# Planetaria vs Solar System Viewer

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Planetaria | Solar System Viewer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **$2.99** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetaria-space-simulator/id1546887479/reviews)** | [4.4 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-system-viewer-8planets/id1554639445/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **28** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 510 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joseph Rupertus](https://appshunter.io/developer/1610637143) | [BLUE COMET LABS LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1492055170) |

## What reviewers say

### Planetaria

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetaria-space-simulator/id1546887479)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Solar System Viewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-system-viewer-8planets/id1554639445)

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.

**Highlights:** Simulate planetary orbits, Adjust time speed, Time travel to specific dates, Home screen widgets, Apple Watch integration, View planet overviews

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Io Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Europa Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ganymede Tip | $5.99 | one-time |
| Callisto Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Planetaria free?

Planetaria costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Solar System Viewer free?

Solar System Viewer costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Planetaria or Solar System Viewer?

Planetaria is rated higher. Planetaria averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Solar System Viewer averages 4.4 from 28 ratings.

### Do Planetaria or Solar System Viewer have ads?

Neither Planetaria nor Solar System Viewer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Planetaria or Solar System Viewer?

Planetaria ships an update every 5 months, and Solar System Viewer every 2 months. Most recently, Planetaria was updated on October 20, 2026 and Solar System Viewer on October 18, 2026.

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