Moon Globe vs xSky
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Moon Globe
Explore Earth's Moon in real-time 3D with realistic lighting and detailed terrain. Manipulate the view, switch to Telescope mode, and learn about lunar features and spacecraft. It also displays the Moon and Sun's position in the sky.
- Real-time 3D Moon rendering
- Realistic lighting and topography
- Multitouch manipulation
- Telescope mode for Earth-based view
- Adjustable display time for lighting shifts
- Labeled terrain and spacecraft
- Dynamic sky compass
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Hold the Moon in your hands. Moon Globe turns your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into a precision instrument for viewing Earth's Moon. Satellite imagery and topographic laser altimeter data are combined to render the Moon with realistic lighting in realtime 3D. Use the multitouch screen to manipulate the view. Spin above the surface, or switch to Telescope mode to see the Moon as it appears from your location on Earth. Adjust the display time and watch the sunlight shift over the lunar landscape. A "tag cloud" floats just above the surface, labeling terrain features and spacecraft; touch any label to find out more about that feature. Moon Globe also shows you where the Moon and Sun are in the sky with its dynamic sky compass. This sophisticated astronomy simulation is FREE so that you can learn about Earth's Moon and wow your friends with what your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad can do. For Moon Globe fans, Moon Globe HD is also available with twice the map resolution.
xSky
Explore the cosmos with a virtual telescope. Point your device at the sky to identify celestial bodies. Zoom in for detailed views and use a search function to locate specific objects.
- Virtual telescope functionality
- Identify Sun, Moon, Planets, Stars, Galaxies
- Zoom up to a million times
- Screen lock to stop motion
- Object search arrow
- Soft music and sound effects
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xSky is a simple to use virtual telescope app. Just look at the sky through your device. Lock the screen and zoom in to explore in more detail. Features: • Sun, Moon, Planets, Galilean Moons, Stars, Constellations and Galaxies. • Pinch the screen to zoom up to a million times. • Use lock button to stop motions. • Search arrow will help to locate any object in the sky. • Soft music and sound effects.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Moon Globe at 4.6 against xSky's 4.3. Moon Globe also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 79%) and ratings volume (563 vs 80). xSky's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Moon Globe holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Moon Globe has 563 ratings behind it against 80, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Moon Globe's written reviews are positive against 79% of xSky's.
Moon Globe ships an update every 6 months, xSky every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Moon Globe | xSky |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (563 ratings) — better | 4.3 (80 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.2% of reviews — better | 79.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 563 — better | 80 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Midnight Martian | Oleg Sur |
Customer experience
Moon Globe
xSky
User reviews
Moon Globe
From 563 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Detailed moon topography
- 🔍 Helpful for identifying lunar features
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔭 Useful for amateur astronomers
- 🌙 Realistic moon visualization
Room to improve
- 🔍 Limited zoom capability
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 📱 Small screen size limitations
- 💡 Lack of advanced features (e.g. 3D mode, landing site markers)
xSky
From 80 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🔭 Realistic space simulation
- ✨ Beautiful visuals and music
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 💡 Great for learning astronomy
- 💯 Highly accurate object identification
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashing issues
- 🧭 Location services not working
- 🔄 Inconsistent with reality (out of sync)
- 📱 Not optimized for all devices (e.g., iPhone 12)
- 🎛️ Hard to control
Bugs and requests
Moon Globe
Reported bugs
2 issues- Gear button crashes the app
- Inaccurate moon phase and position information
Requested features
4 requests- Add option to show spacecraft landing sites
- Improve zoom and detail level
- Implement red night mode for preserving night vision
- Provide more customization options (labels, views, etc.)
xSky
Reported bugs
9 issues- App keeps crashing
- Location services not working/picking a country
- App closes immediately upon opening
- App is glitchy and moves by itself
- Search button not working in horizontal position
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- App not working on iPhone 12
- App out of sync with reality
- Sun located incorrectly at noon
- Mercury in retrograde causing app to not open
Requested features
9 requests- Camera feature for high-quality photos
- Ability to turn down exposure for photos
- Facts read aloud about celestial objects
- Traditional constellation names (e.g., Virgo, Taurus)
- Show International Space Station or other satellites
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- Option to turn off constellation lines
- Improve search button size and usability
- Fix search button in horizontal mode
- More mythological graphics and information about stars
In-app purchases
Moon Globe
No in-app purchases
xSky
No in-app purchases
