Comparison

iStellar vs AR_Compass

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time starry sky simulation
  • Adjustable location and time
  • Detailed celestial object data
  • Intuitive multi-touch controls
  • Solar eclipse simulation
  • Object search function
Features
Read 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

About

AR_Compass

Features
Read 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

iStellar4 screens
AR_Compass2 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
iStellar versus AR_Compass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriStellarAR_Compass
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews49.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.4 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAstroArts Inc.Hologram Co.,Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

iStellar

No in-app purchases

None

AR_Compass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iStellar free?
iStellar costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AR_Compass free?
AR_Compass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do iStellar or AR_Compass have ads?
Neither iStellar nor AR_Compass shows ads.

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