Comparison

AR Solar System vs Smithsonian

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Augmented Reality planets
  • Toggle planet labels
  • Toggle planet orbits
  • Speed up and rewind time
  • Overlay celestial objects
Features
Read full description

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 :)

About

Smithsonian

Explore the solar system with interactive games and animations. Learn fascinating facts about planets, moons, and the asteroid belt. Designed for curious young minds to introduce astronomy basics.

Highlights
  • Fascinating facts about the solar system
  • Mini games like Space Winter Rush
  • Interactive activities
  • Educational animations
  • Read to Me text
  • Collect planet badges
Features
Read full description

Join us on an exciting voyage through the solar system! Play, touch, read. and learn facts about the 8 planets in our solar system in this new app from The ©Smithsonian and PlayDate Digital. Designed for curious minds, this app features brilliantly illustrated animations which are sure to engage and entertain. Why is Mars called the Red Planet? Which is the brightest Planet? How many moons does Neptune have? What is the Asteroid Belt? Explore Planets, learn facts, and play games as you rocket through the solar system. Your space enthusiast will love learning all about the wonders of space and the universe. The mini games reinforce the learnings and interactive activities will keep kids engaged. Features: • Lots of fascinating facts about our solar system, its planets, and more! • Featuring mini games including Space Winter Rush, Comet Ceasefire, Solar System Sorting, Gas Planets and more! • Over 10 other interactive activities related to your space adventure. • Educational content and animations will entertain and engage while teaching simple astronomy basics. • ‘Read to Me’ text • Collect solar system and planet badges as you complete each level Planets and the Solar System from ©Smithsonian Kids is designed to deliver on these Learning Goals: • STEM: Introduce young learners to astronomy and science methods. • STEM: Expand young learners' curiosity and knowledge of the world around them. • Counting and Quantifying: Identify and organize groups of objects logically. • Visual Discrimination: Distinguish between different shapes, sizes, colors. • Visual Memory: Remembering and recalling visual information. • Color Recognition and Differentiation: Identifying and naming colors. • Shape Recognition and Classification: Identifying objects based on different shapes. ABOUT THE SMITHSONIAN The ©Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, dedicated to public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, ©Smithsonian sciences, and history. The name of the ©Smithsonian Institution and the sunburst logo are registered trademarks of the ©Smithsonian Institution. For more information, please visit www.si.edu ABOUT PLAYDATE DIGITAL PlayDate Digital Inc. is a publisher of high-quality, interactive, mobile educational software for children. PlayDate Digital's products nurture children's emerging literacy and creativity skills by turning digital screens into engaging experiences. PlayDate Digital content is built in partnership with some of the world's most trusted global brands for kids. Visit us: playdatedigital.com Like us: facebook.com/playdatedigital Follow us: @playdatedigital Watch all our app trailers: youtube.com/PlayDateDigital1 HAVE QUESTIONS? We'd love to hear from you! Your questions suggestions and comments are always welcome. Contact us 24/7 at info@playdatedigital.com

Screenshots

AR Solar System4 screens
Smithsonian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Smithsonian at 100% against AR Solar System's 0%. Smithsonian also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 83 months). AR Solar System's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Smithsonian is free to download; AR Solar System costs $0.99 up front. Smithsonian sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. AR Solar System asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AR Solar System ships an update every 83 months, Smithsonian every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
AR Solar System versus Smithsonian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAR Solar SystemSmithsonian
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 83 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB285 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMustafa AlpayPlayDate Digital Inc.

Customer experience

AR Solar System

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Smithsonian

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

AR Solar System

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Smithsonian

One-time2
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • Buy 5 Planets$2.99

Questions

Is AR Solar System free?
AR Solar System costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smithsonian free?
Smithsonian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AR Solar System or Smithsonian have ads?
Neither AR Solar System nor Smithsonian shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AR Solar System or Smithsonian?
AR Solar System ships an update every 83 months, and Smithsonian every 3 months. Most recently, AR Solar System was updated on November 2, 2026 and Smithsonian on October 9, 2026.

Other comparisons