# Soil Explorer vs GMDE Lite

The clearest difference is rating: GMDE Lite at 5.0 against Soil Explorer's 4.1. GMDE Lite also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 11 months). Soil Explorer's advantage is ratings volume (9 vs 2). 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.

GMDE Lite holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 2 respectively.

Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, GMDE Lite every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Soil Explorer | GMDE Lite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soil-explorer/id996159565/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmde-lite/id1557325241/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 172 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.7** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Purdue University](https://appshunter.io/developer/371741257) | [Richard Allmendinger](https://appshunter.io/developer/1194772609) |

## 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


### GMDE Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmde-lite/id1557325241)

This app allows users to record geological data, including points of interest, orientations, and contacts, with detailed annotations and photos. It offers multiple methods for orientation input and data visualization, with seamless integration for data exchange across devices and platforms.

**Highlights:** Record points of interest with photos and descriptions, Annotate photos and create digital sketches, Multiple methods for orientation input, Data import/export from various sources, Visualize orientation data on equal area projection, Use device as a rangefinder for distance calculation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Soil Explorer free?

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

### Is GMDE Lite free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Soil Explorer or GMDE Lite?

GMDE Lite is rated higher. Soil Explorer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while GMDE Lite averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Soil Explorer or GMDE Lite have ads?

Neither Soil Explorer nor GMDE Lite shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Soil Explorer or GMDE Lite?

Soil Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and GMDE Lite every 3 weeks. Most recently, Soil Explorer was updated on October 17, 2026 and GMDE Lite on October 9, 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.*