Soil Explorer vs Farming Basics
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Detailed soil property maps
- Landscape visualizations
- Global soil distribution maps
- Field observation correlation
- USDA NRCS data integration
- USGS data integration
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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.
Farming Basics
This app provides essential information for new and small-scale farmers. It covers crop details, pest and disease management, and offers tools for calculating fertilizer and irrigation needs to optimize resource use. Users can also receive alerts and find local resources.
- Crop descriptions
- Pest and disease information
- Fertilizer calculator
- Irrigation calculator
- Crop and pest alerts
- Location-based resources
- Event calendar
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The Farming Basics app from Alabama Extension is a gateway of information for small and beginning farmers. The app includes crop descriptions, information about major insect pests and diseases, and general management tactics. It features a fertilizer and an irrigation calculator to assist farmers with saving dollars on inputs. Other features include crop and pest alerts, location services including contact information for additional help, and a calendar of upcoming meetings and field days.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Farming Basics at 4.8 against Soil Explorer's 4.1. Farming Basics also leads on update cadence (every 2 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Farming Basics holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 9 respectively.
Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, Farming Basics every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Soil Explorer | Farming Basics |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (9 ratings) | 4.8 (9 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 172 MB | 93 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Purdue University | Alabama Cooperative Extension System |
Customer experience
Soil Explorer
Farming Basics
In-app purchases
Soil Explorer
No in-app purchases
Farming Basics
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Soil Explorer free?
Is Farming Basics free?
Which has better reviews, Soil Explorer or Farming Basics?
Do Soil Explorer or Farming Basics have ads?
Which is updated more often, Soil Explorer or Farming Basics?
Other comparisons
