Comparison

NASA vs Solar System Scope

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

Solar System Scope

Explore and discover the solar system and outer space with realistic 3D visualizations and detailed celestial simulations. This app offers an educational and engaging experience for all ages, featuring a comprehensive encyclopedia and a night sky observatory.

Highlights
  • 3D Encyclopedia of celestial bodies
  • Realistic 3D visualizations
  • Night sky observatory with time simulation
  • Accurate orbital parameter calculations
  • High-quality planetary and moon maps
  • Multilingual support
Features
Read full description

Solar System Scope is a fun way of Exploring, Discovering and Playing with the Solar System and Outer Space. Solar System Scope (or just Solar) contains many views and celestial simulations, but most of all - it brings you closer to the furthest reaches of our world and lets you experience lots of fantastic space sceneries. It aspires to be the most illustrative, easy to understand and simple to use space model. - 3D Encyclopedia In Solar’s unique encyclopedia you will find the most interesting facts about every planet, dwarf planet, every major moon and more – and everything is accompanied by realistic 3D visualizations. Solar’s encyclopedia is available in 10 languages: English, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, Korean and Slovak. More languages are coming soon! - Nightsky Observatory Enjoy Stars and constellation of the night sky as viewed from any given location on Earth. You can point your device at the sky to see all objects in their proper place, but you can also simulate Night sky in the past or in the future. Now with advanced options that let you simulate ecliptic, equatorial and azimuthal line, or grid (among other things). - Scientific Instrument Solar System Scope calculations are based on up-to-date orbital parameters published by NASA and let you simulate celestial positions at any given time. - For Everyone Solar System Scope is well suited for all audiences and ages: It is enjoyed by space enthusiasts, teachers, scientists, but Solar is successfully used even by children of 4+ years of age! - Unique Maps We are proud to present a very unique set of planetary and moon maps, that let you experience a true-color space as never before. These accurate maps are based on NASA elevation and imagery data. Colors and shades of the textures are tuned according to true-color photos made by Messenger, Viking, Cassini and New Horizon spacecrafts, and the Hubble Space Telescope. Basic resolution of these maps is for free – but if you would like the best experience, you can check out the highest quality, which is available with In-App purchase. - Join our vision Our vision is to build the ultimate space model and bring you the deepest space experience. And you can help - try Solar System Scope and if you like it, spread the word! And don’t forget to join the community and vote for new features on our homepage.

Screenshots

NASA4 screens
Solar System Scope4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NASA at none against Solar System Scope's 1. NASA also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). Solar System Scope's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Solar System Scope sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NASA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NASA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NASA has 64K ratings behind it against 882, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of NASA's written reviews are positive against 76% of Solar System Scope's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, Solar System Scope every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
NASA versus Solar System Scope: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNASASolar System Scope
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (64K ratings) — better4.4 (882 ratings)
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews76.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings64K — better882
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB154 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNASAINOVE, s.r.o.

Customer experience

NASA

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

Solar System Scope

All ratings882 ratings
Positive83.7%
Neutral4.5%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews237 reviews
Positive76.4%
Neutral6.3%
Negative17.3%

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

Solar System Scope

From 882 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Amazing app
  • 👍 Great for learning about space
  • 🌟 Beautifully created
  • 🔭 Realistic and detailed
  • 🎓 Excellent for education

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔀 Orientation issues
  • 🔒 Upgrade required for full functionality
  • 🕰️ Difficulty pinpointing specific dates

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

Solar System Scope

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when dragging Jupiter
  • Upside-down orientation on tablets
  • Unable to restore purchases
  • Freezes and crashes on launch

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more celestial bodies (Messier objects, Planet 9/10, black holes, etc.)
  • Enable exploration of other galaxies and deep space objects
  • Improve telescope/zoom functionality
  • Add more moons and irregular satellites
  • Implement continental drift and solar system evolution

In-app purchases

None

NASA

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Solar System Scope

One-time1
  • HQ Textures / No Ads$5.99

Questions

Is NASA free?
NASA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Solar System Scope free?
Solar System Scope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NASA or Solar System Scope?
NASA is rated higher. NASA averages 4.8 out of 5 from 64K ratings, while Solar System Scope averages 4.4 from 882 ratings.
Do NASA or Solar System Scope have ads?
Neither NASA nor Solar System Scope shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NASA or Solar System Scope?
NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, and Solar System Scope every 4 months. Most recently, NASA was updated on September 24, 2026 and Solar System Scope on September 22, 2026.

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