Comparison

StarMap 3D vs Starry Map

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

Head to head
About

StarMap 3D

Explore the night sky with this astronomy guide. It uses your device's sensors to identify planets, constellations, and deep sky objects in real-time. Discover detailed information about celestial bodies and visualize the universe in 3D.

Highlights
  • Real-time celestial object identification
  • Augmented reality night sky view
  • Detailed information on stars and deep sky objects
  • Constellation artwork and line options
  • Location-based celestial mapping
  • 3D universe visualization
Features
Read full description

Use your iPhone's compass and gyroscope to find planets, constellations, and more with crisp, colorful, high-definition Retina graphics that use every pixel of your iPhone! Hold the universe in your pocket! • Try StarMap 3D Plus for iPad support, more stars, thousands of Deep Sky Objects, and original constellation artwork. StarMap 3D is the portable star atlas for beginners or advanced astronomers. Use StarMap 3D to find the planets, stars, constellations, star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae visible to you based on your location and time. StarMap 3D will even use the compass to automatically align the map! • Retina Display Compatibility • Over 15,000 stars, with detailed information for each of them • 303 deep sky objects, with details such as distance from Earth, diameter, apparent size and orientation, and morphology • All 88 modern constellations, with lines based on the outlines from "The Stars: A New Way to See Them" by H.A. Rey • MacRobert and Classic constellation lines also available • Location-based-services (LBS) / Global Positioning System (GPS) support, or manually enter your longitude and latitude • Adjustable date and time of day • Also adjust time instantaneously and interactively with the Time Scroll feature • Compass support, if present • Planetarium Mode for seeing only objects visible to you, or browse the entire celestial sphere • 3D Mode for visualizing the universe in three dimensions

About

Starry Map

Identify stars, constellations, and satellites by pointing your phone at the night sky. Augmented reality overlays display celestial names in real-time. Receive notifications for upcoming satellite passes and meteor showers.

Highlights
  • AR celestial identification
  • Constellation and star catalog
  • Satellite tracking and alerts
  • Meteor shower notifications
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Point your smartphone at the night sky to instantly identify constellations, stars, and satellites. AR overlays show celestial names on the live camera view, and you can swipe to explore any direction. Get alerts for visible ISS passes and meteor showers. Includes: ・88 constellations (with Hevelius illustrations) ・Solar system planets, dwarf planets, asteroids ・Stars up to magnitude 12 ・About 100 Messier objects (nebulae and clusters) ・Over 10,000 satellites ・More than 300 comets ・Meteor showers and asterisms (Summer/Winter Triangle, Big Dipper, etc.) ・Satellite pass alerts (ISS, Hubble) ・Meteor shower peak notifications Works offline (satellite data won't update). Terms of Service https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

StarMap 3D4 screens
Starry Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Starry Map at Free against StarMap 3D's $1.99. Starry Map also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). StarMap 3D's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (89% vs 62%). On in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Starry Map is free to download; StarMap 3D costs $1.99 up front. StarMap 3D sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Starry Map sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

StarMap 3D holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: StarMap 3D has 1.4K ratings behind it against 246, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of StarMap 3D's written reviews are positive against 62% of Starry Map's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StarMap 3D ships an update every 6 weeks, Starry Map every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
StarMap 3D versus Starry Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarMap 3DStarry Map
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (1.4K ratings) — better4.5 (246 ratings)
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews — better62.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1.4K — better246
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSanville Softwareにゃんこソフトウェア

Customer experience

StarMap 3D

All ratings1,369 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews274 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral2.2%
Negative9.1%

Starry Map

All ratings246 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive62.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative31.2%

Bugs and requests

StarMap 3D

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Calendar integration issues
  • Incorrect positioning of celestial bodies

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved 3D mode and controls
  • More detailed information on planets, stars, and galaxies
  • Alerts for upcoming astronomical events
  • Option to search for specific celestial objects

Starry Map

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

StarMap 3D

One-time3
  • Constellation Artwork$0.99
  • More Stars$0.99
  • More Stars$1.99
5 purchases

Starry Map

Subscriptions4
  • Unlock Features2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Unlock Features7 Days trial2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Unlock Features$3.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Unlock Features7 Days trial$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock Features (Lifetime)$9.99

Questions

Is StarMap 3D free?
StarMap 3D costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Starry Map free?
Starry Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, StarMap 3D or Starry Map?
StarMap 3D is rated higher. StarMap 3D averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Starry Map averages 4.5 from 246 ratings.
Do StarMap 3D or Starry Map have ads?
Starry Map shows ads; StarMap 3D does not.
Which is updated more often, StarMap 3D or Starry Map?
StarMap 3D ships an update every 6 weeks, and Starry Map every 2 weeks. Most recently, StarMap 3D was updated on September 22, 2026 and Starry Map on September 19, 2026.

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