Comparison

Celestia vs 3

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

Head to head
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/

About

3

Explore the wonders of gravity with this 2D N-body simulator. Experiment with celestial mechanics, create mesmerizing patterns, and customize your simulations. It's a fun and educational playground for anyone curious about physics.

Highlights
  • Simulate gravity interactions
  • Explore preset configurations
  • Customize body size, color, and trails
  • Educational and fun physics experiments
  • Create mesmerizing visual patterns
Features
Read full description

Explore the Wonders of Gravity with 3-Body - A 2D N-Body Simulator! Dive into the fascinating world of physics with 3-Body, a unique 2D N-body simulator inspired by the famous “3-Body Problem” in physics (also the book series and now Netflix show). Whether you’re a science enthusiast, a fan of celestial mechanics, or just looking for something cool to play with, 3-Body offers a fun and educational experience. Key Features: • Simulate Gravity: Watch as bodies with mass interact with each other, forming complex and mesmerizing patterns as they move under the influence of gravity. • Preset Configurations: Explore stable configurations such as the figure-eight orbit of three bodies, a circular orbit of three masses, or a large body orbited by smaller ones. • Customization: Unleash your creativity by customizing the size, color, and trails of the bodies you create. Tailor each simulation to your liking and see how it affects the system. • Educational & Fun: While the app is primarily informational, it’s also incredibly fun to experiment with. Whether you’re learning about gravitational physics or just enjoying the visual spectacle, 3-Body has something for everyone. Why 3-Body? 3-Body isn’t just a tool—it’s a playground for your imagination. With no specific goal other than to explore, discover, and enjoy, this app brings the wonders of gravity to your fingertips. Whether you’re a student, a teacher, or just someone curious about the universe, 3-Body is sure to captivate and entertain you. Download 3-Body today and embark on your journey through the cosmos!

Screenshots

Celestia4 screens
34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: 3 at 5.0 against Celestia's 4.4. 3 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Celestia's advantage is ratings volume (338 vs 3). On price, update cadence, 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. 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

3 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Celestia has 338 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Celestia's written reviews are positive against 100% of 3's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Celestia ships an update fortnightly, 3 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Celestia versus 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCelestia3
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (338 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings338 — better3
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size550 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer林峰 李Cubic Insights LLC

Customer experience

Celestia

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

3

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and 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

3

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

3

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Celestia free?
Celestia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 3 free?
3 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Celestia or 3?
3 is rated higher. Celestia averages 4.4 out of 5 from 338 ratings, while 3 averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Celestia or 3 have ads?
Neither Celestia nor 3 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Celestia or 3?
Celestia ships an update fortnightly, and 3 monthly. Most recently, Celestia was updated on October 27, 2026 and 3 on October 22, 2026.

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