AR Solar System vs DIY Solar System
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AR Solar System
Explore the solar system with augmented reality. View planets, toggle labels and orbits, and manipulate time to observe celestial movements. This educational tool overlays celestial objects onto your real-world environment.
- Augmented Reality planets
- Toggle planet labels
- Toggle planet orbits
- Speed up and rewind time
- Overlay celestial objects
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Simple yet useful AR (Augmented Reality) Planets. You can show and hide planet labels. Time can be sped up and you can go back in time. Planets orbits can also be hidden and shown. If you like our app please rate & leave reviews. If there is a feature please state in the comments, we are constantly checking reviews. We will be happy to develop our app with the new features that you requested. Please note that this app uses the camera to create an augmented reality experience of the solar system, overlaying planets and other celestial objects onto the real world. Thank you very much for using our app & your support motivates us to work more :)
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 review sentiment: DIY Solar System at 100% against AR Solar System's 0%. DIY Solar System also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (4.5 vs 1.0). AR Solar System's advantage is chart position (#196 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases 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; AR Solar System costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
DIY Solar System holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DIY Solar System has 17 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of AR Solar System's written reviews are positive against 100% of DIY Solar System's.
AR Solar System ships an update every 83 months, DIY Solar System every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AR Solar System | DIY Solar System |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 4.5 (17 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 17 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 83 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #196 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 180 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mustafa Alpay | The Lawrence Hall of Science |
Customer experience
AR Solar System
DIY Solar System
In-app purchases
AR Solar System
No in-app purchases
DIY Solar System
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AR Solar System free?
Is DIY Solar System free?
Which has better reviews, AR Solar System or DIY Solar System?
Do AR Solar System or DIY Solar System have ads?
Which is updated more often, AR Solar System or DIY Solar System?
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