Comparison

Solar System Viewer vs Mag Galaxy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Simulate planetary orbits
  • Adjust time speed
  • Time travel to specific dates
  • Home screen widgets
  • Apple Watch integration
  • View planet overviews
Features
Read 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.

About

Mag Galaxy

Features
Read full description

The observation of galaxies with a telescope offers a level of difficulty in knowing their brilliance in the sky. The visual magnitude gives the brightness information as if the galaxy were a star in the sky. The surface magnitude distributes this brightness over the entire surface of the galaxy, offering a clue to the level of difficulty of its observation. Mag Galaxy transforms visual magnitude into areal magnitude for your galaxy observations.

Screenshots

Solar System Viewer3 screens
Mag Galaxy2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mag Galaxy at Free against Solar System Viewer's $2.99. Mag Galaxy also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.1 vs 26.0). Solar System Viewer's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). On 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

Mag Galaxy is free to download; Solar System Viewer costs $2.99 up front. Solar System Viewer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Mag Galaxy asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solar System Viewer ships an update every 2 months, Mag Galaxy every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Solar System Viewer versus Mag Galaxy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar System ViewerMag Galaxy
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (28 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings28 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.013.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB3 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBLUE COMET LABS LLCClaude Duplessis

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Solar System Viewer

One-time4
  • Io Tip$1.99
  • Europa Tip$3.99
  • Ganymede Tip$5.99
Show 1 more
  • Callisto Tip$9.99
None

Mag Galaxy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar System Viewer free?
Solar System Viewer costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Mag Galaxy free?
Mag Galaxy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Solar System Viewer or Mag Galaxy have ads?
Neither Solar System Viewer nor Mag Galaxy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solar System Viewer or Mag Galaxy?
Solar System Viewer ships an update every 2 months, and Mag Galaxy every 8 months. Most recently, Solar System Viewer was updated on October 29, 2026 and Mag Galaxy on October 27, 2026.

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