Comparison

Celestia vs HCP

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

HCP

Features
Read full description

O HCP Model (Heru Cell Proliferation) é um simulador científico interativo baseado no modelo matemático desenvolvido pelo Prof. Dr. Carlos França, publicado pela Springer e apresentado na ICTIS 2025 (Cornell University). O aplicativo transforma um artigo científico em uma experiência acessível: basta escolher o dia e o horário, clicar em “Modelar” e observar a projeção de crescimento celular ao longo do tempo. Com base em equações de proliferação biológica, o HCP calcula variações dinâmicas e exibe curvas de crescimento precisas, tornando-se uma ferramenta ideal para estudantes, professores e pesquisadores que desejam visualizar conceitos de biologia computacional, biotecnologia e modelagem matemática. O app funciona de forma idêntica em iPhone e iPad, oferecendo uma interface limpa, responsiva e bilíngue (Português /English). Nenhum dado é coletado — todo o cálculo é processado localmente no dispositivo, garantindo precisão, privacidade e velocidade. Principais recursos • Simulação em tempo real de proliferação celular baseada no HCP Model • Alternância instantânea entre português e inglês • Resultados numéricos e gráficos interpretáveis • Aplicabilidade acadêmica, educacional e de pesquisa • Interface visual clara e intuitiva inspirada no design Apple Base científica O modelo HCP foi testado e validado durante o desenvolvimento do Paper 1 da série SRMs & GenAIs, com mais de 2 000 visualizações e downloads no Zenodo (CERN). O aplicativo representa a transição entre teoria e prática, levando à palma da mão uma ferramenta de simulação antes restrita a ambientes de laboratório. ENGLISH VERSION Heru Technologies Cell Proliferation – HCP is a scientific and educational simulator derived from the mathematical model created by Prof. Dr. Carlos França, officially published by Springer and presented at ICTIS 2025 (Cornell University). Users simply choose a day and time, tap “Model”, and the app computes and visualizes the cell-growth dynamics in real time. Built on verified biological equations, the HCP Model enables precise, intuitive, and bilingual simulations for students, educators, and researchers exploring computational biology and bio-mathematics. Runs natively on iPhone and iPad, fully offline, with a minimalistic Apple-style interface. No internet or data collection required — all computations occur locally, ensuring speed, accuracy, and privacy. Key features • Real-time modeling based on the validated HCP Model • Bilingual interface (Portuguese / English) • Educational, research, and scientific visualization tool • Clean and responsive Apple-inspired design Scientific origin: Derived from the Springer-published research cited in the SRMs & GenAIs framework, with over 2 000 views and downloads on Zenodo, this app bridges academic discovery and digital innovation — a living scientific paper in motion.

Screenshots

Celestia4 screens
HCP4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HCP at none against Celestia's 4. HCP also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). 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. HCP asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Celestia versus HCP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCelestiaHCP
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (339 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings339 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size550 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer林峰 李Carlos Franca

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

HCP

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

HCP

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Celestia free?
Celestia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HCP free?
HCP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Celestia or HCP have ads?
Neither Celestia nor HCP shows ads.

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