Exoplanet vs Planetarium 3D
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Exoplanet
Explore a vast, interactive database of discovered exoplanets and their host stars. Visualize their physical properties, locations in the night sky, and orbital paths. Discover the observable universe from Earth to the cosmic microwave background with stunning 3D models and augmented reality features.
- Interactive visualizations and animations
- Daily updated exoplanet and host star properties
- 3D Milky Way model with exoplanet locations
- Augmented reality sky map
- Exoplanet orbit and habitable zone visualizations
- Data from multiple exoplanet catalogs
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Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars beyond our own solar system. This app allows you to explore all discovered exoplanets, their measured physical properties, their location in the night sky, and their host stars. An interactive model shows you the entire observable universe, all the way from the surface of the Earth to the cosmic microwave background. This app has been developed by a professional astronomer. Main features: * Interactive visualizations and animations. * Physical properties of all detected exoplanets and their host stars, updated on a daily basis. * Stunning 3D model of our Milky Way showing the location of all known exoplanets. You can zoom into any planetary system, explore how the night sky and the constellations look from the surface of other planets, or zoom out and see other local galaxies and galaxy clusters as well as the cosmic microwave background. * Visualizations of exoplanet orbits and the habitable zone. * Choose between the Open Exoplanet Catalogue, the NASA Exoplanet Archive, and the Extrasolar Planet Encyclopedia (exoplanet.eu). * Push notifications are sent out whenever a new planet is discovered. * Augmented reality sky map: point the phone towards the sky to find an exoplanet! * Interactive multi-touch correlation plots. * Solar System planets, major moons, and asteroids are included. * Explore S-Stars orbiting the black hole at the Galactic Center of our Milky Way * Background information about exoplanets and detection methods. * Full support of planets in binary, triple, quadruple systems and orphan planets. * Real-time ray tracing on the GPU.
Planetarium 3D
Explore the solar system in an interactive 3D environment. Travel to planets, moons, dwarf planets, and asteroids, with detailed facts and stunning visuals. Launch cinematic tours and capture your favorite views.
- Interactive 3D solar system model
- Instant travel to planets and moons
- Explore dwarf planets and asteroids
- Cinematic tours with various perspectives
- Capture and share space views
- Real science-inspired facts and data
- Supports multiple Apple devices
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Planetarium 3D turns the solar system into a place you can actually move through. Spin the system with your fingers, zoom in, tap a world, and launch across space to meet it. Drift past Saturn's rings, drop in on Jupiter's moons, or head far beyond Pluto to explore dwarf planets and distant icy worlds. Choose how you want to travel: - Tap any planet to fly there instantly - Visit moons directly and open fact cards along the way - Explore dwarf planets and named asteroids beyond the main planetary lineup - Launch cinematic tours with different flight styles and perspectives - Capture and share your favorite views This version lets you explore more than the classic solar system view. Alongside the 9 planets and 23 moons (now with Mimas, Iapetus, Miranda), you can now travel to worlds like Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, Haumea, Makemake, Eris, Sedna and Quaoar. Built for curiosity, not complexity: - Beautiful 3D planets, rings, lighting and atmosphere effects - Real science-inspired facts and orbital data - Simple touch controls with quick onboarding - Supports iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV - Available in 19 languages No account. No setup. Just open the app and start flying.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Exoplanet at Free against Planetarium 3D's $1.99. Exoplanet also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 50%) and ratings volume (978 vs 1). Planetarium 3D's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On ads 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
Exoplanet is free to download; Planetarium 3D costs $1.99 up front. Exoplanet sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Planetarium 3D asks for nothing beyond the download.
Planetarium 3D holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Exoplanet has 978 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of Exoplanet's written reviews are positive against 50% of Planetarium 3D's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Exoplanet ships an update every 2 weeks, Planetarium 3D every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Exoplanet | Planetarium 3D |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (978 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.9% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 978 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 105 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hanno Rein | Solueman Hussain |
Customer experience
Exoplanet
Planetarium 3D
Bugs and requests
Exoplanet
Reported bugs
2 issues- Upgrade purchase issues with Galaxy Clusters and CMB add-on
- Kepler objects of interest disappearing when switching databases
Requested features
9 requests- Add more detailed textures and visuals for exoplanets
- Ability to view multiple databases simultaneously
- Option to see planet surfaces and atmospheres
- Inclusion of dwarf planets in our solar system
- Ability to zoom in on and explore other galaxies
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- Addition of black holes, pulsars, and other celestial objects
- Inclusion of satellite and spacecraft orbits
- Narration or audio commentary for key discoveries
- Ability to view the universe from the surface of planets
Planetarium 3D
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Exoplanet
- Galaxy Clusters and CMB$0.99
- Asteroids$0.99
- Gaia Stars$0.99
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- S-Stars$0.99
- Catalogues$0.99
- Developer Appreciation Coffee$1.99
- Kepler Add-on$2.99
Planetarium 3D
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Exoplanet free?
Is Planetarium 3D free?
Which has better reviews, Exoplanet or Planetarium 3D?
Do Exoplanet or Planetarium 3D have ads?
Which is updated more often, Exoplanet or Planetarium 3D?
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