Planet Fun vs DIY Solar System
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Planet Fun
Explore a 4D solar system simulation with accurate astronomical calculations for planets, moons, and stars. Interact with the celestial bodies using touch gestures, set any date and time, and even view your GPS position in augmented reality.
- 4D solar system simulation
- Configurable animation speed
- Augmented reality mode
- Almanac module with ephemeris calculators
- Touch gesture controls
- Star and constellation visualization
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PlanetFun is a 4D solar system simulation (3D + time) Sun, planets, Moon and star positions are calculated using various astronomical methods. App source code (Delphi Firemonkey) is available at: https://github.com/omarreis/vsop2013 PlanetFun features: * Solar system animation with configurable speed * Set any local date and time * Choose camera target (Sun, planets, etc) * Configurable camera distance-to-target * Touch gestures: one finger pan, two finger zoom, two finger rotation * show planet orbits. Each orbit is represented by 52 dots (for Earth it is one dot per week) * Heliocentric axis (x and z) * VSOP2013 and VSOP87 planet position calculations * Moon positions calculations ELP2000 * Star background image with 42455 stars of the Hipparcos Input Catalogue * Star and constellation lines and names ( a celestial sphere image ) * Constellation drawings ( 31 constellations ) * actual 3D spheres for the 150 brightest stars * Lighthouse on Earth on your GPS position * phone in the scene is positioned according to phone sensors (Azimuth,Elevation,Roll) * click the phone button to enter augmented reality mode. * Almanac module allows exploring the ephemeris calculators (stars, planets, Sun, Moon, Earth) controls: * camera distance and angle of view. * planet scales * local time, time animation speed * control visibility of various interface elements * app uses sensors compass, gyro and GPS - requires permission This app collects no user data.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Planet Fun at 4.8 against DIY Solar System's 4.5. Planet Fun also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Planet Fun holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 16 respectively.
Planet Fun ships an update every 4 weeks, DIY Solar System every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Planet Fun | DIY Solar System |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (8 ratings) — better | 4.5 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 16 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 161 MB | 180 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Omar reis | The Lawrence Hall of Science |
Customer experience
Planet Fun
DIY Solar System
In-app purchases
Planet Fun
No in-app purchases
DIY Solar System
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Planet Fun free?
Is DIY Solar System free?
Which has better reviews, Planet Fun or DIY Solar System?
Do Planet Fun or DIY Solar System have ads?
Which is updated more often, Planet Fun or DIY Solar System?
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