Comparison

Spacecraft AR vs Planedex

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

Head to head
About

Spacecraft AR

Explore the solar system with interactive 3D models of NASA spacecraft. View them in augmented reality, scaled to your environment, and learn about their missions. Perfect for aspiring astronauts, educators, and space lovers.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D spacecraft models
  • Augmented reality viewing
  • True-to-life and adjustable scaling
  • Detailed mission information
  • In-app camera functionality
  • Explore Earth, Mars, and beyond
Features
Read full description

Created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this stunning educational app uses native mobile augmented reality to bring spacecraft explorers from across the solar system to whatever space you’re in. Find a flat surface and view interactive 3D models right in front of you, scaled to table-top size or in their true-to-life proportions. Take pics with the spacecraft in your favorite environments, and explore detailed info about their fascinating missions. This tool is excellent for budding astronauts, teachers, and space enthusiasts. Bring NASA’s journey of exploration to life in the classroom, home, or anywhere. Features: Interact with 3D spacecraft models of the Curiosity rover, Mars Exploration Rover (Spirit/Opportunity), InSightSMAP, Voyager, Juno, and Cassini, the 70-Meter Deep Space Network Antenna and more. Learn about missions that explore Earth, Mars, and beyond True-to-life and adjustable size interaction In-depth information about each space mission Camera functionality

About

Planedex

Discover and collect real aircraft flying overhead with a live radar map and augmented reality camera. Turn plane spotting into a fun game with quizzes, badges, and shareable trading cards. Designed for kids but enjoyable for all ages.

Highlights
  • Live radar map of aircraft
  • Augmented reality camera identification
  • Aircraft collection log
  • Earnable badges and ranks
  • Plane spotting quiz
  • Rare plane alerts
  • Family sharing subscription
Features
Read full description

There's a real aircraft over your head right now. Want to meet it? Planedex turns the sky into a collecting game. A live radar map shows every aircraft near you: real flights, real time, moving as you watch. Tap one to see what it is, who it is, where it's going, and how far along its journey it is. Point your camera up, and its name floats right on the sky. Spot a plane you love? Catch it. Every catch joins your collection - from everyday workhorses to once-a-year rarities - with badges to earn, ranks to climb, and a quiz that turns spotting into knowing. Built for kids. Loved by grown-ups. • Live radar map with planes drawn true to their real shapes and sizes • Point-at-the-sky camera view that names the plane you're looking at • A collection log, 35 badges, and trading cards you can share • A plane quiz with ranks - plus a pass-and-play Family Duel where the grown-up answers harder questions (fair's fair) • Rare-plane alerts: get a heads-up when something special flies by • A Home Screen widget showing the rarest plane overhead right now • Hundreds of true, kid-tested fun facts Planedex Plus is for families who can't stop looking up. Deep Dives add the grown-up layer on 70 aircraft: the design stories, the spot-the-difference cues, the records and rivalries behind the planes your kid catches - plus the register's fine print on any airframe, and a family logbook where everyone's catches land in one list and family members challenge each other to quiz duels across phones. One subscription shares with your whole family. Private by design. No accounts. No ads, ever. No tracking. Nothing about your child is ever collected - every question the app asks the internet is about a plane, never about you. The optional family logbook lives in your own iCloud, never on a server of ours. The sky is already full of stories. Go catch one. — Planedex Plus is an optional auto-renewable subscription ($2.99/month or $19.99/year), shared with your family via Apple Family Sharing. Payment is charged to your Apple Account; the subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://revvinschown.com/planedex-privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Spacecraft AR4 screens
Planedex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planedex at 100% against Spacecraft AR's 53%. Planedex also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 7 months). Spacecraft AR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (25 vs 6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Planedex sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Spacecraft AR asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Planedex holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Spacecraft AR's written reviews are positive against 100% of Planedex's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spacecraft AR ships an update every 7 months, Planedex every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Spacecraft AR versus Planedex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpacecraft ARPlanedex
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (25 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size160 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJet Propulsion LaboratoryRevvin Schown LLC

Customer experience

Spacecraft AR

All ratings25 ratings
Positive48.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative44.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral13.3%
Negative33.3%

Planedex

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Spacecraft AR

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Planedex

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Plus Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Spacecraft AR free?
Spacecraft AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Planedex free?
Planedex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spacecraft AR or Planedex?
Planedex is rated higher. Spacecraft AR averages 3.1 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Planedex averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Spacecraft AR or Planedex have ads?
Neither Spacecraft AR nor Planedex shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spacecraft AR or Planedex?
Spacecraft AR ships an update every 7 months, and Planedex every 2 weeks. Most recently, Spacecraft AR was updated on October 20, 2026 and Planedex on October 31, 2026.

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