ISS Detector vs Stellarium Mobile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ISS Detector
Easily track the International Space Station and other satellites. Receive timely alarms before passes and get weather condition checks for optimal viewing. Enhance functionality with optional in-app purchases to discover more celestial objects.
- ISS tracking and alerts
- Weather condition checks
- Alarm notifications
- Track Starlink trains
- Track Hubble telescope
- Track amateur radio satellites
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Have you seen the International Space Station? It is visible with the naked eye! This is the easiest way to spot the station. ISS Detector will tell you when and where to look for the ISS. You get an alarm a few minutes before a pass. You will never miss it. ISS Detector will also check if the weather conditions are right. A clear sky is perfect for spotting. Premium will enhance the functionality of ISS Detector. With the subscription you can add many famous satellites and amateur radio satellites. See the Starlink satellite trains, Hubble space telescope, rocket bodies, Vanguard 1 and many bright satellites. Available categories in Premium: Radio Amateur Satellites: Track dozens of ham and weather satellites. Starlink: Track Starlink satellite trains. Famous Objects: Hubble Space Telescope, rocket bodies, bright satellites and more. Comets: Find comets in the night sky. You might need binoculars or a telescope to see them Planets: Find all the planets Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Stellarium Mobile
Explore the night sky with a real-time planetarium. Identify stars, planets, constellations, and satellites by simply pointing your phone. Offers detailed astronomical data and cultural constellation interpretations.
- Real-time sky simulation
- Identify stars, planets, satellites
- Constellation shapes and illustrations
- Deep sky object catalog
- Night mode for eye comfort
- Telescope control (Plus)
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Stellarium Mobile is a planetarium app that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. Identify stars, constellations, planets, comets, satellites (such as the ISS), and other deep sky objects in real time in the sky above you in just a few seconds, just by pointing the phone at the sky! This astronomy application has an easy to use and minimalist user interface, that makes it one of the best astronomical applications for adults and children who want to explore the night sky. Stellarium Mobile features: • View an accurate night sky simulation of stars and planets for any date, time and location. • Dive in a collection of many stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects. • Zoom on realistic Milky Way and Deep Sky Objects images. • Discover how people living in other regions of the planet see the stars by selecting the shapes and illustrations of the constellations for many sky cultures. • Track artificial satellites, including the International Space Station. • Simulate landscape and atmosphere with realistic sunrise, sunset and atmosphere refraction. • Discover 3D rendering of the major solar system planets and their satellites. • Observe the sky in night mode (red) to preserve your eyes adaptation to darkness. Stellarium Mobile contains in-app purchases allowing to upgrade to Stellarium Plus. With this upgrade, the app will display objects as faint as magnitude 22 (versus magnitude 8 in the base version) and enable advanced observing features. Stellarium Plus features (unlocked with in-app purchase): • Reach the limit of knowledge by diving in a massive collection of stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects: - All known stars: Gaia DR2 catalog of over 1.69 billion stars - All known planets, natural satellites and comets, and many other minor solar system objects (10k asteroids) - Most known deep sky objects: a combined catalog of over 2 million nebulas and galaxies • Zoom almost without limits on high resolution images of deep sky objects or planetary surfaces. • Observe in the field, even without internet connection, with a "reduced" set of data: 2 million stars, 2 million Deep Sky Objects, 10k asteroids. • Control your telescope through WIFI: drive any GOTO telescope compatible with NexStar, SynScan or LX200 protocols. • Prepare your observing sessions using the advanced observation tools, to predict a celestial object observability and transit times. Stellarium Mobile is made by the original creator of Stellarium, the well known open source planetarium and one of the best astronomy applications on Desktop PC. Your can unlock the full features using either a one time payment or a subscription. See In-App Purchase section for the subscription price available in your country. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your account settings after purchases. Terms of service: https://stellarium-labs.com/stellarium-mobile-plus/stellarium-mobile-terms-of-use Privacy policy: https://www.stellarium-labs.com/privacy-policy-for-stellarium-mobile
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Stellarium Mobile at none against ISS Detector's shown. Stellarium Mobile also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 55%) and ratings volume (39K vs 719). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. ISS Detector sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Stellarium Mobile sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Stellarium Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stellarium Mobile has 39K ratings behind it against 719, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of ISS Detector's written reviews are positive against 84% of Stellarium Mobile's.
ISS Detector ships an update monthly, Stellarium Mobile every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ISS Detector | Stellarium Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (719 ratings) | 4.8 (39K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.4% of reviews | 84.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 719 | 39K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #73 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 456 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Derk Vrijdag | Noctua Software Ltd |
Customer experience
ISS Detector
Stellarium Mobile
Bugs and requests
ISS Detector
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Stellarium Mobile
Reported bugs
3 issues- Compass not working properly
- Favorites list disappearing
- Inconsistent performance on different devices
Requested features
5 requests- Notifications for astronomical events
- More customization options
- Integration with camera for AR overlay
- Better support for telescopes and mounts
- Improved search and navigation
In-app purchases
ISS Detector
- Premium Access2 variants$0.991 Month
- Donation$1.991 Month
- Premium Access$1.991 Month
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- Premium Access$2.991 Year
- Premium Access7 Days trial$5.991 Year
- Donation2 variants$5.991 Year
- Premium Access7 Days trial$11.991 Year
- Starlink and Famous objects$3.99
- Amateur Radio Satellites$3.99
- Comets and Planets$3.99
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- Combo package$5.99
Stellarium Mobile
- Stellarium PLUS7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Stellarium PLUS$18.99
Questions
Is ISS Detector free?
Is Stellarium Mobile free?
Which has better reviews, ISS Detector or Stellarium Mobile?
Do ISS Detector or Stellarium Mobile have ads?
Which is updated more often, ISS Detector or Stellarium Mobile?
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