NASA vs Star Chart
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!
Star Chart
Explore the cosmos with this augmented reality astronomy app. Point your device at the sky to identify stars, planets, and constellations in real-time. Discover celestial bodies and their positions, even traveling through time to view the universe's past and future.
- Augmented reality sky identification
- 3D simulation of the visible universe
- Real-time celestial object tracking
- Time shift to view past/future sky
- Explore planets, moons, and sun
- View constellations and deep sky objects
- Detailed object information
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*** Star Chart is now FREE! *** The top educational & augmented reality astronomy app - download and find out why over 20 million people use Star Chart! You can now have a virtual star chart in your pocket. Look through the eyes of your iPhone or iPad* to see a high-tech window into the whole visible universe. All you have to do is point your AR enabled device* at the sky and Star Chart will tell you exactly what you are looking at. Using state of the art GPS technology, an accurate 3D simulation of the visible universe, and a great deal of technical wizardry, Star Chart calculates – in real time - the current location of every star, planet and moon visible from Earth and shows you precisely where they are; even in broad daylight! Want to know what that bright star is called? Point your device* at it – you might just find out it’s a planet! Want to know what the night sky looks like to people on the other side of the earth? Well just point your device down! Want to know where your star sign is in the sky? Star Chart will tell you all this and more. Star Charts features include: - Just point and view. When you hold your device up to the sky, Star Chart will automatically start tracking your movements to match the sky *. - Alternatively, look around the sky using finger gestures – perfect for armchair astronomers! - In a single app of less than 30MB, Star Chart dynamically scales its visuals and capabilities across all iOS devices to meet the high end capabilities of a retina display iPad while also running smoothly on the earliest iPhones and iPods. - Accurately depicts all the visible stars of the northern and southern hemispheres - a total of approximately 120,000 stars! - Fly to and explore all the planets of the solar system, their moons and the sun all rendered in beautiful 3D with state of the art visual effects. - Using the powerful Time Shift feature, simply tap the time button and smoothly shift up to 10,000 years forward or backward in time. - Displays all 88 constellations, with constellation imagery based on the beautiful artwork by 17th century astronomer Johannes Hevelius. - Includes the complete Messier catalogue of 110 exotic deep sky objects. - Tap on anything in the sky and get the facts on what you are looking at, including distance and brightness. - Very powerful zoom function, lets you view the sky in extra detail, using intuitive finger gestures. - Fully configurable. Star Chart displays only the sky objects that you are interested in. - Allows you to view the sky underneath the horizon. So now you can see where the sun is, even at night! - Manually set your location to find out what the sky looks like from anywhere in the world. - Supports dynamic device orientation viewing. Allows you to view the night sky whilst holding your iPhone/iPad* at any angle. So point your iPhone/iPad* at the sky and see what's out there! ------------ * Augmented Reality mode is available on devices that include a built-in compass. Manual scrolling is supported on all other devices. ------------ Star Chart is published by Escape Velocity Ltd and developed by Escapist Games Ltd. We update Star Chart regularly, so please send us your feedback and feature requests to starchart@escapistgames.com. And thanks for all your feedback so far! Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/starchart Follow Star Chart on Twitter: StarChartApp
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NASA at none against Star Chart's 7. NASA also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Star Chart's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Star Chart sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. NASA asks for nothing beyond the download.
NASA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 64K and 25K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of NASA's written reviews are positive against 85% of Star Chart's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, Star Chart fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | NASA | Star Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (64K ratings) — better | 4.6 (25K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews | 85.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 64K — better | 25K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 7.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NASA | ESCAPE VELOCITY LIMITED |
Customer experience
NASA
Star Chart
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
Star Chart
From 25K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💫 Impressive visuals
- 🌌 Comprehensive celestial information
- 🔍 Helpful for learning constellations
- 🌍 Accurate location tracking
- 🌠 Enjoyable stargazing experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- ⚠️ Outdated and unsupported
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🗺️ Inaccurate mapping and calibration
- 🔍 Missing key celestial objects
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
Star Chart
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes on launch
- Purchased upgrades not working
- Incorrect positioning of celestial objects
- GPS location not detected properly
- Scrolling and navigation issues
Requested features
5 requests- Update app with latest celestial objects
- Improve stability and reduce crashes
- Offer more affordable in-app purchases
- Enhance mapping and calibration accuracy
- Add search functionality for specific stars/planets
In-app purchases
NASA
No in-app purchases
Star Chart
- Comets$2.99
- Meteor Showers$4.99
- Extended Solar System$4.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Enhanced Constellations$4.99
- Satellites$4.99
- Extended Star Catalog$9.99
- Enhanced Messier Catalog$9.99
Questions
Is NASA free?
Is Star Chart free?
Which has better reviews, NASA or Star Chart?
Do NASA or Star Chart have ads?
Which is updated more often, NASA or Star Chart?
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