Comparison

Soil Explorer vs LeafByte

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Soil Explorer

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
Read full description

Explore detailed maps of soil properties and landscapes for various U.S. states, as well as small-scale maps of soil distributions for the world. Examine the details for a specific area, but also see the overview for a large area. Learn how features shown on the maps correspond to what you observe in the field. Soil Explorer utilizes detailed soil survey data from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and data and maps from the U. S. Geological Survey and other sources to produce informative, highly engaging maps. These maps are designed to show the complex interrelationships between soil properties and the landscapes in which soils occur.

About

LeafByte

This application allows users to quickly and accurately measure leaf area and herbivory by taking photos. It supports various leaf types and conditions, and saves data to spreadsheets. Features include freehand drawing for reconstruction and automatic skew correction.

Highlights
  • Measure leaf area and herbivory
  • Save data to spreadsheets
  • Analyze leaves of any size
  • Reconstruct missing leaf margins
  • Measure dark or light plant material
  • Read barcodes
  • Correct photo skew
Features
Read full description

LeafByte measures leaf area and herbivory quickly and accurately. Take a picture of a leaf and a scale to measure total leaf area and leaf area consumed. - Saves your data in a convenient spreadsheet on your phone or in Google Drive - Analyzes leaves of almost any size or shape - Uses freehand drawing to reconstruct missing leaf margins - Can measure dark plant material (such as leaves) on a white background or light plant material (such as petals) on a dark background - Reads and records all major barcodes - Automatically corrects skew in photos taken at an angle

Screenshots

Soil Explorer4 screens
LeafByte4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: LeafByte at 100% against Soil Explorer's 0%. LeafByte also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 11 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

LeafByte holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Soil Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of LeafByte's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, LeafByte every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Soil Explorer versus LeafByte: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoil ExplorerLeafByte
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (9 ratings)4.8 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings913 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.79.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size172 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPurdue UniversityAbigail Getman-Pickering

Customer experience

Soil Explorer

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

LeafByte

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Soil Explorer

No in-app purchases

None

LeafByte

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Soil Explorer free?
Soil Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LeafByte free?
LeafByte is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Soil Explorer or LeafByte?
LeafByte is rated higher. Soil Explorer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while LeafByte averages 4.8 from 13 ratings.
Do Soil Explorer or LeafByte have ads?
Neither Soil Explorer nor LeafByte shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Soil Explorer or LeafByte?
Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and LeafByte every 5 months. Most recently, Soil Explorer was updated on October 24, 2026 and LeafByte on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons