Comparison

Stellar Tour vs Skyview

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

Head to head
About

Stellar Tour

Explore the cosmos with an augmented reality stargazing app guided by an astrophysicist. Discover exoplanets, solar system bodies, and deep-sky objects with scientifically accurate narratives and detailed visuals.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality stargazing
  • Astrophysicist-guided tours
  • Detailed exoplanet information
  • High-resolution solar system visuals
  • Exploration of galaxies and nebulae
  • Interactive 3D planet and moon models
Features
Read full description

Stellar Tour is the only AR stargazing app written by an astrophysicist. Point your phone at the night sky and get a guided tour of everything up there: 1.7 billion real stars, every planet and major moon, eclipses, meteor showers, 13,000 deep-sky objects, and a course in astronomy that starts with the sky over your head and ends at the edge of the universe. Astrophysicist Dr. Aaron Day wrote every word. Instead of the standard flood of random facts, Stellar Tour tells the scientifically accurate story of each world: what it is like on the ground, in the seas, or floating through the clouds. THE NIGHT SKY, FOR REAL • 1.7 billion stars from ESA's Gaia survey, each in its true position. Pinch to zoom from your backyard to the galactic core. • The Milky Way as it actually looks, drawn from every star Gaia measured, with constellations, planets, and satellites overlaid on your live sky. • A sky that looks like the time it is: dawn, daylight, twilight, and full dark, with a real atmosphere and hazy ridges on the horizon. The Moon shows its earthshine, and Earth's night side its city lights. • Night Vision mode keeps your eyes dark-adapted with a pure red display. LEARN THE SKY • Sixteen short lessons, from the sky over your head to the edge of the universe. Every stop is a live visit: the lesson flies you to the star, steps the clock, or opens the tool it is talking about. The first three lessons are free. • Three reference books inside the app, How We Know, The Sky, and The Whole Story, with a glossary and dozens of labeled diagrams. SEVEN SKIES • See the stars the way Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, India, and the Arabian desert saw them: their star figures and folk names drawn on your sky, their stories on each star's page, and their lunar festivals on the calendar. PLAN YOUR NIGHT • Sky Calendar: every eclipse, meteor shower, conjunction, and full moon, filtered by type. The week ahead is free; the full year comes with the expansion. • Night Planner: the best targets for your sky tonight, hour by hour. Sky Forecast: the cloud cover over your spot, hour by hour. • Reminders that fire only when something is worth stepping outside for, including ISS and Tiangong passes with a live countdown. • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for rise and set times and the next sky event. Ask Siri what is visible tonight. ECLIPSE EXPLORER Simulate any solar or lunar eclipse from any place on Earth: local timings, a disc animation of the Moon crossing the Sun, and a live countdown. The next solar eclipse at your own location is free: its times, what you will see there, and a reminder. GO DEEPER • Telescope Catalog: 13,000 NGC, IC, and Messier objects, searchable and shown on your sky. • Exoplanets: nearly every known world, in its actual position on the sky, with sizes, temperatures, and orbits. • The Solar System up close: planets and major moons in NASA probe imagery, in visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, and radar. Rotate them to any angle. • Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope pictures, on the pages of the objects they show. FOR EVERYONE • Kid Mode rewrites the whole tour for explorers aged five to seven. • Birthday Sky: a shareable card of the sky on the night you were born. • Smart search: ask for exactly what you want. • Fifteen languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Vietnamese, and Icelandic. Dates in your own calendar. • VoiceOver and Dynamic Type throughout. ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION Cosmic Expansion adds the 1.7 billion stars, black holes up close, the exoplanets, the galaxies, the eclipses, the planner, the catalog, and the whole course in a single purchase that is yours forever. Take the Stellar Tour!

About

Skyview

Explore the cosmos with this planetarium app. Identify planets, stars, and constellations by pointing your device at the sky. Discover celestial object locations, visualize Earth's day/night zones, and learn detailed information about celestial bodies. Includes an interactive space quiz for premium users.

