Comparison

Encyclopedia vs Solar System Viewer

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

Head to head
About

Encyclopedia

Explore the solar system with extensive articles and high-definition images. This app offers comprehensive information, engaging content, and a user-friendly interface, making it suitable for both children and adults interested in space.

Highlights
  • Thousands of articles and HD photos
  • Comprehensive solar system information
  • Engaging and easy-to-understand content
  • Offline availability
  • Badge collection for reading
  • Intuitive user interface
Features
Read full description

Travel through our celestial neighborhood in 386 illustrated articles on the Sun, planets, moons, smaller bodies and the history of solar-system exploration. START WITH FIVE FREE ARTICLES New readers can choose any five different articles. Your chosen articles stay unlocked, and revisiting them never uses another choice. Existing readers keep previously granted access. MAKE DISCOVERIES YOUR OWN • Search article titles and full text • Follow links between related topics • Save articles and return to your reading position • Continue recent reading and track your progress • Explore connections through the timeline and graph • Find article sources and image credits inside the app CHOOSE YOUR ACCESS Own the full encyclopedia with a one-time purchase for complete offline reading. Or choose monthly or annual Premium for the full encyclopedia plus AI chat grounded in this subject's articles. Eligible new Premium subscribers receive a three-day introductory trial. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled through your App Store account. Current local prices and terms appear before purchase. Restore Purchases recovers eligible previous purchases. Earlier full-version ownership includes encyclopedia and offline access; Premium AI requires a subscription. Internet access is required for AI chat and purchases. AI answers may contain errors; consult the linked sources. Article text is derived from Wikipedia. Images come from appropriately licensed Wikimedia Commons and other open sources. Source links, licenses and credits are available in the app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Solar System Viewer

Explore and simulate the orbits of planets in our solar system. This app allows you to speed up or slow down time, travel to any date, and view planetary positions. It also offers widgets for your home screen and Apple Watch complications.

Highlights
  • Simulate planetary orbits
  • Adjust time speed
  • Time travel to specific dates
  • Home screen widgets
  • Apple Watch integration
  • View planet overviews
Features
Read full description

8Planets is a simple viewer and simulator for planetary orbits in our Solar System. 8Planets helps you discover how the planets aligned and move around over time so that you feel the scale of the Solar System or even the Universe. By giving you quick and easy access to the Solar System everywhere, 8Planets will make you feel that the Solar System is close to us. FEATURES ・Planetary Motion Speed up or slow down time to see how the planets rotate over time and grasp the scale of the Solar System. ・Time Travel Travel back or forward in time to view the Solar System or planetary positions on any given date. ・Widgets Widgets allow you to display the real-time Solar System on your Home Screen. ・Watch View the Solar System on your wrist and use Digital Crown to travel back or forward in time. ・Others Apple Watch Complications, Overview of the planets, Option to show Pluto, Sharing your favorite moment of the Solar System, URL Scheme, and more.

Screenshots

Encyclopedia4 screens
Solar System Viewer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Encyclopedia at Free against Solar System Viewer's $2.99. Encyclopedia also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Solar System Viewer's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 3.8). On review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Encyclopedia is free to download; Solar System Viewer costs $2.99 up front. Encyclopedia sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Solar System Viewer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Solar System Viewer holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 28 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 83% and 83% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Encyclopedia ships an update monthly, Solar System Viewer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Encyclopedia versus Solar System Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEncyclopediaSolar System Viewer
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating3.8 (14 ratings)4.4 (28 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1428 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size322 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGood Spider, LLCBLUE COMET LABS LLC

Customer experience

Encyclopedia

All ratings14 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Solar System Viewer

All ratings28 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Encyclopedia

One-time1
  • Full Version$2.99
4 purchases

Solar System Viewer

One-time4
  • Io Tip$1.99
  • Europa Tip$3.99
  • Ganymede Tip$5.99
Show 1 more
  • Callisto Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Encyclopedia free?
Encyclopedia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Solar System Viewer free?
Solar System Viewer costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Encyclopedia or Solar System Viewer?
Solar System Viewer is rated higher. Encyclopedia averages 3.8 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Solar System Viewer averages 4.4 from 28 ratings.
Do Encyclopedia or Solar System Viewer have ads?
Neither Encyclopedia nor Solar System Viewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Encyclopedia or Solar System Viewer?
Encyclopedia ships an update monthly, and Solar System Viewer every 2 months. Most recently, Encyclopedia was updated on October 4, 2026 and Solar System Viewer on October 18, 2026.

Other comparisons