# TERC EarthLabs vs SOS Explorer

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.

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

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | TERC EarthLabs | SOS Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terc-earthlabs/id929008909/reviews)** | [4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **20** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 53 months | **Every 11 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 40 MB | 249 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TERC, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/663250154) | [University of Colorado Boulder](https://appshunter.io/developer/972210292) |

## What reviewers say

### TERC EarthLabs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terc-earthlabs/id929008909)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### SOS Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*