# Soil Explorer vs GST[AR]

The clearest difference is rating: GST[AR] at 5.0 against Soil Explorer's 4.1. GST[AR] also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 11 months). Soil Explorer's advantage is ratings volume (9 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.7 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

GST[AR] 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, GST[AR] every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and July 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Soil Explorer | GST[AR] |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/gstar/id1519232314/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 172 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.7** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Purdue University](https://appshunter.io/developer/371741257) | [GiGa infosystems GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1519232496) |

## 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


### GST[AR]

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gstar/id1519232314)

Explore and visualize geological models in augmented reality. Browse a selection of models, place them on any surface, and interact with them by rotating, scaling, and highlighting features. Share your AR sessions with others for collaborative exploration.

**Highlights:** Browse geological models, View models in AR, Rotate and scale models, Highlight model features, Share AR sessions, Customize AR settings, Add custom model sources

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Soil Explorer free?

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

### Is GST[AR] free?

GST[AR] is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Soil Explorer or GST[AR]?

GST[AR] is rated higher. Soil Explorer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while GST[AR] averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Soil Explorer or GST[AR] have ads?

Neither Soil Explorer nor GST[AR] shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Soil Explorer or GST[AR]?

Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and GST[AR] every 4 months. Most recently, Soil Explorer was updated on September 19, 2026 and GST[AR] on July 7, 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.*