# Soil Explorer vs Geology

The clearest difference is rating: Geology at 5.0 against Soil Explorer's 4.1. Geology also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.7). Soil Explorer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (9 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Geology sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Soil Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Geology holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Soil Explorer has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, Geology every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Soil Explorer | Geology |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soil-explorer/id996159565/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/geology-dictionary/id1236663971/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 6 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 172 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Purdue University](https://appshunter.io/developer/371741257) | [AppCrab](https://appshunter.io/developer/1227198215) |

## What reviewers say

### Soil Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soil-explorer/id996159565)

Discover detailed soil property and landscape maps for U.S. states and global soil distributions. Understand how map features relate to real-world observations. This educational tool uses data from USDA and USGS to illustrate complex soil-landscape relationships.

**Highlights:** Detailed soil property maps, Landscape visualizations, Global soil distribution maps, Field observation correlation, USDA NRCS data integration, USGS data integration

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Geology

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/geology-dictionary/id1236663971)

This app serves as a comprehensive personal guide for learning geology, offering a dictionary of terms with flashcards and visual explanations. It also includes video lectures and a detailed textbook covering major geological topics.

**Highlights:** Dictionary with key terms and definitions, Flashcards for memorization, Visual explanations of concepts, Searchable term database, 19 video lectures, Comprehensive textbook

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Geology Premium | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Soil Explorer free?

Soil Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Geology free?

Geology is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Soil Explorer or Geology?

Geology is rated higher. Soil Explorer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Geology averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Soil Explorer or Geology have ads?

Neither Soil Explorer nor Geology shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Soil Explorer or Geology?

Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and Geology every 6 months. Most recently, Soil Explorer was updated on October 24, 2026 and Geology on September 18, 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.*