NASA vs SkyView®
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!
SkyView®
Identify stars, constellations, planets, and satellites by simply pointing your device at the sky. This app uses augmented reality to guide you and provides information on celestial objects, upcoming events, and even allows you to travel through time to view the sky on different dates.
- Identify stars, planets, and satellites with AR
- Discover all 88 constellations
- Schedule alerts for celestial events
- Night mode for preserving vision
- Time travel to view past/future skies
- Capture and share celestial images
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SkyView® brings stargazing to everyone. Simply point your iPhone, iPad, or iPod at the sky to identify stars, constellations, planets, satellites, and more! Over 3.2 million downloads. App Store Rewind 2011 -- Best Education App “If you've ever wanted to know what you're looking at in the night sky, this app is the perfect stargazer's companion.” – CNET "If you’ve ever been looking for a stargazing app for your iPhone, then this [is] definitely the one to get." – AppAdvice “SkyView is an Augmented Reality app that lets you see just what delights the sky has to offer.” – 148Apps Editor’s Choice You don't need to be an astronomer to find stars or constellations in the sky, just open SkyView® and let it guide you to their location and identify them. SkyView® is a beautiful and intuitive stargazing app that uses your camera to precisely spot and identify celestial objects in sky, day or night. Find all 88 constellations as they fade in and out while you scan across the sky, locate every planet in our solar system, discover distant galaxies, and witness satellite fly-bys. Features: • Simple: Point your device at the sky to identify galaxies, stars, constellations, planets, and satellites (including the ISS and Hubble) passing overhead at your location. • Sighting Events: schedule alerts for upcoming celestial events. • Apple Watch: see what objects are visible tonight and how to spot them using your Apple Watch. • Today Widget: brand new iOS 8 today widget lets you quickly see upcoming celestial events. • Night Mode: Preserve your night vision with red or green night mode filters. • Augmented Reality (AR): Use your camera to spot objects in the sky, day or night. • Sky Paths: Follow the sky track for any object to see it’s exact location in the sky on any date and time. • Comprehensive: Includes thousands of stars, planets, and satellites with thousands of interesting facts. • Time Travel: Jump to the future or the past and see the sky on different dates and times. • Social: Capture and share beautiful images with friends and family on social networks. • Mobile: WiFi is NOT required (does not require a data signal or GPS to function). Take it camping, boating, or even flying! What a fun way to teach yourself, your children, your students, or your friends about our wonderful universe!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: NASA at Free against SkyView®'s $2.99. NASA also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). SkyView®'s advantage is chart position (#2 vs unranked). On review sentiment, 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
NASA is free to download; SkyView® costs $2.99 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 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NASA has 64K ratings behind it against 7.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of NASA's written reviews are positive against 77% of SkyView®'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, SkyView® every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 2, 2026.
| Parameter | NASA | SkyView® |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (64K ratings) — better | 4.6 (7.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews | 76.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 64K — better | 7.7K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #2 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 112 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NASA | Terminal Eleven LLC |
Customer experience
NASA
SkyView®
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
SkyView®
From 7.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔭 Helpful for stargazing and identifying celestial objects
- 🌌 Provides a lot of information about the night sky
- 🎶 Relaxing background music
- 🤩 Amazed by the app's capabilities
Room to improve
- 🐛 Calibration issues and inaccurate compass
- 🤷♀️ Missing some celestial objects like comets and the James Webb Space Telescope
- 🌌 Constellation overlays can be obstructive
- 🙈 Showing stars/planets on walls/floors even when not present
- 📱 Compatibility issues on certain devices
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
SkyView®
Reported bugs
3 issues- Freezing and crashing issues
- Compass and orientation problems
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between automatic and manual calibration
Requested features
6 requests- Add more celestial objects like comets, dwarf planets, and the James Webb Space Telescope
- Improve calibration and compass accuracy
- Add option to hide constellation overlays
- Implement a feature to track the International Space Station and other satellites
- Add a widget for quick access to sky information
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- Improve support for older devices and iOS versions
In-app purchases
NASA
No in-app purchases
SkyView®
No in-app purchases









