NASA vs Planetaria
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!
Planetaria
Explore a dynamic 3D model of the Solar System, synchronizing with real-time data to show celestial bodies in orbit. Discover planets, dwarf planets, and moons with detailed surface models. Manipulate time to view past and future solar system configurations.
- Interactive 3D Solar System model
- Real-time celestial body positions
- Detailed 3D surface models
- Explore planets, dwarf planets, and moons
- Time manipulation (past/future)
- AR integration
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Explore the celestial worlds of the Solar System with Planetaria, an interactive 3D simulator experience for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. This dynamic scale model of the Solar System synchronizes with real-time data to display the live positions of celestial bodies in their orbits, along with beautiful and detailed 3D models of their surfaces. On your journey through outer space, you can visit the Sun, the 8 planets, 5 dwarf planets, and over 20 major moons. Entire worlds await your discovery, each with their own individual features and environments. You can also fast-forward or rewind time, and see what the Solar System looks like at any time in the past or future. Photos and 3D models provided by NASA/JPL.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: NASA at Free against Planetaria's $4.99. NASA also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (64K vs 9). On rating, ads, in-app purchases 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
NASA is free to download; Planetaria costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NASA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NASA has 64K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of NASA's written reviews are positive against 50% of Planetaria's.
NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, Planetaria every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NASA | Planetaria |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (64K ratings) — better | 4.7 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 64K — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 510 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NASA | Joseph Rupertus |
Customer experience
NASA
Planetaria
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
Planetaria
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NASA
No in-app purchases
Planetaria
No in-app purchases









