Comparison

StarMap 3D vs Distant Suns 5

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

Distant Suns 5

Explore the cosmos with a realistic and user-friendly astronomy app. Discover constellations, planets, and celestial events with detailed information and stunning visuals. Perfect for both casual stargazers and serious astronomers.

Highlights
  • Realistic night sky display
  • View from Earth or solar system
  • Over 18 million stars
  • Integrated NASA space events
  • Stories behind constellations
  • Night vision color mode
  • Hubble Space Telescope images
Features
Read full description

Distant Suns: The night sky, reimagined. 2013 finalist in the Family category of TabTimes' best tablet app contest; "I am putting together some mobile astronomy apps for our local "Sky's the Limit" Observatory in Twentynine Palms, CA. I have been searching for something as good as, or better than, Distant Suns. Short answer: I have not found it yet. ...nothing portrays the night sky as well as Distant Suns. Distant Suns has been your personal guide to the cosmos since 1985. First on the desktop, now right in your hands. While others play games, you can travel to the stars. Award-winning Distant Suns has the reputation of both having one of the most realistic displays of the night sky, while being one of the easiest to use astronomy apps for casual sky watchers as well as serious astronomers. •Named in the "100 Essential Apps" by iLounge •Featured on NPR's MarketPlace Features include: •No Internet required. Just a sense of wonder. •View from the Earth or out in the solar system •Simply aim and gaze. •Over 18 million pinpoint stars scintillating like diamond dust in the palm of your hand (18 mil? Yup.) •Integrated with NASA's Night Sky Network space events in your area (US only at present) •What's Up? Gives a quick one snapshot overview of the evening's sky •Realistic ghostly band of the Milky Way •Stories behind each constellation •Viewpoint Lock keeps any object centered •Current weather patterns on the earth, updated daily •Change the look of the stars •Galaxies, nebula and star clusters •Hubble Space Telescope images •All 8 planets (or 9 for you purists) •GPS aware •Special color mode preserves your night vision. •Touch the sky to reveal hidden data for each object •Planetary data and information First Light is a proud member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers with family-friendly apps. Twitter: @distantsuns Support: www.distantsuns.com

Screenshots

StarMap 3D4 screens
Distant Suns 54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: StarMap 3D at 4.8 against Distant Suns 5's 4.3. StarMap 3D also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 97). On ads, 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

StarMap 3D costs $1.99 and Distant Suns 5 $2.99 up front. StarMap 3D sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Distant Suns 5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: StarMap 3D has 1.4K ratings behind it against 97, 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 77% of Distant Suns 5's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StarMap 3D ships an update every 6 weeks, Distant Suns 5 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
StarMap 3D versus Distant Suns 5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarMap 3DDistant Suns 5
Price$1.99 — better$2.99
Rating4.8 (1.4K ratings) — better4.3 (97 ratings)
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews — better76.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1.4K — better97
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB815 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSanville SoftwareMike Smithwick

Customer experience

StarMap 3D

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

Distant Suns 5

All ratings97 ratings
Positive79.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews337 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral5.0%
Negative18.1%

User reviews

StarMap 3D

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate mapping of stars and planets
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 💡 Useful for learning about the night sky
  • 🌟 Provides a great stargazing experience
  • 🔭 Helpful for amateur astronomers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional inaccuracies in mapping
  • 🧭 Compass/directional issues
  • 🌌 Limited information on deep sky objects
  • 🕰️ Time slider could be more intuitive

Distant Suns 5

From 97 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Excellent astronomy app
  • 🔭 Comprehensive features for stargazing
  • 🌍 Helpful for learning about the night sky
  • 🔍 Useful for planning observing sessions
  • 🌌 Stunning visuals and graphics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs in recent updates
  • 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive interface changes
  • 📱 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding and selecting objects
  • 🔍 Missing or inaccurate information

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

Distant Suns 5

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when accessing preferences
  • Inability to sync with iCloud
  • Unresponsive or freezing app
  • Incorrect or outdated information displayed
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more detailed information on celestial objects
  • Improve compass and tracking functionality
  • Provide better support for astrophotography
  • Introduce a dark mode for night viewing
  • Add more customization options for the user interface

In-app purchases

3 purchases

StarMap 3D

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

Distant Suns 5

One-time1
  • Hubble Guide Star Catalog$0.99

Questions

Is StarMap 3D free?
StarMap 3D costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Distant Suns 5 free?
Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, StarMap 3D or Distant Suns 5?
StarMap 3D is rated higher. StarMap 3D averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Distant Suns 5 averages 4.3 from 97 ratings.
Do StarMap 3D or Distant Suns 5 have ads?
Neither StarMap 3D nor Distant Suns 5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StarMap 3D or Distant Suns 5?
StarMap 3D ships an update every 6 weeks, and Distant Suns 5 every 5 months. Most recently, StarMap 3D was updated on October 23, 2026 and Distant Suns 5 on October 22, 2026.

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