Comparison

Pocket Planets vs DIY Solar System

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Planets

Explore our solar system with detailed information on planets, moons, and astronauts. Track who is currently in space and receive notifications for new launches. Access NASA images and compare celestial body characteristics.

Highlights
  • Detailed planet and moon data
  • Astronaut information and missions
  • Real-time space occupancy
  • Launch notifications
  • NASA image gallery
  • Celestial body comparisons
Features
Read full description

Pocket Planets gives you all the information you need about our solar system and human activity in space. Learn more about all 565 astronauts who been to space. What was their mission? How long had they been up there? See who is in space now! Get notified when somebody goes into space. Get up to date information about every planet and moon in the solar system. Including: - Physical characteristics: mass, radius, density, gravity, escape velocity - Orbital characteristics: real-time distance from the Sun and Earth, orbital period, orbital speed, eccentricity, apsis, periapsis, visualise orbit - Atmosphere: pressure, atmospheric composition - Images from Nasa - Moons: compare their size and distance

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Pocket Planets4 screens
DIY Solar System4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: DIY Solar System at none against Pocket Planets's shown. DIY Solar System also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Pocket Planets's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pocket Planets against 4.5 for DIY Solar System. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 16 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Pocket Planets's written reviews are positive against 100% of DIY Solar System's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Planets ships an update every 3 weeks, DIY Solar System every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pocket Planets versus DIY Solar System: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket PlanetsDIY Solar System
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (22 ratings) — better4.5 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB180 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAd Lunam Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu TarsasagThe Lawrence Hall of Science

Customer experience

Pocket Planets

All ratings22 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

DIY Solar System

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pocket Planets

No in-app purchases

None

DIY Solar System

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pocket Planets free?
Pocket Planets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DIY Solar System free?
DIY Solar System is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Planets or DIY Solar System?
Pocket Planets is rated higher. Pocket Planets averages 4.6 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while DIY Solar System averages 4.5 from 16 ratings.
Do Pocket Planets or DIY Solar System have ads?
Pocket Planets shows ads; DIY Solar System does not.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Planets or DIY Solar System?
Pocket Planets ships an update every 3 weeks, and DIY Solar System every 2 months. Most recently, Pocket Planets was updated on September 8, 2026 and DIY Solar System on June 3, 2026.

Other comparisons