Planetaria vs Solar System Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Planetaria
Explore a dynamic 3D model of the Solar System, synchronizing with real-time data to show celestial bodies in orbit. Discover planets, dwarf planets, and moons with detailed surface models. Manipulate time to view past and future solar system configurations.
- Interactive 3D Solar System model
- Real-time celestial body positions
- Detailed 3D surface models
- Explore planets, dwarf planets, and moons
- Time manipulation (past/future)
- AR integration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Explore the celestial worlds of the Solar System with Planetaria, an interactive 3D simulator experience for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. This dynamic scale model of the Solar System synchronizes with real-time data to display the live positions of celestial bodies in their orbits, along with beautiful and detailed 3D models of their surfaces. On your journey through outer space, you can visit the Sun, the 8 planets, 5 dwarf planets, and over 20 major moons. Entire worlds await your discovery, each with their own individual features and environments. You can also fast-forward or rewind time, and see what the Solar System looks like at any time in the past or future. Photos and 3D models provided by NASA/JPL.
Solar System Viewer
Explore and simulate the orbits of planets in our solar system. This app allows you to speed up or slow down time, travel to any date, and view planetary positions. It also offers widgets for your home screen and Apple Watch complications.
- Simulate planetary orbits
- Adjust time speed
- Time travel to specific dates
- Home screen widgets
- Apple Watch integration
- View planet overviews
Read full descriptionHide full description
8Planets is a simple viewer and simulator for planetary orbits in our Solar System. 8Planets helps you discover how the planets aligned and move around over time so that you feel the scale of the Solar System or even the Universe. By giving you quick and easy access to the Solar System everywhere, 8Planets will make you feel that the Solar System is close to us. FEATURES ・Planetary Motion Speed up or slow down time to see how the planets rotate over time and grasp the scale of the Solar System. ・Time Travel Travel back or forward in time to view the Solar System or planetary positions on any given date. ・Widgets Widgets allow you to display the real-time Solar System on your Home Screen. ・Watch View the Solar System on your wrist and use Digital Crown to travel back or forward in time. ・Others Apple Watch Complications, Overview of the planets, Option to show Pluto, Sharing your favorite moment of the Solar System, URL Scheme, and more.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Planetaria at none against Solar System Viewer's 4. Planetaria also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). Solar System Viewer's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On ads, monetization model 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
Planetaria costs $4.99 and Solar System Viewer $2.99 up front. Solar System Viewer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Planetaria asks for nothing beyond the download.
Planetaria holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 28 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Planetaria's written reviews are positive against 83% of Solar System Viewer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Planetaria ships an update every 5 months, Solar System Viewer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Planetaria | Solar System Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (9 ratings) — better | 4.4 (28 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 28 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 510 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joseph Rupertus | BLUE COMET LABS LLC |
Customer experience
Planetaria
Solar System Viewer
In-app purchases
Planetaria
No in-app purchases
Solar System Viewer
- Io Tip$1.99
- Europa Tip$3.99
- Ganymede Tip$5.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Callisto Tip$9.99
Questions
Is Planetaria free?
Is Solar System Viewer free?
Which has better reviews, Planetaria or Solar System Viewer?
Do Planetaria or Solar System Viewer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Planetaria or Solar System Viewer?
Other comparisons















