# Celestia vs Conway's Life Lab

Celestia and Conway's Life Lab are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. Celestia sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Conway's Life Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Celestia ships an update fortnightly, Conway's Life Lab every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Celestia | Conway's Life Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (338 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celestia-space-simulator/id1500434829/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **338** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 550 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [林峰 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1186547508) | [Sub Rosa Industries](https://appshunter.io/developer/6789998892) |

## What reviewers say

### Celestia

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celestia-space-simulator/id1500434829)

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:** Game Controller support, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Celestia PLUS (Weekly) | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Celestia PLUS (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Celestia PLUS (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Celestia PLUS (Lifetime) | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Realistic space simulation
- 🌌 Ability to explore galaxies and star systems
- 🔍 Detailed planet and moon textures
- 📷 Great for taking screenshots
- 🤖 Reminds users of Space Engine

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches
- 🌌 Limited exploration beyond Milky Way and Andromeda
- 🌍 Flat terrain on planets
- 🔍 Lack of detail on some celestial objects
- 🔒 Paywall for some features

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Conway's Life Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/conways-life-lab/id6800394805)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI Pattern Generation | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Celestia free?

Celestia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Conway's Life Lab free?

Conway's Life Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Celestia or Conway's Life Lab have ads?

Neither Celestia nor Conway's Life Lab shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Celestia or Conway's Life Lab?

Celestia ships an update fortnightly, and Conway's Life Lab every 10 days. Most recently, Celestia was updated on October 27, 2026 and Conway's Life Lab on October 7, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*