Flipboku Apollo AR vs Celestia
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Augmented reality 3D spacecraft models
- Animated mission maneuvers
- Complementary flip book content
- Historical footage and facts
- Interactive spacecraft sequences
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Flipboku Apollo AR | Celestia |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (4 ratings) | 4.4 (339 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 78.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 339 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 25 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 174 MB | 550 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Boku Lab SL | 林峰 李 |
Customer experience
Flipboku Apollo AR
Celestia
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
Flipboku Apollo AR
No in-app purchases
Celestia
- Celestia PLUS (Weekly)7 Days trial$0.997 Days
- Celestia PLUS (Monthly)$1.991 Month
- Celestia PLUS (Yearly)$19.991 Year
- Celestia PLUS (Lifetime)$79.99
Questions
Is Flipboku Apollo AR free?
Is Celestia free?
Which has better reviews, Flipboku Apollo AR or Celestia?
Do Flipboku Apollo AR or Celestia have ads?
Which is updated more often, Flipboku Apollo AR or Celestia?
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