# Galaxy Map vs Alumni Pathways

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alumni Pathways at none against Galaxy Map's 13. Alumni Pathways also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Galaxy Map sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Alumni Pathways asks for nothing beyond the download.

Galaxy Map ships an update every 5 weeks, Alumni Pathways every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Galaxy Map | Alumni Pathways |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (600 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/galaxy-map/id1170905456/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **600** | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 613 MB | 86 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andrei Nistorescu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1048905386) | [Athar Akbar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1711608523) |

## What reviewers say

### Galaxy Map

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/galaxy-map/id1170905456)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy ship - Alien Destroyer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy ship - Alien fighter | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy ship - Alien Destroyer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy ship - Alien fighter | $1.99 | one-time |
| 3D Visualization Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy ship - Dragon Frigate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Essentials bundle - SALE | $2.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads | $3.99 | one-time |
| 3D Visualization Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ultimate bundle - SALE | $4.99 | one-time |
| Essentials bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Ultimate bundle | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌌 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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)


### Alumni Pathways

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alumni-pathways/id6788289907)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Galaxy Map free?

Galaxy Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Alumni Pathways free?

Alumni Pathways is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Galaxy Map or Alumni Pathways have ads?

Galaxy Map shows ads; Alumni Pathways does not.

### Which is updated more often, Galaxy Map or Alumni Pathways?

Galaxy Map ships an update every 5 weeks, and Alumni Pathways every 5 days. Most recently, Galaxy Map was updated on September 25, 2026 and Alumni Pathways on September 11, 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.*