Epicenter vs Aarestation
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
Aarestation
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Aarestation – Jump in the Aare? Get your answer in seconds. Instead of checking a weather app, a hydrological data portal, and an air quality site separately, Aarestation shows you everything at a glance: is today a good day for an Aare swim in Bern? THE PAI SCORE – YOUR DECISION-MAKER The PAI algorithm condenses air temperature, wind, humidity, discharge, UV index, and water temperature into a single score from 1 to 10. A high score means the best possible conditions for jumping in. MAI – YOUR VERY OWN SCORE Every swimmer is different. With Mai (Mein Aare Index) you set your own target values and weightings for each factor – turning the general PAI into your personal Mai score, tailored exactly to you. WHAT THE APP OFFERS • PAI Score: the official decision-maker at a glance • Mai Score: your personal, fully configurable score • Aare: water temperature, discharge, and water level in real time • Weather: temperature, wind, humidity, UV, and short-term forecast • Air quality with current AQI values • Pollen levels for the Bern region • AR map view: discover swim spots nearby using your camera • Apple Watch app with watch face complication – your score right on your wrist • Live Activity: current conditions on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Configurable Home Screen widget (PAI, Mai, Aare, or air) • Notifications the moment conditions are right • History and trends for the key values • Wind rose and sun chart for wind and sun over the day • Bern webcams – your live view of the Aare • A clear daily report for the perfect overview DATA SOURCES OpenWeatherMap, MeteoSwiss, FOEN (Swiss Federal Office for the Environment) hydrological data, WAQI.info, and Bern Tourism (webcams). NOTE This information is intended to support your assessment of conditions. Decisions about swimming in open water are always your own responsibility. Aarestation is an independent project by a passionate Aare swimmer from Bern. Privacy: https://aarestation.ch/datenschutz
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Epicenter at every 4 days against Aarestation's every 9 days. Epicenter also leads on iOS requirement (17.4 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Epicenter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Aarestation sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Epicenter ships an update every 4 days, Aarestation every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Epicenter | Aarestation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (40 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 40 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 102 MB | 163 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jess Taylor | Peter Bognar |
In-app purchases
Epicenter
- Epicenter+ Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
- Epicenter+ Annual1 Month trial$9.991 Year
Aarestation
- Kaffee Silber$0.99
- Kaffee Bronze$0.99
- Kaffee Gold$5.99
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- Kaffee Platinum$9.99
Questions
Is Epicenter free?
Is Aarestation free?
Do Epicenter or Aarestation have ads?
Which is updated more often, Epicenter or Aarestation?
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