Backyard Apollo AR vs SkyEngine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Backyard Apollo AR
Experience a life-sized Apollo Saturn V rocket in augmented reality. Explore it from all angles, walk around it, and launch it with realistic sounds and visuals. Customize your rocket experience and share snapshots.
- Life-sized rocket model
- 360-degree viewing
- Augmented reality placement
- Realistic launch sequence
- Authentic mission sounds
- Customizable rocket experience
- Snapshot sharing
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Its the model rocket you’ve always wanted! See a life-sized Apollo Saturn V rocket up close from every angle walk under and around it, then blast it off! Authentic mission sounds using 3D positional audio — wear headphones for the coolest effect — combine with realistic high-detail graphics, physically-based rendering, and HDR audio recordings of real rocket launches to make the experience just like being there! You’ll be able to launch your rocket again and again, from anywhere you like. Just tap where you want your rocket to appear. It's that easy! Launch a tiny model on your desktop or a full-sized giant in a field! Backyard Apollo offers ways to customize your experience too, making it even more fun to launch your rockets and take snapshots for your friends. “3…2…1…Houston: we have liftoff”!
SkyEngine
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SkyEngine is a realistic night sky viewer that transforms your phone into a portable planetarium. Whether you're camping under the stars or winding down for sleep, SkyEngine brings the beauty of the night sky to your fingertips. Point your phone at the sky and see exactly what's above you. SkyEngine uses your GPS location and compass to show an accurate, real-time view of stars, planets, and constellations from wherever you are. FEATURES Realistic Sky Rendering — Thousands of real stars rendered with accurate positions and brightness — Planets including the Moon, visible in their true locations — The Milky Way stretching across your sky — Realistic sky colors from sunset through deep night Compass Mode — Point your phone at the sky and the view follows — Labels appear on stars and planets as you look around — Constellation lines guide you through the night sky Ambient Sounds & Sleep Mode — Campfire crackling, crickets, wind, water, and calming drone music — Mix and match sounds to create your perfect atmosphere — Sleep timer with gentle fade-out (15, 30, 60, or 90 minutes) Visual Effects — Shooting stars streak across the sky at random — Aurora Borealis shimmering on the horizon — Warm campfire glow from below Customization — Adjust light pollution (Bortle 1–9) to match your real sky — Search any city worldwide to see its sky — Time controls: jump forward, backward, or animate the sky at any speed — Toggle constellations, labels, deep sky objects, and grid overlay Perfect for camping trips, bedtime relaxation, astronomy learning, or simply enjoying the beauty of the night sky from anywhere.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SkyEngine at every 8 days against Backyard Apollo AR's every 7 months. Backyard Apollo AR's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Backyard Apollo AR ships an update every 7 months, SkyEngine every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Backyard Apollo AR | SkyEngine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 69.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 82 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wobbleworks LLC | ZIRUI LYU |
Bugs and requests
Backyard Apollo AR
Reported bugs
3 issues- Startup crashes and sensor reset loops
- Rocket launch sequence freezes
- Persistent audio issues after app closure
Requested features
3 requests- Add more rocket models and launch configurations
- Implement video recording capability
- Improve overall stability and performance
SkyEngine
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Backyard Apollo AR
No in-app purchases
SkyEngine
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Backyard Apollo AR free?
Is SkyEngine free?
Do Backyard Apollo AR or SkyEngine have ads?
Which is updated more often, Backyard Apollo AR or SkyEngine?
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