Highlights
  • Identify planets, stars, and constellations
  • Real-time stargazing
  • Interactive star map
  • Celestial object tracking
  • Detailed celestial body information
  • Space quiz
Features
Read full description

Sky View - Explore Universe application provides a learning experience about planets. Learn the previous information about the sky and stars. Are you ready to begin your cosmic journey? Download Sky View - Explore the Universe today and experience the magnificence of the universe from the comfort of your own device! Take a cosmic adventure with Sky View - Explore Universe, the go-to planetarium Sky Observatory app. Immerse yourself in real-time stargazing and discover the night sky's mysteries. App Features: 1. Simply point your device at the sky to identify planets, constellations, satellites, and thousands of stars. 2. Explore our star map to find the precise locations of stars and constellations, thereby enhancing your astronomical knowledge. 3. Follow the course of celestial objects and see their exact locations in the sky at any moment and date. 4. Visualise the Earth's day and night zones to help with your stargazing planning. 5. Get detailed information about the sun and moon, including current positions and phases. 6. Learn about the sizes and positions of planets and the moon, expanding your knowledge of our celestial neighbours. 7. Explore a comprehensive list of satellites, complete with photographs and specialised information. 8. Stay up to date on the current moon phase and time, ideal for lunar mates. 9. Display moon phases in current time and date. 10. space explorer with rocket research & observations. 11. satellite information with planets and galaxies with star planets. Premium Feature: Dive into the wonders of the universe with our interactive Space Quiz! Challenge yourself with exciting questions about planets, stars, galaxies, and more. Expand your knowledge and curiosity about the mysteries of space. What You'll Get in the Premium Plan: 1. Exclusive Space Quizzes: Access a wide range of advanced questions that delve deeper into space science. 2. Learn and Explore: Detailed explanations for every question to help you learn as you play. Unlock the premium plan to turn your curiosity into expertise and become a space enthusiast! Ready to journey through the stars? If you have any questions or need help. reach out to us at app-support@md-tech.in.

Screenshots

Stellar Tour4 screens
Skyview4 screens

Verdict

The call

Stellar Tour and Skyview both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Skyview's written reviews are positive against 84% of Stellar Tour's. Skyview also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 26.0). Stellar Tour's advantage is ratings volume (1.7K vs 330). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Stellar Tour sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Skyview sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stellar Tour holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stellar Tour has 1.7K ratings behind it against 330, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Stellar Tour's written reviews are positive against 100% of Skyview's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stellar Tour ships an update every 3 weeks, Skyview every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Stellar Tour versus Skyview: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStellar TourSkyview
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.7K ratings) — better4.6 (330 ratings)
Positive reviews83.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.7K — better330
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size582 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron DayAnkur Dhameliya

Customer experience

Stellar Tour

All ratings1,699 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive83.5%
Neutral5.5%
Negative11.0%

Skyview

All ratings323 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Stellar Tour

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Videos not playing offline as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for viewing comets and other celestial events
  • Improve AR functionality and integration
  • Provide more detailed information on exoplanets
  • Introduce a dark mode option for better visibility at night

Skyview

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Stellar Tour

One-time5
  • Remove Ads 1$2.99
  • Upgrade: Lessons & Sky Tools$3.99
  • Cosmic Expansion2 variants$9.99
Show 2 more
  • Remove Ads 2$9.99
  • Remove Ads 3$14.99
1 purchases

Skyview

One-time1
  • Pro Plan$14.99

Questions

Is Stellar Tour free?
Stellar Tour is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skyview free?
Skyview is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Stellar Tour or Skyview?
Stellar Tour is rated higher. Stellar Tour averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Skyview averages 4.6 from 330 ratings.
Do Stellar Tour or Skyview have ads?
Neither Stellar Tour nor Skyview shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stellar Tour or Skyview?
Stellar Tour ships an update every 3 weeks, and Skyview every 2 weeks. Most recently, Stellar Tour was updated on October 24, 2026 and Skyview on October 24, 2026.

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