Comparison

DIY Solar System vs ASTC

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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+.

About

ASTC

Enhance your conference experience by accessing schedules, speaker details, and exhibitor information. Take notes directly on presentation slides in real-time and share insights with attendees via in-app messaging, tweeting, or email.

Highlights
  • View conference schedule
  • Access speaker and exhibitor details
  • Take real-time notes on slides
  • Draw directly on presentation slides
  • In-app messaging with attendees
  • Share information via tweet/email
Features
Read full description

The ASTC Events mobile application allows you to view the schedule, presentations, exhibitors, and speaker details from the conference. Users can take notes adjacent to the presentation slides real time during presentations and draw and highly directly on the slides inside the app. Note-taking is also available in the posters and exhibitors pages as well. Additionally, users can share information with attendees and colleagues with the in app messaging feature, tweeting, and emailing.

Screenshots

DIY Solar System4 screens
ASTC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: DIY Solar System at 100% against ASTC's 0%. DIY Solar System also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.5). ASTC's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ASTC holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 30 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of DIY Solar System's written reviews are positive against 0% of ASTC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DIY Solar System ships an update every 2 months, ASTC every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on June 3, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
DIY Solar System versus ASTC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDIY Solar SystemASTC
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (16 ratings)4.7 (30 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1630 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size180 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Lawrence Hall of ScienceASSOCIATION OF SCIENCE-TECHNOLOGY CENTERS, INC.

Customer experience

DIY Solar System

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ASTC

All ratings30 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

DIY Solar System

No in-app purchases

None

ASTC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DIY Solar System free?
DIY Solar System is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ASTC free?
ASTC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DIY Solar System or ASTC?
ASTC is rated higher. DIY Solar System averages 4.5 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while ASTC averages 4.7 from 30 ratings.
Do DIY Solar System or ASTC have ads?
Neither DIY Solar System nor ASTC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DIY Solar System or ASTC?
DIY Solar System ships an update every 2 months, and ASTC every 12 months. Most recently, DIY Solar System was updated on June 3, 2026 and ASTC on September 11, 2026.

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