthquake catalogs available on a mobile device, and powerful tools for exploring earthquakes in space and time. Built on trusted public seismic reporting agencies, Epicenter helps you monitor, understand, and visualize earthquakes worldwide. MONITOR EARTHQUAKES THAT MATTER TO YOU Receive timely notifications for significant earthquakes worldwide and monitor the places and seismic regions that matter most to you. • Worldwide earthquake notifications • Location-based notifications • Watched locations important to you • Watched seismic regions • Notification history and earthquake summaries • Built on multiple trusted global and regional seismic reporting agencies EXPLORE EARTHQUAKES WORLDWIDE View one of the most detailed interactive earthquake maps available on a mobile device. • Worldwide catalog of 25,000+ recent earthquakes updated from multiple public seismic reporting agencies • Interactive 3D globe with pan and zoom • Explore earthquake distributions beneath the Earth's surface with interactive 3D Seismicity • Time Explorer with day-by-day or hour-by-hour playback • Earthquake List View with sorting, filtering, and search • Filter the List View for non-earthquake events like landslides, quarry blasts, explosions, and more • Fly directly to earthquakes and locations of interest UNDERSTAND GLOBAL SEISMICITY Understand earthquakes as part of a larger geological system. • Magnitude and depth visualization • Worldwide plate boundaries • Global fault datasets • Detailed earthquake data • Multiple terrain styles • Geological descriptions and annotations BUILT FOR APPLE DEVICES Designed to feel at home across the Apple ecosystem. • New - Home Screen Widgets • iPhone and iPad support • Light and Dark modes • Apple Watch companion • Mac compatibility via iPad support BUILT BY A SEISMOLOGIST • Designed for accuracy, transparency, and insight. PREMIUM FEATURES Epicenter+ expands Epicenter with advanced notifications, enhanced visualizations, and deeper exploration tools. Everything you enjoy in Epicenter remains free. No ads. Epicenter+ supports continued development of worldwide earthquake monitoring and analysis tools. Epicenter delivers timely notifications as earthquake solutions are published by trusted public seismic reporting agencies. Because Epicenter relies on published earthquake solutions rather than earthquake early warning infrastructure, it is not an earthquake early-warning system and should not be relied upon for emergency response or life-safety decisions. Epicenter+ Subscription Terms When you purchase an Epicenter+ subscription, payment will be charged to your Apple Account. Your subscription begins with a 30-day free trial. Unless canceled before the trial ends, your subscription will begin automatically and your Apple Account will be charged. Subscriptions are billed automatically at the beginning of each monthly or annual billing period and renew until canceled. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. Manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal at any time in Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions on your device or through the App Store. To avoid being charged for the next billing period, auto-renewal must be turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends. If you cancel, your subscription remains active until the end of the current billing period. When your Epicenter+ subscription ends, the app automatically returns to its standard free mode. All billing and refunds are handled by Apple. Epicenter cannot process refunds directly. Refund requests must be submitted to Apple and are granted at Apple's discretion. Privacy Policy: https://seismology.rocks/epicenter Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

LastQuake4 screens
Epicenter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LastQuake at none against Epicenter's 2. LastQuake also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 39). Epicenter's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Epicenter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. LastQuake asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LastQuake holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LastQuake has 2.1K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of LastQuake's written reviews are positive against 80% of Epicenter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LastQuake ships an update every 3 months, Epicenter every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
LastQuake versus Epicenter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLastQuakeEpicenter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.1K ratings) — better4.4 (39 ratings)
Positive reviews89.9% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.1K — better39
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#147 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB102 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEMSCJess Taylor

Customer experience

LastQuake

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

Epicenter

All ratings39 ratings
Positive82.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative10.0%

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

Epicenter

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

LastQuake

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Epicenter

Subscriptions2
  • Epicenter+ Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Epicenter+ Annual1 Month trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is LastQuake free?
LastQuake is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Epicenter free?
Epicenter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, LastQuake or Epicenter?
LastQuake is rated higher. LastQuake averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Epicenter averages 4.4 from 39 ratings.
Do LastQuake or Epicenter have ads?
Neither LastQuake nor Epicenter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LastQuake or Epicenter?
LastQuake ships an update every 3 months, and Epicenter every 4 days. Most recently, LastQuake was updated on October 15, 2026 and Epicenter on October 6, 2026.

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