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.
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.
- 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
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"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.
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.
- Detailed planet and moon data
- Astronaut information and missions
- Real-time space occupancy
- Launch notifications
- NASA image gallery
- Celestial body comparisons
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Solar System Builder AR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pocket Planets asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
| Parameter | Solar System Builder AR | Pocket Planets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (194 ratings) — better | 4.6 (22 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 93.5% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 194 — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | — | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 86 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mihai Ghiserel | Ad Lunam Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag |
Customer experience
Solar System Builder AR
Pocket Planets
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
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- 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
Solar System Builder AR
- PRO Pack - Stars and Planets$5.99
Pocket Planets
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Solar System Builder AR free?
Is Pocket Planets free?
Which has better reviews, Solar System Builder AR or Pocket Planets?
Do Solar System Builder AR or Pocket Planets have ads?
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