Comparison

Solar System Builder AR vs Pocket Planets

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

Head to head
About

Solar System Builder AR

Create and explore your own solar systems in augmented reality. Learn about planets, stars, and gravity through interactive simulations and educational content. Perfect for curious minds of all ages.

Highlights
  • Create custom solar systems in AR
  • Orbital physics simulation
  • Explore 35+ celestial bodies
  • Learn about gravity and orbits
  • Place objects in real-world environments
  • Detailed information on celestial bodies
Read full description

"Solar System Builder AR is a terrific app to have. Whether you truly want to learn about the stars and planets, read funny jokes about space or want to create your own dynamic solar system, this app provides the perfect augmented reality environment to do just that! You'll be able to explore and learn, and have fun at the same time, all through the magic of AR." • This is the first app of its kind in which you can create your own complete solar system with orbital physics in an augmented reality environment providing a fun experience and an educational opportunity alike. • With real world augmented reality tracking, you can now place stars/planets/moons/whole solar systems in orbit in your own bedroom/classroom/outside environment. You can move around and study your creation, send objects into orbit from far away or up close at different velocities and watch the magic happen. • There are lots of stars/planets/moons to play around with besides the ones in our solar system. Explore what other alien worlds might look like with special artist depictions of far away planets! • Solar System Builder AR brings a great opportunity for parents and educators alike to get kids interested in the inner workings of our grand universe. Visualize how gravity effects all things around us, learn how stellar objects orbit each other and learn useful information about all the different types of bodies available in the cosmos, all while providing a fun and engaging experience. Features: • Move objects around even after they are placed in orbit and study the effects. • Complete physics simulation of the motion of celestial objects as influenced by gravity. • Orbital trails(optional) to visualize the effects the gravitational pull has. • A total of 35 celestial bodies to choose from when you design your universe(the planets and moons in our solar system included). • Possibility to create a static solar system for up close studying of planets, moons and stars. • Select an object and learn more about it in the information tab available. • Great educational opportunity for teachers and parents alike to teach kids about the objects in cosmos, gravity and orbits, in a fun way. • No ads or annoying pop-ups for a smooth experience.

About

Pocket Planets

Explore our solar system with detailed information on planets, moons, and astronauts. Track who is currently in space and receive notifications for new launches. Access NASA images and compare celestial body characteristics.

Highlights
  • Detailed planet and moon data
  • Astronaut information and missions
  • Real-time space occupancy
  • Launch notifications
  • NASA image gallery
  • Celestial body comparisons
Features
Read full description

Pocket Planets gives you all the information you need about our solar system and human activity in space. Learn more about all 565 astronauts who been to space. What was their mission? How long had they been up there? See who is in space now! Get notified when somebody goes into space. Get up to date information about every planet and moon in the solar system. Including: - Physical characteristics: mass, radius, density, gravity, escape velocity - Orbital characteristics: real-time distance from the Sun and Earth, orbital period, orbital speed, eccentricity, apsis, periapsis, visualise orbit - Atmosphere: pressure, atmospheric composition - Images from Nasa - Moons: compare their size and distance

Screenshots

Solar System Builder AR4 screens
Pocket Planets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pocket Planets at none against Solar System Builder AR's 1. Solar System Builder AR's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (93% vs 67%). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement 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. Solar System Builder AR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pocket Planets asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Solar System Builder AR against 4.6 for Pocket Planets. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solar System Builder AR has 194 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of Solar System Builder AR's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pocket Planets's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Solar System Builder AR versus Pocket Planets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar System Builder ARPocket Planets
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (194 ratings) — better4.6 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews93.5% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings194 — better22
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMihai GhiserelAd Lunam Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag

Customer experience

Solar System Builder AR

All ratings194 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral5.2%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.3%

Pocket Planets

All ratings22 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Solar System Builder AR

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add more planets and celestial objects
  • Include pre-built solar systems
  • Add black holes
  • Scale sun size
  • Add tutorial for planet orbits
Show 4 more
  • Add asteroid belts, nebulas, singularities, galaxies
  • Implement a save feature for creations
  • Allow planets to collide if too close
  • Unlock all planets for free

Pocket Planets

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Solar System Builder AR

One-time1
  • PRO Pack - Stars and Planets$5.99
None

Pocket Planets

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar System Builder AR free?
Solar System Builder AR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pocket Planets free?
Pocket Planets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Solar System Builder AR or Pocket Planets?
Solar System Builder AR is rated higher. Solar System Builder AR averages 4.7 out of 5 from 194 ratings, while Pocket Planets averages 4.6 from 22 ratings.
Do Solar System Builder AR or Pocket Planets have ads?
Pocket Planets shows ads; Solar System Builder AR does not.

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