Solar System Scope VR vs DIY Solar System
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Solar System Scope VR
Explore breathtaking destinations within our solar system in virtual reality. Experience the sensation of walking on the Moon or Mars, visit the ISS, and view the night sky from your exact location. Works with or without VR glasses.
- Virtual solar system exploration
- Visit Moon and Mars landing sites
- Explore the International Space Station (ISS)
- View night sky from current location
- Works with VR glasses and phone screen
- In development with new features planned
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SolarVR is a new experimental virtual reality (VR) app from the creators of popular Solar System Scope application. SolarVR allows you to literally visit and explore several stunning destinations in our solar system. - Be blown off by the Solar System Virtual Reality Have you ever been curious about the place where the Apollo 11 landed? What about the Curiosity rover? Does your mind often play with the thoughts of how the walking on the Moon or on the Mars feels like? Well, now nothing stands in the way of your thirst to explore. - Not enough? There is also a possibility to visit ISS on its actual position. And furthermore you can scout the virtual night sky exactly as it looks like from your actual position. Pretty cool, right? - It works with and without VR glasses SolarVR operates best with the VR glasses, as it will provide the sensation of being directly in the space. If using VR glasses is not an option for you, this app will turn your phone into a direct window into the space and you can still enjoy similarly great views. - Note SolarVR is still in development, so you can look forward for new features and destinations to visit. - Please give us your feedback If you like our app, or you have some ideas what would you like us to improve, please give our App a rating and a review. We would appreciate it :)
DIY Solar System
Explore the solar system with interactive activities and an augmented reality planet walk. Learn about space travel, design a moon base, and identify celestial objects. Developed by leading science institutions, this app makes learning about space engaging for families and educators.
- Interactive space activities
- Augmented reality planet walk
- Design a moon base
- Grow a space garden
- Control a Mars rover
- In or Out space game
- NASA imagery
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DIY Solar System makes it easy for families and educators to explore the solar system from anywhere, anytime! The app was developed by the Children’s Creativity Museum, Sciencenter, and Museum of Life and Science, in partnership with UC Berkeley’s The Lawrence Hall of Science. INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES DIY Solar System includes 11 easy-to-use activities to learn about space travel, living in space, and the unique objects that make up the planetary system we call home. Design a Moon base, grow your own space garden, or experience what it’s like to control a rover on Mars! Each activity includes step-by-step instructions that have been tested by educators, kids, and families. Activity materials are easily available and inexpensive—you may already have many of them in your home! AUGMENTED REALITY PLANET WALK Don’t have the time to travel several billion miles to reach Neptune? Try dropping a scale version of the solar system outside your home to start a walk that will show you planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids. At each stop, examine the space object up close using real images from NASA. Don’t forget to take a space selfie with your favorite planet! IN OR OUT GAME Quickly scan awe-inspiring images of space objects from NASA’s Earth and space observatories to decide if the objects are in or out of the solar system. While the solar system is vast, it only represents a tiny corner of the universe. After you have mastered your solar system knowledge, challenge yourself to a new round of objects in or out of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Funding Source This work was supported by NASA under award number 80NSSC21M0082. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these programs are those of the author and do not reflect the views of NASA. Compatibility Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone and iPad. Rated 4+.
Screenshots
Verdict
Solar System Scope VR and DIY Solar System both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of DIY Solar System's written reviews are positive against 14% of Solar System Scope VR's. DIY Solar System also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 39 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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 Scope VR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. DIY Solar System asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Solar System Scope VR against 4.5 for DIY Solar System. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 16 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 14% of Solar System Scope VR's written reviews are positive against 100% of DIY Solar System's.
Solar System Scope VR ships an update every 39 months, DIY Solar System every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Solar System Scope VR | DIY Solar System |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (28 ratings) | 4.5 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 14.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Every 39 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 154 MB | 180 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | INOVE, s.r.o. | The Lawrence Hall of Science |
Customer experience
Solar System Scope VR
DIY Solar System
In-app purchases
Solar System Scope VR
- Additional VR views / HQ Maps$5.99
DIY Solar System
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Solar System Scope VR free?
Is DIY Solar System free?
Which has better reviews, Solar System Scope VR or DIY Solar System?
Do Solar System Scope VR or DIY Solar System have ads?
Which is updated more often, Solar System Scope VR or DIY Solar System?
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