Comparison

The Solar System vs Alien Planets

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

Head to head
About

The Solar System

Features
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Use the latest in AR technology to bring the entire solar system right into your immediate environment with this augmented reality app. Imagine the immersive thrill of an augmented reality experience for your students who are studying the solar system. Walk around and move forward and back to get close-up views of each planet. The Solar System - AR adds a whole new dimension for science teachers who want to engage their students by providing unique learning experiences. Use the slider to select a planet in order to view it more closely and to learn about the planet by reading interesting information. The Solar System - AR uses Apple's ARKit and allows you to instantly view and learn about the solar system. It perfect for classrooms and will help get kids excited about exploring the information provided about each planet. In addition, tables of information are presented when icons are tapped. The information for each planet includes: length of day, distance from the sun, diameter, number of moons and mass. Note: Since camera access is required for AR experience please make sure that Settings -> General -> Restrictions -> Camera is set to allow access to the iPad camera.

About

Alien Planets

Features
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Alien Planets is a field guide to worlds that do not orbit our Sun. Somewhere out there, a year can last a few days, a sky can hold two suns, and a planet can be so close to its star that its surface is a permanent storm. This app turns those distant discoveries into something you can actually browse. Open it and move through confirmed exoplanets and the stars they circle. Each world comes with the details that make it real: how large it is, how massive, how long it takes to orbit, how far away it sits, and how it was found. Set a planet next to Earth or Jupiter and the scale snaps into place. A β€œsuper-Earth” stops being a label and starts looking like a place. The catalog keeps growing. New observations revise old numbers, and planets once listed as candidates become confirmed. Alien Planets stays with that living record, written in plain language, so you can follow the nearest known worlds, the strangest orbits, and the thin band astronomers call the habitable zone without getting lost in a research paper. Save the planets you want to come back to. Then keep going. The galaxy is full of new worlds, and most of them still have a story waiting.

Screenshots

Alien Planets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Solar System at $1.99 against Alien Planets's $9.99. The Solar System also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 27.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

The Solar System costs $1.99 and Alien Planets $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Solar System ships an update every 29 months, Alien Planets every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
The Solar System versus Alien Planets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Solar SystemAlien Planets
Price$1.99 β€” better$9.99
Update frequencyEvery 29 monthsEvery 24 months β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS12.0 β€” better27.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size112 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVentura Educational SystemsJose Leal

In-app purchases

None

The Solar System

No in-app purchases

None

Alien Planets

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Solar System free?
The Solar System costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Alien Planets free?
Alien Planets costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Solar System or Alien Planets have ads?
Neither The Solar System nor Alien Planets shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Solar System or Alien Planets?
The Solar System ships an update every 29 months, and Alien Planets every 24 months. Most recently, The Solar System was updated on October 14, 2026 and Alien Planets on October 19, 2026.

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