iStellar vs AR_Compass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iStellar
Explore the cosmos with a realistic planetarium experience. View the night sky from any location and time, with detailed celestial bodies and dynamic simulations. Intuitive multi-touch controls make navigation effortless.
- Real-time starry sky simulation
- Adjustable location and time
- Detailed celestial object data
- Intuitive multi-touch controls
- Solar eclipse simulation
- Object search function
Read full descriptionHide full description
iStellar is a planetarium App that shows the starry sky seen from the place and time of your choice. It is optimized for Multi-Touch control, allowing you to operate intuitively; drag to move the star chart, pinch to zoom in and out, and so on. The star chart can be rotated from portrait to landscape, and you can even fix the location via GPS (only for iPhone 3G). FEATURES - Over 16,000 star data, with name for 254 stars - Twinkles like actual stars - Simulates distortion (atmospheric refraction and extinction) at low altitude - Displays the Sun, daylight, twilight, the Moon (with shape and phase), 8 planets, Pluto - Shows name, line and picture for all constellations - Milky Way with real tone - Plots Messier objects and their names - Comets with accurate position and magnitude. Data can be downloaded whenever available - Meteor Shower Radiants - Solar eclipse simulation with high accuracy - Adjustable moonlight and light polution - Landscape and azimuth / direction grid - Beautiful animation (real-time, adjusted time, reversal) - Simulates every second between 1 Jan 1900 to 31 Dec 2099 - Switches screen according to the device's orientation - Zoom by pinching(3 to 180 degrees) - Easy moving through the sky by dragging, and centering by double-tap - Object Search function - Free choice of location and time zone, instant setting with GPS
AR_Compass
Read full descriptionHide full description
This app intuitively shows the direction you're facing on your Apple Watch and helps you easily navigate toward your destination. When used in combination with Holostar (https://ho-lo.jp/lp-holostar/), it displays your current direction at the edge of your field of view, just like AR glasses or smart glasses, providing a more convenient and advanced AR navigation experience. If you have a specific destination in mind, simply press the “SET TARGET” button to set your current direction as the destination. The app will then display your current orientation along with the direction of your destination. Since it requires minimal input, you can skip the steps of setting detailed routes to your destination and use simple, easy-to-use navigation. Since it can be used exclusively with an Apple Watch (no complex setup required on an iPhone or iPad) and does not require complicated operations, this app is ideal for use with Holostar. Additionally, by not displaying detailed route information, the app can adapt more flexibly when the actual path you can take differs from the detailed navigation route—such as when affected by road construction or when passing through the interior of buildings, including underground areas. By switching the time display settings on your iPhone, you can navigate toward your destination while keeping track of travel time and arrival time, or simply move while focusing on the direction. *The app supports right-eye and left-eye display on Holostar based on your Apple Watch’s right-hand or left-hand wear settings. Set it to the right hand for right-eye use, and to the left hand for left-eye use. *You cannot experience AR without using Holostar. *With standard compass apps, due to display methods and Apple Watch orientation settings, you cannot achieve an AR navigation experience that directly aligns the displayed direction with your line of sight even when combined with Holostar.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: AR_Compass at Free against iStellar's $3.99. iStellar's advantage is iOS requirement (12.4 vs 17.6). On ads, 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
AR_Compass is free to download; iStellar costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | iStellar | AR_Compass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 49.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AstroArts Inc. | Hologram Co.,Ltd. |
In-app purchases
iStellar
No in-app purchases
AR_Compass
No in-app purchases





