# Planets vs Planetary Compass

The clearest difference is rating: Planets at 4.5 against Planetary Compass's 1.8. Planets also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (969 vs 4). Planetary Compass's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 90%). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Planets holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planets has 969 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Planets's written reviews are positive against 100% of Planetary Compass's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Planets ships an update every 4 months, Planetary Compass every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Planets | Planetary Compass |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (969 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planets/id305793334/reviews)** | [1.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetary-compass/id1665242068/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **969** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 90.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 15 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Q Continuum](https://appshunter.io/developer/305793337) | [Gaston Sobrevilla](https://appshunter.io/developer/1580321667) |

## What reviewers say

### Planets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planets/id305793334)

Explore the solar system with a 3D guide. Discover planets, moons, and celestial events with interactive sky views and visibility information. Perfect for budding astronomers.

**Highlights:** 3D solar system guide, 2D sky view, 3D planetarium sky view, Planet visibility times, Rotating 3D planet and moon globes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Amazing app
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🌟 Accurate and informative
- 🔭 Helpful for stargazing
- 🎓 Educational for kids and adults

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🧭 Compass/orientation issues
- 🌑 Inaccurate moon phase information
- 🌍 Location/GPS issues
- 🔍 Limited search/zoom functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Moon phase information not accurate
- Compass/orientation not working correctly
- App crashes on certain devices or iOS versions
- Location/GPS not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- Add Pluto and other dwarf planets
- Include more detailed information on stars and constellations
- Provide notifications for celestial events
- Improve search and zoom capabilities
- Add night mode for better visibility in the dark


### Planetary Compass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetary-compass/id1665242068)

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.

**Highlights:** Indicates Azimuth, Altitude, and Magnitude, Helps locate planets by rotating phone, Indicates naked-eye visibility, Identifies planets like Mars and Jupiter

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Planets free?

Planets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Planetary Compass free?

Planetary Compass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Planets or Planetary Compass?

Planets is rated higher. Planets averages 4.5 out of 5 from 969 ratings, while Planetary Compass averages 1.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do Planets or Planetary Compass have ads?

Planetary Compass shows ads; Planets does not.

### Which is updated more often, Planets or Planetary Compass?

Planets ships an update every 4 months, and Planetary Compass every 6 days. Most recently, Planets was updated on October 13, 2026 and Planetary Compass on September 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*