Comparison

Mag Galaxy vs Smithsonian

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

Head to head
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.

About

Smithsonian

Explore the solar system with interactive games and animations. Learn fascinating facts about planets, moons, and the asteroid belt. Designed for curious young minds to introduce astronomy basics.

Highlights
  • Fascinating facts about the solar system
  • Mini games like Space Winter Rush
  • Interactive activities
  • Educational animations
  • Read to Me text
  • Collect planet badges
Features
Read full description

Join us on an exciting voyage through the solar system! Play, touch, read. and learn facts about the 8 planets in our solar system in this new app from The ©Smithsonian and PlayDate Digital. Designed for curious minds, this app features brilliantly illustrated animations which are sure to engage and entertain. Why is Mars called the Red Planet? Which is the brightest Planet? How many moons does Neptune have? What is the Asteroid Belt? Explore Planets, learn facts, and play games as you rocket through the solar system. Your space enthusiast will love learning all about the wonders of space and the universe. The mini games reinforce the learnings and interactive activities will keep kids engaged. Features: • Lots of fascinating facts about our solar system, its planets, and more! • Featuring mini games including Space Winter Rush, Comet Ceasefire, Solar System Sorting, Gas Planets and more! • Over 10 other interactive activities related to your space adventure. • Educational content and animations will entertain and engage while teaching simple astronomy basics. • ‘Read to Me’ text • Collect solar system and planet badges as you complete each level Planets and the Solar System from ©Smithsonian Kids is designed to deliver on these Learning Goals: • STEM: Introduce young learners to astronomy and science methods. • STEM: Expand young learners' curiosity and knowledge of the world around them. • Counting and Quantifying: Identify and organize groups of objects logically. • Visual Discrimination: Distinguish between different shapes, sizes, colors. • Visual Memory: Remembering and recalling visual information. • Color Recognition and Differentiation: Identifying and naming colors. • Shape Recognition and Classification: Identifying objects based on different shapes. ABOUT THE SMITHSONIAN The ©Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, dedicated to public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, ©Smithsonian sciences, and history. The name of the ©Smithsonian Institution and the sunburst logo are registered trademarks of the ©Smithsonian Institution. For more information, please visit www.si.edu ABOUT PLAYDATE DIGITAL PlayDate Digital Inc. is a publisher of high-quality, interactive, mobile educational software for children. PlayDate Digital's products nurture children's emerging literacy and creativity skills by turning digital screens into engaging experiences. PlayDate Digital content is built in partnership with some of the world's most trusted global brands for kids. Visit us: playdatedigital.com Like us: facebook.com/playdatedigital Follow us: @playdatedigital Watch all our app trailers: youtube.com/PlayDateDigital1 HAVE QUESTIONS? We'd love to hear from you! Your questions suggestions and comments are always welcome. Contact us 24/7 at info@playdatedigital.com

Screenshots

Mag Galaxy2 screens
Smithsonian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mag Galaxy at none against Smithsonian's 2. Smithsonian's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. Smithsonian sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Mag Galaxy asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mag Galaxy ships an update every 8 months, Smithsonian every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 6 level
Mag Galaxy versus Smithsonian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMag GalaxySmithsonian
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.113.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB285 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperClaude DuplessisPlayDate Digital

In-app purchases

None

Mag Galaxy

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Smithsonian

One-time2
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • Buy 5 Planets$2.99

Questions

Is Mag Galaxy free?
Mag Galaxy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smithsonian free?
Smithsonian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mag Galaxy or Smithsonian have ads?
Neither Mag Galaxy nor Smithsonian shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mag Galaxy or Smithsonian?
Mag Galaxy ships an update every 8 months, and Smithsonian every 3 months. Most recently, Mag Galaxy was updated on October 8, 2026 and Smithsonian on October 9, 2026.

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