Comparison

ARPlanets 2 vs Black Hole Vision

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

Head to head
About

ARPlanets 2

Explore the augmented reality Solar System with interactive 3D models and intuitive gestures. Learn basic and advanced astronomy concepts through engaging AR lessons.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality Solar System exploration
  • Interactive 3D model manipulation
  • Discover celestial body details
  • AR-based astronomy lessons
  • User-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

Introducing ARPlanets 2! Completely rewritten from scratch to offer the ultimate user experience this app will bring the entire augmented reality Solar System into your pocket! The AR user experience is of the highest level with total control of the models thanks to intuitive gestures. The new great AR Lessons section will teach you with nice lessons in augmented reality basic astronomy concepts such as Kepler's Laws up to advanced notions such as differential photometry. Learning has never been so beautiful! -> Main features - User friendly user interface aimed at offering the maximum user experience - Completely manipulate 3D models thanks to very simple gestures. - Discover the names of the most interesting areas of the Moon, Mars and Jupiter simply by getting closer with your phone! - Learn notions of basic astronomy in augmented reality such as the Earth-Moon system and Kepler's Laws up to advanced topics such as differential photometry thanks to the AR Lessons section! Learning has never been so beautiful!

About

Black Hole Vision

Experience the universe through the lens of a black hole. This app simulates how a black hole would warp your camera's view, revealing a photon ring and offering a glimpse into advanced astronomical concepts. Explore the science behind black hole lensing with open-source code and educational resources.

Highlights
  • Live camera feed simulation
  • Black hole lensing effect
  • Photon ring visualization
  • Open-source code available
  • Educational insights into astrophysics
Features
Read full description

What would the world around you look like if you were staring at a black hole? This application places a black hole in the field of view of your iPhone’s camera and gravitationally "lenses" the resulting live video feeds just as a black hole would warp the light from surrounding stars. The resulting "Black Hole Vision" reveals interesting features of black hole lensing, including a "photon ring" of strongly lensed images around the black hole. The measurement of this photon ring will be the target of future astronomical observations from space with the Black Hole Explorer: an orbit satellite that will take the sharpest images in the history of astronomy! To learn more about BHEX, head over to https://www.blackholeexplorer.org/. The code is open source and freely available on GitHub at https://github.com/graveltr/BlackHoleVision, along with documentation that explains the underlying black hole lensing equations and how they are implemented in Black Hole Vision. The code was written at Vanderbilt University by Trevor Gravely with input from Dr. Roman Berens and Prof. Alex Lupsasca. We also acknowledge Dominic Chang for useful input and comments. This project was supported by CAREER award PHY-2340457 and grant AST-2307888 from the National Science Foundation. The lensed image of the spiral galaxy Messier 101 was generated using material produced by NASA and STScI and can be found here: https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2006/10/1865-Image.html?news=true. License: This app includes a port of the GNU Scientific Library's (GSL) implementation of Jacobi elliptic functions and the elliptic integrals to Metal. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). You can view the full license and obtain a copy of the source code at: https://github.com/graveltr/BlackHoleVision.

Screenshots

ARPlanets 23 screens
Black Hole Vision4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Black Hole Vision at 100% against ARPlanets 2's 57%. Black Hole Vision also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, 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

Both are free to download. ARPlanets 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Black Hole Vision asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Black Hole Vision holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of ARPlanets 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of Black Hole Vision's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ARPlanets 2 ships an update every 6 weeks, Black Hole Vision every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ARPlanets 2 versus Black Hole Vision: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARPlanets 2Black Hole Vision
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (15 ratings)4.8 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1524 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size408 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniele CitiAlexandru Lupsasca

Customer experience

ARPlanets 2

All ratings15 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative28.6%

Black Hole Vision

All ratings15 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ARPlanets 2

One-time1
  • Full Access AR$1.99
None

Black Hole Vision

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ARPlanets 2 free?
ARPlanets 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Black Hole Vision free?
Black Hole Vision is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ARPlanets 2 or Black Hole Vision?
Black Hole Vision is rated higher. ARPlanets 2 averages 3.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Black Hole Vision averages 4.8 from 24 ratings.
Do ARPlanets 2 or Black Hole Vision have ads?
Neither ARPlanets 2 nor Black Hole Vision shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ARPlanets 2 or Black Hole Vision?
ARPlanets 2 ships an update every 6 weeks, and Black Hole Vision every 2 weeks. Most recently, ARPlanets 2 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Black Hole Vision on October 24, 2026.

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