Comparison

Solar Coaster vs Astris

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

Head to head
About

Solar Coaster

Visualize the precise movements of the Sun and Moon with 3D graphs, eclipse details, and rise/set times. This app offers offline calculations for celestial positions and moon phases, making it ideal for astronomy enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • 3D movement graphs
  • Eclipse information and circumstances
  • Rise and set times
  • Moon phase and illumination
  • Offline astronomical data
  • Local horizontal coordinate system
Features
Read full description

Solar Coaster provides accurate position, time, motion and eclipse information for Earth's nearest star, Sol, our Sun, and nearest celestial body, Luna, our Moon. Information includes 3D movement graphs, upcoming eclipses and their circumstances, rise and set times, positions, distances and velocities, moon phase, illumination and crescent rotation. Solar Coaster automatically updates its state every minute, or you can examine minutes randomly. The simulation uses a local horizontal coordinate system when displaying information, which essentially means that your current position is the center of the Universe and all calculated values are relative to you. Sun and Moon positions are also available in equatorial coordinates. Solar Coaster stores enough onboard astronomical data to keep it running through the year 2100 AD, which means that all calculations can be performed locally without the need of a network connection — useful while in the wild chasing an eclipse. Algorithms are accurate at all longitudes, and latitudes between -61° south and +60° north (roughly speaking, locations outside the Polar regions). Of course, you must have Location Services enabled and allow Solar Coaster to access your position for accurate simulation results, and to properly detect eclipses visible at your location. You can also allow Notification Center to keep you informed when those eclipses will occur. Solar Coaster comes in various flavors: for iOS a native App; and for macOS a native App, Screen Saver and Web App.

About

Astris

Features
Read full description

This app allows to you discover our solar system with every planet, moons and asteroids and add it to your favorites.  You will be able to have a 3d experience with the planets and the sun. Every text is accessible thanks to the speak screen.

Screenshots

Solar Coaster4 screens
Astris4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Solar Coaster at 4 against Astris's 2. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and May 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Solar Coaster versus Astris: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar CoasterAstris
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSteve LidieISTITUTI EDMONDO DE AMICIS SRL

In-app purchases

None

Solar Coaster

No in-app purchases

None

Astris

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar Coaster free?
Solar Coaster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Astris free?
Astris is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Solar Coaster or Astris have ads?
Neither Solar Coaster nor Astris shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solar Coaster or Astris?
Solar Coaster ships an update every 3 months, and Astris every 3 months. Most recently, Solar Coaster was updated on September 22, 2026 and Astris on May 16, 2026.

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