Space Race AR vs Planets AR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Space Race AR
Experience the history of space travel through augmented reality. This app brings an accompanying book to life with interactive videos and 3D models of spacecraft, viewable on compatible devices.
- Augmented reality space travel history
- Interactive archive videos
- 3D models of iconic space vehicles
- View spacecraft from all angles
- Links to purchase accompanying book
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Bring the history of space travel to life! Carlton's book Space Race tells the complete story of space travel, from the very first rockets to future missions to Mars and beyond. This app transforms the book into a unique digital experience, fuelled by the latest augmented reality technology: - Activate amazing archive videos of spaceflight that appear to play on the pages of the book. - Trigger 3D models of iconic space vehicles including the Appollo Moon Lander and the Curiosity rover, and view them from every angle with your device. How it works: Once you press the play button on the app’s opening screen, simply look at the interactive pages of your Space Race book through the app. Look out for pages with interactive boxes marked 'REPLAY HISTORY HERE!' and 'SEE IT IN 3D!'. If you don’t already have the book, tap the play button on the app's opening screen and wait for 20 seconds to get a link to a retail page outside the app where the book can be purchased. This free app is available to anyone with a compatible smartphone or tablet (iPhone 5 or above, iPad 2 or above, iPod Touch 5th Gen. or above - all running iOS 8.0 or above).
Planets AR
Explore the solar system in augmented reality, bringing planets and their orbits to life. Discover detailed facts and high-definition surface images for each celestial body. Witness the dynamic movement of planets rotating and revolving around the sun.
- Augmented reality solar system visualization
- Planet orbits and rotation simulation
- Detailed planet facts
- High-definition planet surface images
- Full solar system view
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Bring the planets and solar system to life with Augmented Reality, and discover how the planets revolve around the sun. Enjoy interesting facts about each planet, and see every detail with high definition images of each planets surface. Observe the full solar system, and watch planets whizzing around the sun, as each planet rotates on its own axis and orbits the sun just as it does in our solar system. You can also discover facts and information about each planet individually, and learn how one planet differs from another. Your device will need to support Augmented Reality for the app to run as described. Devices that currently support AR are: - iPhone 6s or newer (including iPhone SE) - iPad Pro - iPad (5th generation or newer) - iPad Air (3rd generation) - iPad Mini (5th generation) - iPod Touch (7th generation)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Planets AR at 4.5 against Space Race AR's 4.0. Planets AR also leads on ratings volume (68 vs 2). Space Race AR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 11 months vs every 72 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Planets AR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Space Race AR asks for nothing beyond the download.
Planets AR holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planets AR has 68 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Space Race AR ships an update every 11 months, Planets AR every 72 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Space Race AR | Planets AR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (2 ratings) | 4.5 (68 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 85.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 68 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months — better | Every 72 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 300 MB | 119 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Carlton Books Limited | Darren Tracey |
Customer experience
Space Race AR
Planets AR
In-app purchases
Space Race AR
No in-app purchases
Planets AR
- Unlock all features$4.99





