Planetary Compass vs NAPA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Planetary Compass
Discover the location of planets in the night sky. This app helps you identify celestial bodies like Mars and Jupiter, indicating their position, altitude, and magnitude. It also informs you if a planet is visible without optical aid.
- Indicates Azimuth, Altitude, and Magnitude
- Helps locate planets by rotating phone
- Indicates naked-eye visibility
- Identifies planets like Mars and Jupiter
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Find out where the planets are in the sky with this simple app! What is that red spot in the sky? Is it Mars? Where is Jupiter? Is Saturn visible tonight? Answer these questions with Planetary Compass. Features: - It indicates the Azimuth, Altitude, and Magnitude of each planet. - It helps you find the planet in the sky while rotating your phone. - Tells you whether a planet is visible to the naked eye. ---------------------------------------- Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com Icons by Icons8
NAPA
Explore the night sky with this astronomy and planetarium app. Identify stars, constellations, and planets by pointing your device at the sky. Plan future observations by adjusting the time and date.
- Point and observe celestial objects
- Star map functionality
- Time adjustment for observation planning
- Simulate planet positions
- Locate specific celestial objects
- Real images of deep sky objects
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NAPA - Star Map NARIT Astronomy & Planetarium Application, or “NAPA” is an astronomy and planetarium app that will help guide you to the night sky. Identify those dots in the sky. Learn about stars, constellations, planets, and other deep sky objects by simply pointing your phone at the sky. Adjust the time and NAPA can be used as a star map to help plan your future observation. Familiarize yourself and learn more about the patterns that make up the night sky. Select and use NAPA to locate deep sky objects that you can locate with a binocular or small telescope. NAPA is made by professional and amateur astronomers, along with public outreach professionals with the aim to help bridge the gap, making astronomy accessible to everyone. This app is made free to use with the aim to assist schoolteachers and public outreach personnels with their engagement with the public. Unlock the pro version (coming soon) to access the full potential of this app. Turn your phone into powerful tools that can help you with your observation and stargazing events with features that will assist in your astronomical needs. NAPA features: • Point and observe: Display the celestial objects in the position of the sky that your smart device is pointing at. • Point and drag the screen to turn this app into a star map. • Adjust the time to plan your observations at any given date and time. • Simulate the positions of planets that you can see at any time. • Select constellations, planets, or deep sky objects of interest and locate its position in the sky. • Real images of deep sky objects
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NAPA at 4.7 against Planetary Compass's 1.8. NAPA also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Planetary Compass's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NAPA holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Planetary Compass's written reviews are positive against 75% of NAPA's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Planetary Compass ships an update every 6 days, NAPA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Planetary Compass | NAPA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (4 ratings) | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 287 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gaston Sobrevilla | National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Public Organization) |
Customer experience
Planetary Compass
NAPA
In-app purchases
Planetary Compass
No in-app purchases
NAPA
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Planetary Compass free?
Is NAPA free?
Which has better reviews, Planetary Compass or NAPA?
Do Planetary Compass or NAPA have ads?
Which is updated more often, Planetary Compass or NAPA?
Other comparisons
