NASA vs Stellarium Mobile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NASA
Explore the universe with access to live and on-demand NASA+ videos, a vast collection of stunning images, and the latest mission news. Discover interactive augmented reality experiences and track the International Space Station's path.
- NASA+ video streaming
- 21,000+ NASA images
- Latest NASA news
- Mission updates
- Podcasts
- ISS tracking and Sky View
- Augmented reality experiences
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The redesigned NASA App unlocks access to the new NASA+ video streaming service, plus all the latest NASA images, news, mission information, podcasts, and interactive augmented reality experiences to explore -- putting the universe at your fingertips! With the NASA App, you'll be able to: • Explore with unlimited access to NASA+, featuring all of NASA's official live coverage and original on-demand video series. No subscription required. • Easily view over 21,000 of the latest NASA images • Rate images and explore all of the highest rated ones • Read all the latest NASA news and feature articles • Get the latest updates on Artemis, the James Webb Space Telescope, and other exciting NASA missions. • Listen to our podcasts featuring astronauts and experts who take you on a tour of the galaxy without ever leaving Earth. • Set an alert for when the International Space Station will fly over your location and use the Sky View feature to help you locate the station during the visible pass • Experience our rovers and rockets up close and personal with augmented reality. • And so much more! Download the updated NASA App now!
Stellarium Mobile
Explore the night sky with a real-time planetarium. Identify stars, planets, constellations, and satellites by simply pointing your phone. Offers detailed astronomical data and cultural constellation interpretations.
- Real-time sky simulation
- Identify stars, planets, satellites
- Constellation shapes and illustrations
- Deep sky object catalog
- Night mode for eye comfort
- Telescope control (Plus)
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Stellarium Mobile is a planetarium app that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. Identify stars, constellations, planets, comets, satellites (such as the ISS), and other deep sky objects in real time in the sky above you in just a few seconds, just by pointing the phone at the sky! This astronomy application has an easy to use and minimalist user interface, that makes it one of the best astronomical applications for adults and children who want to explore the night sky. Stellarium Mobile features: • View an accurate night sky simulation of stars and planets for any date, time and location. • Dive in a collection of many stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects. • Zoom on realistic Milky Way and Deep Sky Objects images. • Discover how people living in other regions of the planet see the stars by selecting the shapes and illustrations of the constellations for many sky cultures. • Track artificial satellites, including the International Space Station. • Simulate landscape and atmosphere with realistic sunrise, sunset and atmosphere refraction. • Discover 3D rendering of the major solar system planets and their satellites. • Observe the sky in night mode (red) to preserve your eyes adaptation to darkness. Stellarium Mobile contains in-app purchases allowing to upgrade to Stellarium Plus. With this upgrade, the app will display objects as faint as magnitude 22 (versus magnitude 8 in the base version) and enable advanced observing features. Stellarium Plus features (unlocked with in-app purchase): • Reach the limit of knowledge by diving in a massive collection of stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects: - All known stars: Gaia DR2 catalog of over 1.69 billion stars - All known planets, natural satellites and comets, and many other minor solar system objects (10k asteroids) - Most known deep sky objects: a combined catalog of over 2 million nebulas and galaxies • Zoom almost without limits on high resolution images of deep sky objects or planetary surfaces. • Observe in the field, even without internet connection, with a "reduced" set of data: 2 million stars, 2 million Deep Sky Objects, 10k asteroids. • Control your telescope through WIFI: drive any GOTO telescope compatible with NexStar, SynScan or LX200 protocols. • Prepare your observing sessions using the advanced observation tools, to predict a celestial object observability and transit times. Stellarium Mobile is made by the original creator of Stellarium, the well known open source planetarium and one of the best astronomy applications on Desktop PC. Your can unlock the full features using either a one time payment or a subscription. See In-App Purchase section for the subscription price available in your country. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your account settings after purchases. Terms of service: https://stellarium-labs.com/stellarium-mobile-plus/stellarium-mobile-terms-of-use Privacy policy: https://www.stellarium-labs.com/privacy-policy-for-stellarium-mobile
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NASA at none against Stellarium Mobile's 2. NASA also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). Stellarium Mobile's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 70%) and chart position (#158 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Stellarium Mobile sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. NASA asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for NASA against 4.8 for Stellarium Mobile. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 64K and 37K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of NASA's written reviews are positive against 84% of Stellarium Mobile's.
NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, Stellarium Mobile every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | NASA | Stellarium Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (64K ratings) — better | 4.8 (37K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews | 83.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 64K — better | 37K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #158 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 456 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NASA | Noctua Software Ltd |
Customer experience
NASA
Stellarium Mobile
User reviews
NASA
From 64K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast loading
- 👍 Informative and educational
- 🌟 Amazing images and videos
- 💻 Great for learning about space
- 🔭 Comprehensive space information
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
- 📺 Missing live streaming features
- 🔄 Outdated user interface
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
Stellarium Mobile
From 37K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Fabulous star tracking
- 🌌 Detailed night sky information
- 🔭 Helpful for stargazing and astronomy
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🌍 Accurate for different locations
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔍 Difficulty finding some objects
- 🌓 Inaccurate moon/planet positions in daylight
- 🔧 Calibration issues with compass
- 💰 Paid version may not justify the cost
Bugs and requests
NASA
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes on launch for some devices
- Inability to close/exit image viewer
- Notifications not working as expected
- Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add live streaming of NASA TV
- Improve navigation and search
- Implement dark mode option
- Bring back old features (e.g. APOD widget, ISS sightings)
- Enhance 3D models and AR capabilities
Stellarium Mobile
Reported bugs
3 issues- Compass not working properly
- Favorites list disappearing
- Inconsistent performance on different devices
Requested features
5 requests- Notifications for astronomical events
- More customization options
- Integration with camera for AR overlay
- Better support for telescopes and mounts
- Improved search and navigation
In-app purchases
NASA
No in-app purchases
Stellarium Mobile
- Stellarium PLUS7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Stellarium PLUS$18.99
Questions
Is NASA free?
Is Stellarium Mobile free?
Which has better reviews, NASA or Stellarium Mobile?
Do NASA or Stellarium Mobile have ads?
Which is updated more often, NASA or Stellarium Mobile?
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