Comparison

Flipboku Apollo AR vs Celestia

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

Head to head
About

Flipboku Apollo AR

Explore the Apollo 11 mission in augmented reality with this companion app for a special edition flip book. View 3D models of spacecraft, witness key mission maneuvers, and access historical footage and facts.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality 3D spacecraft models
  • Animated mission maneuvers
  • Complementary flip book content
  • Historical footage and facts
  • Interactive spacecraft sequences
Features
Read full description

This AR app is a complementary feature for the Apollo 11 Flip Book Edition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing and published by Flipboku in 2019 with the help of 1483 backers on Kickstarter. This special edition includes 2 flip books: Volume 1 features the iconic footage of the Apollo 11 journey shot during the different stages of the mission. Volume 2 shows the most complex and significant maneuvers of the mission, with animated recreations based on NASA’s original artwork. The flip books feature 12 different sequences (6 each) that can be triggered by changing the position of your thumb. In addition to this, the flip books sleeves include a selection of the Apollo 11 3D model spacecraft, viewable through this app. HOW TO USE THE APP: Choose the model of your preference from the main menu and place the slipcase of the matching flip book in front of the camera. Volume 1 - The Iconic Footage, recreates a 3D model of the Saturn V rocket, the largest rocket ever created. By activating the animation you will see the separation sequence of the different stages of the rocket (No sound). Volume 2 - The Animated Journey, you will discover the configuration of the Command and Service Module attached to the Lunar Module. When the animation is activated, a recreation of the Transposition and Docking manoeuvre will be displayed, carried out in Earth orbit after the launch and prior to the trip to the moon (No sound). Anniversary Sleeve - The golden embossed sleeve features a recreation of the mighty lunar module. Activating the animated sequence displays a recreation of the last seconds of the moon landing, integrated with the real audio transmitted between the LM and NASA at that historic moment. In addition, each model includes complementary content in its respective menu, extending information and facts about the construction of each spacecraft and videos with real footage of the mission from NASA's archives. IMPORTANT: We highly recommend not making sudden movements with the phone or the slipcases. If for any reason you can not activate any of the models on their respective slipcases, slowly move your smartphone and make small pauses until you get to visualize the model. This is a first official version and it is possible that due to the amount of different devices that exist in the market, there are still some bugs that we will improve in future updates. For any questions or feedback on its use, write to support@flipboku.com

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

Flipboku Apollo AR4 screens
Celestia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Flipboku Apollo AR at none against Celestia's 4. Flipboku Apollo AR also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). Celestia's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 25 months) and ratings volume (339 vs 4). On price, rating, 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. Flipboku Apollo AR asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Flipboku Apollo AR against 4.4 for Celestia. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Celestia has 339 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Flipboku Apollo AR's written reviews are positive against 79% of Celestia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flipboku Apollo AR ships an update every 25 months, Celestia fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Flipboku Apollo AR versus Celestia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlipboku Apollo ARCelestia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (4 ratings)4.4 (339 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews78.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4339 — better
Update frequencyEvery 25 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size174 MB550 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBoku Lab SL林峰 李

Customer experience

Flipboku Apollo AR

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Celestia

All ratings337 ratings
Positive83.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews265 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative15.8%

Bugs and requests

Flipboku Apollo AR

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

Flipboku Apollo AR

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 Flipboku Apollo AR free?
Flipboku Apollo AR 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, Flipboku Apollo AR or Celestia?
Celestia is rated higher. Flipboku Apollo AR averages 4.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Celestia averages 4.4 from 339 ratings.
Do Flipboku Apollo AR or Celestia have ads?
Neither Flipboku Apollo AR nor Celestia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flipboku Apollo AR or Celestia?
Flipboku Apollo AR ships an update every 25 months, and Celestia fortnightly. Most recently, Flipboku Apollo AR was updated on October 24, 2026 and Celestia on October 29, 2026.

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