Comparison

Orbitrack vs SkySafari 7 Pro

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

Head to head
About

Orbitrack

Explore thousands of satellites in orbit with this augmented and virtual reality spaceflight simulator. Visualize spacecraft, track their paths, and learn about their missions with detailed 3D models and real-time data. Experience space from a new perspective.

Highlights
  • Augmented and Virtual Reality modes
  • Track over 5000 spacecraft
  • Detailed 3D satellite models
  • Voice-controlled VR
  • Radio frequency data for amateur satellites
  • Real-time satellite data updates
  • Time Flow controls
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Orbitrack is a brand-new, Augmented-and-Virtual-Reality satellite tracker and spaceflight simulator! It's your pocket guide to the thousands of spacecraft in orbit around our home planet. 1) More than 16,000 spacecraft, including all active satellites, classified military satellites, the International Space Station, and SpaceX's Starlink communication satellites. 2) Rich new graphics, rewritten using Apple's Metal graphics API, show atmospheric effects, city lights on Earth’s night side, and highly-detailed 3D satellite models. 3) Voice-controlled Virtual Reality mode that works with any smartphone VR viewer. iPhone only. 4) A true "augmented reality" mode that helps you find satellites in the sky by blending the sky chart with video from your phone's camera. Works with Orbit and Satellite views too! 5) Radio frequency data for amateur radio satellites. 6) Updated descriptions for hundreds of spacecraft. Every satellite now has a description from n2yo.com. 7) Supports the latest Apple hardware and software: iPhone 13, iPad Pro, and iOS 15. Check the Mac App Store for our MacOS version! 8) Requires at least iPhone 6 or iPad Air with 64-bit processor and iOS 12 or later. 9) New sound effects and ambient background music. 10) New Time Flow controls let you easily set the date and time, and animate the view. If you're new to Orbitrack, here's what it can do: • Track thousands of satellites. Orbitrack will tell you when spacecraft pass overhead, show you where to find them in the sky, and let you track them across the planet. • Teach you about the International Space Station, Starlink, and hundreds of other satellites in orbit, with comprehensive mission descriptions. • Show the view from any satellite, and see the Earth from orbit just as the “bird” sees it! Orbitrack includes detailed 3D models for dozens of satellites – see them up close from any angle! • Stay on top of the space race. Orbitrack updates its satellite data from n2yo.com and celestrak.com every hour. When new spacecraft are launched, maneuver into new orbits, or fall back into the atmosphere, Orbitrack shows you what’s happening up there, right now. Orbitrack isn’t just powerful – it’s incredibly easy to use! You don’t need an aerospace degree to become an expert satellite tracker. Orbitrack puts advanced capabilities at your fingertips, with the same intuitive touch interface you use every day. The new VR mode is an out-of-this-world experience. Become an astronaut without ever leaving Planet Earth! And if that’s not enough, Orbitrack includes detailed, built-in Help – and expert, responsive technical support.

About

SkySafari 7 Pro

Explore the night sky with an extensive astronomy database and advanced planning tools. Discover astronomical events, control your telescope, and connect with other stargazers in real-time.

Highlights
  • Extensive celestial object database
  • Advanced event finder
  • Telescope control (ASCOM Alpaca, INDI, StarSense)
  • Real-time social stargazing (OneSky)
  • Guided sky tours (SkyCast)
  • Observation planning and logging
  • Home and lock screen widgets
Features
Read full description

SkySafari makes stargazing a simple pleasure. It has the largest database of any astronomy app, includes every comet, asteroid, satellite & solar system object ever discovered, offers unparalleled accuracy, advanced planning and logging tools, flawless telescope control, and provides the very best experience under the stars when you depend on it. Don’t postpone joy. Discover why SkySafari is the #1 recommended astronomy app for serious amateur astronomers since 2009. Here's what’s new in version 7: + Complete support for iOS 18 and iPhone 16. Version 7 brings a new and immersive stargazing experience. + Events Finder - go to the new Events section to unlock a powerful search engine that finds astronomical events visible tonight and far into the future. The finder dynamically generates a listing of moon phases, eclipses, planetary moon events, meteor showers and planetary phenomenon such as conjunctions, elongations and oppositions. + Notifications - the notifications section has been completely revamped to allow you to customize and manage which events trigger an alert notification on your device. + Telescope Support - telescope control is at the heart of SkySafari. Version 7 takes a giant leap forward by supporting ASCOM Alpaca, INDI & StarSense Explorer. These next generation control protocols allow you to effortlessly connect to hundreds of compatible astronomical devices. SkySafari 7 brings social stargazing to mobile devices with two new features to help you connect with other like minded people. OneSky - allows you to see what other users are observing, in real time. This feature highlights objects in the sky chart and indicates with a number how many users are observing a particular object. SkyCast - allows you to guide a friend or group around the night sky through their own copy of SkySafari. After initiating SkyCast, you can generate a link and conveniently share it with other SkySafari users via text message, apps or social media accounts. + Sky Tonight - jump to the new Tonight section to see what’s visible in your sky tonight. Expanded information has been designed to help plan your night and includes Moon & Sun info, calendar curations, events and the best positioned deep sky and solar system objects. + Improved Observation Tools - SkySafari is the perfect tool to help you plan, record and organize your observations. New workflows make it easier to add, search, filter and sort data. + Home Screen and Lock Screen Widgets keep your favorite astro information at your fingertips. The Small Touches: + You can now edit the Jupiter GRS Longitude Value in the Settings. + Better Moon Age calculation. + New grid & reference options allow you to display Solstice and Equinox markers, Orbit + Node markers for all solar system objects, and tick marks and labels for the Ecliptic, Meridian, and Equator reference lines. + Previous In-app Purchases are Now Free - this includes the H-R diagram, 3D Galaxy view, and the PGC galaxy and GAIA star catalogs. Enjoy. + Many more. If you haven't used SkySafari 7 Pro before, here's what you can do with it: + Hold your device up, and SkySafari 7 Pro will find stars, constellations, planets, and more! + Simulate the night sky up to 5MM years in the past or future! Animate meteor showers, conjunctions, eclipses, and other celestial events. + Control your telescope, log and plan your observations. + Optionally backup all of your observing data in our secure cloud storage and make it easily accessible to multiple devices as well as from our new web interface, LiveSky.com. + Augmented Reality (AR) mode + Night Vision. + Orbit Mode. Leave the Earth’s surface behind, and fly through our solar system. + Galaxy View shows the position of deep sky objects in our Milky Way! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ https://www.livesky.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Orbitrack4 screens
SkySafari 7 Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Orbitrack at $4.99 against SkySafari 7 Pro's $17.99. Orbitrack also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (76% vs 45%). SkySafari 7 Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (5.4K vs 962). On rating, ads and device support 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

