Comparison

Galaxy Map vs Celestia

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

Head to head
About

Galaxy Map

Explore the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies in an interactive 3D map. Discover nebulae, supernovae, and planets, with stunning visuals based on NASA data. Ideal for education and space enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D galaxy map
  • Explore nebulae and supernovae
  • Fly through planetary atmospheres
  • Land on planets
  • Based on NASA data
  • Available in 100+ languages
Features
Read full description

The galaxy map is an interactive map of the Milky Way galaxy, Andromeda and their satellite galaxies. Explore the Orion Arm's nebulae and supernovae from the comfort of your spaceship. Fly through the atmosphere of Mars and many other planets and you can even land on them. Discover the galaxy in a stunning three dimensional map based on NASA's artistic impression of the Milky Way galactic structure. Photos are taken by NASA spacecraft and ground based telescopes like Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray, Herschel Space Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope. This interactive 3D map is excellent for teachers to use for instruction, and it is a great astronomy resource for students to explore the Milky Way galaxy and space as they learn more about the universe we live in. Available in over 100 languages! You can also From the outskirts of the galaxy, in the Norma-Outer spiral arm to the galactic center's supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, discover a galaxy full of amazing facts. Notable structures included: the Pillars of Creation, Helix Nebula, the Engraved Hourglass Nebula, the Pleiades, the Orion Arm (where the solar system and the Earth are located) with its Orion belt. Check out neighboring dwarf galaxies such as Sagittarius and the Canis Major Overdensity, stellar streams as well as internal galactic components such as a variety of nebulae, star clusters or supernovae. Explore space and get a little closer to our wonderful universe with this awesome astronomy app! The Galaxy Map requires internet access to retrieve information from the wiki.

About

Celestia

Explore the universe in real-time 3D. Visit planets, moons, star clusters, and galaxies, viewing them from any point in space and time. Customize your experience with expandable content and detailed simulations.

Highlights
  • Real-time 3D space visualization
  • Explore planets, moons, stars, galaxies
  • Accurate solar system object positions
  • Interactive planetarium mode
  • Expandable content with add-ons
  • Customizable celestial databases
Features
Read full description

Celestia — real-time 3D visualization of space 3D Space Simulator | Celestia lets you explore our universe in three dimensions. Celestia simulates many different types of celestial objects. From planets and moons to star clusters and galaxies, you can visit every object in the expandable database and view it from any point in space and time. The position and movement of solar system objects is calculated accurately in real time at any rate desired. Interactive Planetarium | Celestia serves as a planetarium – for an observer on any celestial object. You can easily navigate to any world and land on its surface. When used as a planetarium, Celestia shows accurate positions of solar system objects in the sky. You can switch labels and other supporting features on and off with hotkeys, or zoom in and out on an object of interest, for example Jupiter’s system of moons. Expandable Content | Customize Celestia according to your needs. Celestia’s catalogues can be easily expanded. There are many different add-ons available containing new objects like comets or stars, high-resolution textures of Earth and other well mapped solar system bodies, as well as 3D models for asteroids and spacecraft on precise trajectories. Even fictional objects from well-known sci-fi franchises can be found. EULA(End User License Agreement): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Galaxy Map4 screens
Celestia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Celestia at none against Galaxy Map's shown. Celestia also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

Both are free to download. Galaxy Map sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Celestia sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Galaxy Map holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 600 and 324 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Galaxy Map's written reviews are positive against 78% of Celestia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Galaxy Map ships an update every 5 weeks, Celestia every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Galaxy Map versus Celestia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGalaxy MapCelestia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (600 ratings) — better4.4 (324 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings600 — better324
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size613 MB545 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrei Nistorescu林峰 李

Customer experience

Galaxy Map

All ratings600 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative13.0%

Celestia

All ratings324 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative12.7%
Written reviews249 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral5.6%
Negative16.1%

User reviews

Galaxy Map

From 600 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌌 Impressive 3D galaxy and nebula visualizations
  • 🚀 Spaceship exploration feature with landing capability
  • 📚 Educational content about space and astronomy
  • 🎮 Fun and engaging gameplay mechanics
  • ✨ No ads in free version

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive paywall for most content
  • 🐛 App crashes and fails to load
  • 🎮 Poor control mechanics for flying and walking
  • 🔍 Lack of zoom functionality or unclear controls
  • 🌑 Black holes look too similar to each other

Celestia

From 324 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Realistic space simulation
  • 🌌 Ability to explore galaxies and star systems
  • 🔍 Detailed planet and moon textures
  • 📷 Great for taking screenshots
  • 🤖 Reminds users of Space Engine

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches
  • 🌌 Limited exploration beyond Milky Way and Andromeda
  • 🌍 Flat terrain on planets
  • 🔍 Lack of detail on some celestial objects
  • 🔒 Paywall for some features

Bugs and requests

Galaxy Map

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • Explore button shows nothing
  • Pinch-to-zoom doesn't work
  • App won't load on iPad
  • Text displays as boxes in language settings
Show 4 more
  • Mars moon orbital speed incorrect
  • App kicks users out during exploration
  • Loading issues and incomplete functionality
  • Inconsistent performance across platforms

Requested features

18 requests
  • Search button to find galaxies and objects
  • More diverse and realistic black hole designs
  • AR feature to identify stars/planets in real sky
  • More free content and objects
  • Exoplanet additions (TRAPPIST-1e, J1407B)
Show 13 more
  • Ability to click on stars within galaxies for details
  • Generated planets around stars
  • Sandbox/creation mode for user-generated content
  • Animation for Milky Way and Andromeda
  • More galaxy variety in the app
  • Coordinates filter for objects
  • Space-Engine style gameplay
  • Flying through galaxies feature
  • More female character customization options
  • VIP version option
  • Brown dwarfs addition
  • Photosphere viewing mode
  • More detailed star information

Celestia

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Milky Way and other galaxy textures not loading properly
  • Crashes when using certain add-ons
  • Issues with planet and moon orbits not being accurate

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more exoplanets and distant star systems
  • Implement terrain generation for planets
  • Expand to include more galaxies and the overall universe structure
  • Add support for black holes, pulsars, and other exotic objects
  • Improve controls and camera movement

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Galaxy Map

One-time13
  • Buy ship - Alien Destroyer$0.99
  • Buy ship - Alien fighter$0.99
  • Remove ads$1.99
Show 10 more
  • Buy ship - Alien Destroyer$1.99
  • Buy ship - Alien fighter$1.99
  • 3D Visualization Pack$1.99
  • Buy ship - Dragon Frigate$1.99
  • Essentials bundle - SALE$2.99
  • Remove ads$3.99
  • 3D Visualization Pack$3.99
  • Essentials bundle$4.99
  • Ultimate bundle - SALE$7.99
  • Ultimate bundle$12.99
4 purchases

Celestia

Subscriptions3
  • Celestia PLUS (Weekly)7 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Celestia PLUS (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Celestia PLUS (Yearly)$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Celestia PLUS (Lifetime)$79.99

Questions

Is Galaxy Map free?
Galaxy Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Celestia free?
Celestia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Galaxy Map or Celestia?
Galaxy Map is rated higher. Galaxy Map averages 4.6 out of 5 from 600 ratings, while Celestia averages 4.4 from 324 ratings.
Do Galaxy Map or Celestia have ads?
Galaxy Map shows ads; Celestia does not.
Which is updated more often, Galaxy Map or Celestia?
Galaxy Map ships an update every 5 weeks, and Celestia every 2 weeks. Most recently, Galaxy Map was updated on September 20, 2026 and Celestia on September 21, 2026.

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