# Soil Explorer vs StraboTools

The clearest difference is review sentiment: StraboTools at 100% against Soil Explorer's 0%. StraboTools also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

StraboTools holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Soil Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of StraboTools's.

Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, StraboTools every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Soil Explorer | StraboTools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soil-explorer/id996159565/reviews) | **[5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strabotools/id1496239162/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **10** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 172 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Purdue University](https://appshunter.io/developer/371741257) | [The University of Kansas](https://appshunter.io/developer/726307325) |

## 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


### StraboTools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strabotools/id1496239162)

This app assists geologists in the field by analyzing photographs to provide quantitative data on rock fabric and mineral composition. It offers tools for measuring fabric orientation, determining color index, and detecting edges in rock images.

**Highlights:** Edge Fabric tool for orientation analysis, Color Index tool for mineral composition, Edge detection filter, Analyzes photos in-app or imported, Useful for plutonic and other rock types, Supports thin section study

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Soil Explorer free?

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

### Is StraboTools free?

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

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

StraboTools is rated higher. Soil Explorer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while StraboTools averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.

### Do Soil Explorer or StraboTools have ads?

Neither Soil Explorer nor StraboTools shows ads.

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

Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and StraboTools every 2 months. Most recently, Soil Explorer was updated on October 17, 2026 and StraboTools on October 6, 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.*