Orbitrack costs $4.99 and SkySafari 7 Pro $17.99 up front. SkySafari 7 Pro sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Orbitrack asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Orbitrack against 4.6 for SkySafari 7 Pro. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkySafari 7 Pro has 5.4K ratings behind it against 962, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Orbitrack's written reviews are positive against 45% of SkySafari 7 Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Orbitrack ships an update every 4 months, SkySafari 7 Pro every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Orbitrack versus SkySafari 7 Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrbitrackSkySafari 7 Pro
Price$4.99 — better$17.99
Rating4.7 (962 ratings) — better4.6 (5.4K ratings)
Positive reviews75.6% of reviews — better45.5% of reviews
Number of ratings9625.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#64 — better#194
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.614.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size138 MB2.4 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSouthern Stars Group, LLCSimulation Curriculum Corp.

Customer experience

Orbitrack

All ratings962 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral3.7%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive75.6%
Neutral9.0%
Negative15.4%

SkySafari 7 Pro

All ratings5,434 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews354 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral14.7%
Negative39.8%

User reviews

Orbitrack

From 962 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great features
  • 👍 User-friendly
  • 💡 Innovative tracking
  • 🔍 Detailed satellite information
  • 🌍 Realistic Earth and sky views

Room to improve

  • 🤑 Paid app
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🔊 Annoying music
  • 🗺️ Outdated satellite data
  • 🔍 Inaccurate magnitude estimates

SkySafari 7 Pro

From 5.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent observational tool
  • 🌟 Powerful and indispensable app
  • 👍 Great app, easy to use
  • 🔭 Wonderful planetarium app
  • 💻 Best mobile tool for telescope control

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes upon opening
  • 🌍 Lack of Southern Hemisphere support
  • 🔍 Complicated interface, not user-friendly
  • 🔌 Crashes too often
  • 💰 Pay even more for additional features

Bugs and requests

Orbitrack

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Motion tracking issues
  • Stuck on old date
  • Accelerometer not working
  • Satellite positions not accurate

Requested features

5 requests
  • Sort by magnitude feature
  • Favorite satellites option
  • Customizable field of view
  • Notifications for visible passes
  • Metric/imperial toggle

SkySafari 7 Pro

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Free database downloads fail to complete
  • Telescope button crashes the app
  • Time settings spontaneously reset
  • Observing list crashes the app
  • Field of view indicators not working

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to quickly edit light form
  • Allow custom horizon mask input
  • Include surface brightness data for extended objects
  • Add transit altitude information for objects
  • Improve object search with fuzzy matching

In-app purchases

None

Orbitrack

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

SkySafari 7 Pro

Subscriptions2
  • SkySafari Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • SkySafari Premium7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time3
  • PGC Galaxy DatabaseFree
  • GAIA Star DatabaseFree
  • Apollo Lunar MissionsFree

Questions

Is Orbitrack free?
Orbitrack costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SkySafari 7 Pro free?
SkySafari 7 Pro costs $17.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Orbitrack or SkySafari 7 Pro?
Orbitrack is rated higher. Orbitrack averages 4.7 out of 5 from 962 ratings, while SkySafari 7 Pro averages 4.6 from 5.4K ratings.
Do Orbitrack or SkySafari 7 Pro have ads?
Neither Orbitrack nor SkySafari 7 Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Orbitrack or SkySafari 7 Pro?
Orbitrack ships an update every 4 months, and SkySafari 7 Pro every 5 weeks. Most recently, Orbitrack was updated on September 21, 2026 and SkySafari 7 Pro on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Orbitrack or SkySafari 7 Pro?
Orbitrack currently peaks at #64 in the App Store charts, and SkySafari 7 Pro at #194. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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