Comparison

Galaxy Map vs OrbitWatch

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

OrbitWatch

Features
Read full description

Everything in orbit, live, in your hand. OrbitWatch tracks more than 18,000 real satellites and pieces of space debris using open orbital data, computed on your device with the same SGP4 math used by professionals — then turns it into an experience the whole family will fight over. ONE CONTINUOUS UNIVERSE Pinch from street level to the stars. Start at your own neighborhood in real satellite imagery, zoom out through the swarm of satellites circling Earth, keep going to a solar system where every planet sits at its true position today, then out to the Milky Way and our Local Group of galaxies — every stop labeled and explained for curious kids (and adults). WHAT'S ABOVE YOUR HOUSE — RIGHT NOW • My Sky lists every satellite above your horizon this second, with direction and distance. • 48-hour pass predictions for the ISS, Tiangong and your watchlist — with a VISIBLE badge when a pass will be sunlit against your dark sky, so you can actually step outside and see it. • Tap the bell and get a notification 10 minutes before a pass rises. POINT AT THE SKY (AR) Open Sky View and hold your phone up: satellites, their motion trails, the Sun, the Moon with its real phase, the planets and the brightest named stars appear exactly where they are in your sky, over your live camera. A compass ribbon keeps you oriented, and the FIND THE ISS arrow guides your hand until the station enters your view. STORIES THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED Fly to the real debris of the 2009 satellite collision and watch it reenacted. See the missile tests that made the biggest debris clouds in history. Visit Hubble, the GPS constellation with its relativity-corrected atomic clocks, Starlink, Tiangong — plus a live feed of what launched in the last 30 days, in 2025, and in 2026, and what's about to fall back to Earth. VISIT THE PLANETS Tap any planet to fly to it: 8K NASA-imagery surfaces stream in as you zoom — skim Olympus Mons on Mars, or see Venus's hidden surface through radar. Kid-friendly fact cards on every world. BUILT TO RESPECT YOU No accounts. No ads. No tracking. Your location never leaves your phone — every calculation happens on-device. Orbital data courtesy of CelesTrak; textures from NASA and Solar System Scope. Whether you're a space nerd, a parent with a curious kid, or someone who just saw a strange line of lights in the night sky — OrbitWatch tells you exactly what's up there.

Screenshots

Galaxy Map4 screens
OrbitWatch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OrbitWatch at none against Galaxy Map's 13. OrbitWatch also leads on ads (none vs shown). Galaxy Map's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price 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

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

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Galaxy Map versus OrbitWatch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGalaxy MapOrbitWatch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (609 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings609 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size601 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrei NistorescuPEPSIN SELVARAJ

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

OrbitWatch

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
  • Ultimate bundle - SALE$4.99
  • Essentials bundle$4.99
  • Ultimate bundle$8.99
None

OrbitWatch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Galaxy Map free?
Galaxy Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OrbitWatch free?
OrbitWatch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Galaxy Map or OrbitWatch have ads?
Galaxy Map shows ads; OrbitWatch does not.

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