Comparison

AR Orbits vs Celestia

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

Head to head
About

AR Orbits

Explore the solar system and understand satellite mechanics through augmented reality. This app simplifies complex astrophysics concepts, allowing users to create and plot their own orbits, making rocket science accessible for learning and homework.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality exploration
  • Satellite mechanics simulation
  • Orbit plotting and creation
  • Astrophysics homework assistance
  • Solar system discovery
Features
Read full description

Have you ever wondered how satellites work? The phone or tablet you’re holding right now is connected to the internet via satellites, which help you navigate your car, track the weather, and discover new and exciting things about the solar system we live in. With AR Orbits, anyone can become a rocket scientist with the tap of a button. Learn how to plot and create your own orbits, or use the app to help you with your astrophysics homework. Explore a world of physics with AR Orbits.

About

Celestia

Explore the universe in real-time 3D. Visit planets, moons, star clusters, and galaxies, viewing them from any point in space and time. Customize your experience with expandable content and detailed simulations.

Highlights
  • Real-time 3D space visualization
  • Explore planets, moons, stars, galaxies
  • Accurate solar system object positions
  • Interactive planetarium mode
  • Expandable content with add-ons
  • Customizable celestial databases
Features
Read full description

Celestia — real-time 3D visualization of space 3D Space Simulator | Celestia lets you explore our universe in three dimensions. Celestia simulates many different types of celestial objects. From planets and moons to star clusters and galaxies, you can visit every object in the expandable database and view it from any point in space and time. The position and movement of solar system objects is calculated accurately in real time at any rate desired. Interactive Planetarium | Celestia serves as a planetarium – for an observer on any celestial object. You can easily navigate to any world and land on its surface. When used as a planetarium, Celestia shows accurate positions of solar system objects in the sky. You can switch labels and other supporting features on and off with hotkeys, or zoom in and out on an object of interest, for example Jupiter’s system of moons. Expandable Content | Customize Celestia according to your needs. Celestia’s catalogues can be easily expanded. There are many different add-ons available containing new objects like comets or stars, high-resolution textures of Earth and other well mapped solar system bodies, as well as 3D models for asteroids and spacecraft on precise trajectories. Even fictional objects from well-known sci-fi franchises can be found. EULA(End User License Agreement): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

AR Orbits4 screens
Celestia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: AR Orbits at 4.9 against Celestia's 4.4. AR Orbits also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (100% vs 78%). Celestia's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (324 vs 11). 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. Celestia sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. AR Orbits asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AR Orbits holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Celestia has 324 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of AR Orbits's written reviews are positive against 78% of Celestia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AR Orbits ships an update every 18 months, Celestia every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
AR Orbits versus Celestia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAR OrbitsCelestia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (11 ratings) — better4.4 (324 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings11324 — better
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB545 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTurner Thornberry林峰 李

Customer experience

AR Orbits

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Celestia

All ratings324 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative12.7%
Written reviews249 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral5.6%
Negative16.1%

Bugs and requests

AR Orbits

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Celestia

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Milky Way and other galaxy textures not loading properly
  • Crashes when using certain add-ons
  • Issues with planet and moon orbits not being accurate

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more exoplanets and distant star systems
  • Implement terrain generation for planets
  • Expand to include more galaxies and the overall universe structure
  • Add support for black holes, pulsars, and other exotic objects
  • Improve controls and camera movement

In-app purchases

None

AR Orbits

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Celestia

Subscriptions3
  • Celestia PLUS (Weekly)7 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Celestia PLUS (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Celestia PLUS (Yearly)$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Celestia PLUS (Lifetime)$79.99

Questions

Is AR Orbits free?
AR Orbits is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Celestia free?
Celestia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, AR Orbits or Celestia?
AR Orbits is rated higher. AR Orbits averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Celestia averages 4.4 from 324 ratings.
Do AR Orbits or Celestia have ads?
Neither AR Orbits nor Celestia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AR Orbits or Celestia?
AR Orbits ships an update every 18 months, and Celestia every 2 weeks. Most recently, AR Orbits was updated on June 1, 2026 and Celestia on September 28, 2026.

Other comparisons