Planets vs Current Altitude
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Planets
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.
- 3D solar system guide
- 2D sky view
- 3D planetarium sky view
- Planet visibility times
- Rotating 3D planet and moon globes
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3D guide to the solar system for aspiring astronomers Over 10 million downloads! • Sky 2D: locate planets with flat view of sky • Sky 3D: planetarium style view of the sky • Visibility: shows times when planets are visible • Globe: rotating 3D globe of planets and moon
Current Altitude
Track your current altitude and location with this GPS-powered utility. Save important spots, view coordinates in multiple formats, and easily share your position with others. Ideal for outdoor adventures and travel.
- GPS-powered location tracking
- Save and reference locations
- Multiple GPS format displays
- Share location and altitude
- Accurate altitude readings
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Your perfect companion for hiking, camping, climbing, flying, and everything else. - Powered by your device's GPS - Save your locations for future reference - Display your location in a variety of GPS formats - Share your location & altitude with friends Please make sure your device has a clear view of the sky for the most accurate reading.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Planets at none against Current Altitude's 1. Planets also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 14 months). Current Altitude's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (18K vs 981). On price 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. Current Altitude sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Planets asks for nothing beyond the download.
Current Altitude holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Current Altitude has 18K ratings behind it against 981, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Planets's written reviews are positive against 72% of Current Altitude'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, Current Altitude every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Planets | Current Altitude |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (981 ratings) | 4.8 (18K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.3% of reviews — better | 71.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 981 | 18K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 14 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Q Continuum | Hearn Apps, LLC |
Customer experience
Planets
Current Altitude
User reviews
Planets
From 981 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Amazing app
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🌟 Accurate and informative
- 🔭 Helpful for stargazing
- 🎓 Educational for kids and adults
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🧭 Compass/orientation issues
- 🌑 Inaccurate moon phase information
- 🌍 Location/GPS issues
- 🔍 Limited search/zoom functionality
Current Altitude
From 18K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate and responsive
- ⛰️ Useful for tracking elevation changes
- 📍 Provides GPS coordinates
- 🌍 Works well in remote areas
- 🔍 Helpful for outdoor activities
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent or inaccurate readings
- 📱 Issues with compatibility on certain devices
- 💰 Concerns about hidden charges
- 📢 Excessive advertisements
Bugs and requests
Planets
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
Current Altitude
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashing or not loading properly
- Elevation readings fluctuating wildly
- Incompatibility with newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Ability to save/export elevation data
- More customization options
- Improved accuracy and precision
In-app purchases
Planets
No in-app purchases
Current Altitude
- Ad Removal$4.99
Questions
Is Planets free?
Is Current Altitude free?
Which has better reviews, Planets or Current Altitude?
Do Planets or Current Altitude have ads?
Which is updated more often, Planets or Current Altitude?
Other comparisons
