Comparison

Satellite Tracker vs NASA SpaceTime

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

Head to head
About

Satellite Tracker

Track satellites, the Sun, and the Moon with rise/set times and visibility calculations. Visualize Earth with 3D globe or 2D map views and customize tracking options. Offers free basic functionality with optional subscriptions for expanded satellite access.

Highlights
  • Satellite, Sun, and Moon tracking
  • Rise/set times and visibility calculations
  • 3D globe and 2D map Earth views
  • Customizable tracking options
  • Free basic functionality
  • Optional satellite subscription plans
Features
Read full description

Satellite Tracker is the follow on to our award winning HamSat series of applications. Satellite Tracker merges all the features of the iPhone and iPad versions providing you a single application that seamlessly optimizes the screen to the device you’re running it on (check out the various iPhone and iPad screen shots). The application will calculate the rise/set times and associated azimuth and elevation for the selected satellite, Sun or Moon given either the user entered or network retrieved location. There are two modes for satellite rise/set calculations. The first is for those folks wanting to know all overflights for a given location (like Ham radio operators) while the second mode computes only those passes where the satellite would be visible to a ground observer. In the ground observer mode, the calculations not only take into account that the ground is dark but also that the satellite is in sunlight (it even takes into account if the satellite becomes lit or unlit during the pass) In addition, you can see the Earth rendered either as a 3D globe or a 2D map using photo realistic texture maps for the Earth model. The orientation of the map is easily changed by a simple rotation of the device from portrait (3D) to landscape (2D). In either orientation you can zoom in and out as well as pan using the touch screen. There are more than a dozen controls provided to allow you to customize how the application works to meet your specific needs (type of Earth texture used, location, type of overflight calculated…) Finally, the application is now free to download and provides full functionality for tracking, viewing and communicating with the International Space Station (what was the capability of the ISS family of paid apps). The following subscriptions are available for tracking and communicating with a larger set of satellites: -HamSat (Annual and Monthly): Provides access to the NORAD and AMSAT two line element sets which cover all amateur related satellites. -ProSat (Annual and Monthly): Provides access to thousands of satellites grouped into the following categories (from www.celestrak.com): -100 (or so) Brightest -Last 30 Day’s Launches (or so) -Amateur Ham Radio Satellites -CubeSats -Disaster Monitoring -Earth Resources -Education -Engineering -Geodetic -Geostationary -GOES -GPS Operational -Intelsat -Iridium -Molniya -NOAA -Orbcomm -Search & Rescue (SARSAT) -Space & Earth Science -Space Station -Weather To get a feel for the apps, please checkout the iPad quickstart video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiHCGxV0WM8) and associated user’s guide (http://www.vosworx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SatSeriesHD.pdf) or the iPhone quickstart video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuPccQI9oSg) and it’s user’s guide (http://www.vosworx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SatSeries.pdf). Please note that InApp payments will be charged to your AppleID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscription by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. For more information, please visit our Terms of Service at http://www.vosworx.com/terms-of-service-for-app and our Privacy Policy at http://www.vosworx.com/privacy-policy-for-apps. Thanks to everyone who has sent in their questions/requests and keep them coming! -Craig (support@vosworx.com)

About

NASA SpaceTime

Track the current time on Mars for NASA's Perseverance and Curiosity rovers. View mission event schedules and operational meetings. Supports Siri integration for quick time queries.

Highlights
  • Mars time display
  • Earth time display
  • Rover mission schedules
  • Operational meeting views
  • Siri integration
Read full description

Display Mars and Earth time for the NASA Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers. View the schedule of events and operational meetings in support of these missions.  Ask Siri: "What Sol is it on Mars?"

Screenshots

Satellite Tracker4 screens
NASA SpaceTime3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NASA SpaceTime at 100% against Satellite Tracker's 44%. NASA SpaceTime also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. Satellite Tracker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. NASA SpaceTime asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NASA SpaceTime holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Satellite Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of NASA SpaceTime's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Satellite Tracker ships an update every 2 months, NASA SpaceTime every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Satellite Tracker versus NASA SpaceTime: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSatellite TrackerNASA SpaceTime
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (13 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCraig VosburghJet Propulsion Laboratory

Customer experience

Satellite Tracker

All ratings13 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral11.1%
Negative44.4%

NASA SpaceTime

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Satellite Tracker

Subscriptions4
  • Amateur Satellites Monthly$1.491 Month
  • All Satellites Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Amateur Satellites Annual$8.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • All Satellites Annual$11.991 Year
None

NASA SpaceTime

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Satellite Tracker free?
Satellite Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NASA SpaceTime free?
NASA SpaceTime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Satellite Tracker or NASA SpaceTime?
NASA SpaceTime is rated higher. Satellite Tracker averages 3.4 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while NASA SpaceTime averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Satellite Tracker or NASA SpaceTime have ads?
Neither Satellite Tracker nor NASA SpaceTime shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Satellite Tracker or NASA SpaceTime?
Satellite Tracker ships an update every 2 months, and NASA SpaceTime every 4 weeks. Most recently, Satellite Tracker was updated on October 20, 2026 and NASA SpaceTime on October 20, 2026.

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