Comparison

TERC EarthLabs 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

TERC EarthLabs

This app offers free high school Earth science curriculum units with interactive visualizations, videos, and hands-on labs. It allows users to run Flash-based videos and interactives on their iPad for engaging science education.

Highlights
  • Interactive visualizations
  • Video content
  • Hands-on labs
  • Flash-based interactives
  • Curriculum units
Features
Read full description

EarthLabs (http://serc.carleton.edu/earthlabs) is a free set of high school Earth science curriculum units developed by TERC that engage students through a variety of modes including interactive visualizations, video, and hands-on labs. Download the EarthLabs App to run many of the Flash-based videos and interactives on your iPad.

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

SOS Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SOS Explorer at 86% against TERC EarthLabs's 40%. SOS Explorer also leads on update cadence (every 11 months vs every 53 months) and ratings volume (20 vs 1). TERC EarthLabs's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

TERC EarthLabs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SOS Explorer has 20 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of TERC EarthLabs'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

TERC EarthLabs ships an update every 53 months, SOS Explorer every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TERC EarthLabs versus SOS Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTERC EarthLabsSOS Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.7 (20 ratings)
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings120 — better
Update frequencyEvery 53 monthsEvery 11 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB249 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTERC, Inc.University of Colorado Boulder

Customer experience

TERC EarthLabs

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

SOS Explorer

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

In-app purchases

None

TERC EarthLabs

No in-app purchases

None

SOS Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TERC EarthLabs free?
TERC EarthLabs 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, TERC EarthLabs or SOS Explorer?
TERC EarthLabs is rated higher. TERC EarthLabs averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while SOS Explorer averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.
Do TERC EarthLabs or SOS Explorer have ads?
Neither TERC EarthLabs nor SOS Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TERC EarthLabs or SOS Explorer?
TERC EarthLabs ships an update every 53 months, and SOS Explorer every 11 months. Most recently, TERC EarthLabs was updated on October 4, 2026 and SOS Explorer on October 9, 2026.

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