solAR System Augmented Reality vs DIY Solar System
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
solAR System Augmented Reality
Explore the solar system in augmented reality. View planets, observe their size and rotation, and learn about their distances. Walk around the celestial bodies for an immersive educational experience.
- Augmented reality solar system
- Observe planet size and distance
- Adjust zoom for experience
- View planet rotation speed
- Walk around planets
- Learn planet distances in meters
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Discover the solar system in its immensity! Make the whole solar system appear in front of you! Pinch and zoom to make the experience bigger, or smaller. Observe the difference in planet size, distance and rotation speed. Aim at a planet to see how far it is from you in meters, and get closer to see it in BIG! New : Stop all the rotations and walk around the solar system. This is a magical new experience thanks to augmented reality, you won't regret it! Have fun as you learn! ;)
DIY Solar System
Explore the solar system with interactive activities and an augmented reality planet walk. Learn about space travel, design a moon base, and identify celestial objects. Developed by leading science institutions, this app makes learning about space engaging for families and educators.
- Interactive space activities
- Augmented reality planet walk
- Design a moon base
- Grow a space garden
- Control a Mars rover
- In or Out space game
- NASA imagery
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DIY Solar System makes it easy for families and educators to explore the solar system from anywhere, anytime! The app was developed by the Children’s Creativity Museum, Sciencenter, and Museum of Life and Science, in partnership with UC Berkeley’s The Lawrence Hall of Science. INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES DIY Solar System includes 11 easy-to-use activities to learn about space travel, living in space, and the unique objects that make up the planetary system we call home. Design a Moon base, grow your own space garden, or experience what it’s like to control a rover on Mars! Each activity includes step-by-step instructions that have been tested by educators, kids, and families. Activity materials are easily available and inexpensive—you may already have many of them in your home! AUGMENTED REALITY PLANET WALK Don’t have the time to travel several billion miles to reach Neptune? Try dropping a scale version of the solar system outside your home to start a walk that will show you planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids. At each stop, examine the space object up close using real images from NASA. Don’t forget to take a space selfie with your favorite planet! IN OR OUT GAME Quickly scan awe-inspiring images of space objects from NASA’s Earth and space observatories to decide if the objects are in or out of the solar system. While the solar system is vast, it only represents a tiny corner of the universe. After you have mastered your solar system knowledge, challenge yourself to a new round of objects in or out of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Funding Source This work was supported by NASA under award number 80NSSC21M0082. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these programs are those of the author and do not reflect the views of NASA. Compatibility Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone and iPad. Rated 4+.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: DIY Solar System at Free against solAR System Augmented Reality's $0.99. DIY Solar System also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%). solAR System Augmented Reality's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (412 vs 16). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
DIY Solar System is free to download; solAR System Augmented Reality costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
solAR System Augmented Reality holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: solAR System Augmented Reality has 412 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of solAR System Augmented Reality's written reviews are positive against 100% of DIY Solar System's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
solAR System Augmented Reality ships an update every 3 weeks, DIY Solar System every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | solAR System Augmented Reality | DIY Solar System |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (412 ratings) — better | 4.5 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 412 — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 180 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ubicolor Ltd | The Lawrence Hall of Science |
Customer experience
solAR System Augmented Reality
DIY Solar System
In-app purchases
solAR System Augmented Reality
No in-app purchases
DIY Solar System
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is solAR System Augmented Reality free?
Is DIY Solar System free?
Which has better reviews, solAR System Augmented Reality or DIY Solar System?
Do solAR System Augmented Reality or DIY Solar System have ads?
Which is updated more often, solAR System Augmented Reality or DIY Solar System?
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