Comparison

NASA vs Stellarium Mobile

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • NASA+ video streaming
  • 21,000+ NASA images
  • Latest NASA news
  • Mission updates
  • Podcasts
  • ISS tracking and Sky View
  • Augmented reality experiences
Features
Read full description

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!

About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time sky simulation
  • Identify stars, planets, satellites
  • Constellation shapes and illustrations
  • Deep sky object catalog
  • Night mode for eye comfort
  • Telescope control (Plus)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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

NASA4 screens
Stellarium Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, Stellarium Mobile every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
NASA versus Stellarium Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNASAStellarium Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (64K ratings) — better4.8 (37K ratings)
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews83.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings64K — better37K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#158 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB456 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNASANoctua Software Ltd

Customer experience

NASA

All ratings63,707 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews509 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral6.7%
Negative23.4%

Stellarium Mobile

All ratings37,269 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews584 reviews
Positive83.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative10.1%

User reviews

NASA

From 64K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

None

NASA

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Stellarium Mobile

Subscriptions1
  • Stellarium PLUS7 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Stellarium PLUS$18.99

Questions

Is NASA free?
NASA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stellarium Mobile free?
Stellarium Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NASA or Stellarium Mobile?
NASA is rated higher. NASA averages 4.8 out of 5 from 64K ratings, while Stellarium Mobile averages 4.8 from 37K ratings.
Do NASA or Stellarium Mobile have ads?
Neither NASA nor Stellarium Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NASA or Stellarium Mobile?
NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, and Stellarium Mobile every 5 weeks. Most recently, NASA was updated on September 24, 2026 and Stellarium Mobile on September 24, 2026.

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