Next Spaceflight vs StarCat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Next Spaceflight
Track all orbital rocket launches with a comprehensive schedule, news, and event updates. Explore detailed mission information, 3D simulations, and live countdowns for major space agencies and private companies. Stay informed about Starship activity and access links to live streams.
- Rocket launch schedule
- 3D launch simulations
- Past launch catalog
- Starship activity tracker
- Live launch countdowns
- Latest space news
- Launch pad satellite maps
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Next Spaceflight features rocket launch schedules, news, and events for all the key players including SpaceX, NASA, Roscosmos, ULA, Blue Origin, ISRO, Rocket Lab, and more. Features: - A rocket launch schedule with all the orbital missions - 3D launch simulations and live playback for most launches - A catalog with thousands of past orbital rocket launches - A dedicated section for Starship activity in Boca Chica - Live launch countdowns - Latest news - Upcoming events - Reuse and core history for SpaceX missions - Commercial and government launch vehicles from across the globe - Detailed satellite maps of launch pads - Links to live streams of upcoming launches and videos of past launches - A description for each mission - Notifications for upcoming launches (toggle in settings) - Statistics for most launches - Ad free! Seriously, who wants ads?
StarCat
Stay updated on global rocket launches with real-time information and detailed mission specifics. Receive launch reminders and access a dedicated news section for spaceflight updates. Features Dynamic Island integration for live tracking.
- Live Activity tracking on Dynamic Island
- Detailed mission information
- Launch reminders and notifications
- Spaceflight news section
- Starship development updates
- Reusable rocket landing info
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Track your favorite rockets with StarCat - your ultimate companion for staying in the loop on rocket launches worldwide. Whether you're a seasoned space enthusiast or just curious about the wonders of space exploration, StarCat brings you real-time information and comprehensive details about upcoming rocket launches. 1. Live Activity - Track every launch leveraging your Dynamic Island, best way to receive latest updates on tracked launch, regardless if it's a scrub or delay. 2. Mission Details - Dive deep into the specifics of each mission. Learn about the payload, launch vehicle, mission objectives, orbit information, location of the launch pad and landing information of reusable rockets, such as Falcon 9. 3. Launch Reminders - Never miss a launch again! Get notified before every launch with push notifications (customizable notifications coming in the future). 4. News Section - Get access to latest and featured articles about world of spaceflight with option to save articles you liked. 5. Starship Section - Latest news about Starship and Starbase with specially selected articles about development of our favorite spacecraft. Discover list of all prototypes developed at Starbase and list of all launches up to date - both orbital and sub-orbital - with respective information about their outcomes.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Next Spaceflight at Free against StarCat's $1.99. Next Spaceflight also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (27K vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
Next Spaceflight is free to download; StarCat costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Next Spaceflight holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Next Spaceflight has 27K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Next Spaceflight ships an update every 3 weeks, StarCat every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Next Spaceflight | StarCat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (27K ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 27K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #21 — better | #112 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NASASpaceflight LLC | Hubert Jozwiak |
Customer experience
Next Spaceflight
StarCat
Bugs and requests
Next Spaceflight
Reported bugs
2 issues- Favorites filter not working as expected
- Starship section not updating with latest information
Requested features
5 requests- Dark mode option
- Ability to add launches to calendar
- More customizable notification settings
- Spacecraft/vehicle search functionality
- Integration with Apple Watch for quick updates
StarCat
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Next Spaceflight
No in-app purchases
StarCat
No in-app purchases
