Comparison

SkyORB Classic Astronomy vs Galaxy Map

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

Head to head
About

SkyORB Classic Astronomy

Explore the cosmos with a 3D planetarium and real-time celestial event tracking. Identify stars and planets using your device's sensors and AR, and receive notifications for upcoming astronomical phenomena. Access detailed information and simulations from any location.

Highlights
  • 3D star map and planetarium
  • Real-time planet orbits
  • AR night sky identification
  • Celestial event notifications
  • Universal search for celestial objects
  • Moon phase tracking
  • Worldwide sky simulations
Read full description

Unleash the power of the universe with SkyORB, your all-in-one astronomy companion. Explore the stars, planets, and celestial events like never before. Discover the wonders of the cosmos and stay informed about astronomical phenomena. Why Choose SkyORB? Astronomy at Your Fingertips: SkyORB is a lightweight and fast astronomy app designed to put the universe in the palm of your hand. With a 3D star map, a feature-packed planetarium, ephemeris with notifications, and much more, it's your gateway to the cosmos. Real-Time 3D Universe: Immerse yourself in a breathtaking 3D representation of our solar system. Watch as planets orbit the sun in real-time. Zoom in for a closer look at the planets or zoom out to explore the entire Milky Way. Explore the Night Sky: SkyORB brings the night sky to life. Use your device to point at a star or planet, and our app will identify it for you. Whether you rely on GPS positioning, compass orientation, gyroscope data, or ARKit, we've got you covered. Stay Informed: Keep track of comets and satellites with updates from the web. Stay on top of celestial events with personalized ephemeris that covers the next 60 days. Whether it's the peak of a meteor shower or a planetary elongation, we'll make sure you're in the know. Universal Search: Looking for a specific celestial object? Our universal search engine lets you find everything from constellations and planets to space probes and more with just a few keystrokes. Moon Phases: SkyORB provides moon phase information, including rise and set times. Explore the moon's changing faces and understand its impact on the night sky. Worldwide Simulations: Simulate the night sky from any location on Earth or even from other planets like Mars. SkyORB Classic lets you explore the universe from wherever you are. Notifications: Receive local notifications for significant astronomical events like planet visibility, full and new moons, and eclipses. Plus, get the latest astronomy news delivered right to your device. Upgrade to SkyORB Premium and Unlock Even More: Ad-Free Experience: Say goodbye to ads and enjoy uninterrupted stargazing. Enhanced Planetarium: Go full-screen in planetarium mode, unlocking more views. Extended Information: Get more details on moon phases and ephemeris. Comprehensive Search: Unlock the full potential of our search engine. Multi-Device Access: Access your premium features on all your devices connected to your account with iOS cloud storage. And Much More: Enjoy a host of additional premium features. Apple Watch Support: Now you can explore the cosmos right from your wrist with vocal search, digital crown functionality, an equation of time complication, and standalone use. Upgrade and Renewal: The 12-month Premium Membership automatically renews, ensuring uninterrupted access to premium features. Manage your subscription in your iTunes account settings. Step into the world of astronomy with SkyORB. Download it today and embark on your cosmic journey. The universe is waiting

About

Galaxy Map

Explore the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies in an interactive 3D map. Discover nebulae, supernovae, and planets, with stunning visuals based on NASA data. Ideal for education and space enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D galaxy map
  • Explore nebulae and supernovae
  • Fly through planetary atmospheres
  • Land on planets
  • Based on NASA data
  • Available in 100+ languages
Features
Read full description

The galaxy map is an interactive map of the Milky Way galaxy, Andromeda and their satellite galaxies. Explore the Orion Arm's nebulae and supernovae from the comfort of your spaceship. Fly through the atmosphere of Mars and many other planets and you can even land on them. Discover the galaxy in a stunning three dimensional map based on NASA's artistic impression of the Milky Way galactic structure. Photos are taken by NASA spacecraft and ground based telescopes like Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray, Herschel Space Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope. This interactive 3D map is excellent for teachers to use for instruction, and it is a great astronomy resource for students to explore the Milky Way galaxy and space as they learn more about the universe we live in. Available in over 100 languages! You can also From the outskirts of the galaxy, in the Norma-Outer spiral arm to the galactic center's supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, discover a galaxy full of amazing facts. Notable structures included: the Pillars of Creation, Helix Nebula, the Engraved Hourglass Nebula, the Pleiades, the Orion Arm (where the solar system and the Earth are located) with its Orion belt. Check out neighboring dwarf galaxies such as Sagittarius and the Canis Major Overdensity, stellar streams as well as internal galactic components such as a variety of nebulae, star clusters or supernovae. Explore space and get a little closer to our wonderful universe with this awesome astronomy app! The Galaxy Map requires internet access to retrieve information from the wiki.

Screenshots

SkyORB Classic Astronomy4 screens
Galaxy Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

SkyORB Classic Astronomy and Galaxy Map both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Galaxy Map's written reviews are positive against 52% of SkyORB Classic Astronomy's. Galaxy Map also leads on ratings volume (600 vs 23). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SkyORB Classic Astronomy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year and Galaxy Map sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for SkyORB Classic Astronomy against 4.6 for Galaxy Map. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Galaxy Map has 600 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of SkyORB Classic Astronomy's written reviews are positive against 80% of Galaxy Map's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SkyORB Classic Astronomy ships an update every 2 months, Galaxy Map every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 16, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SkyORB Classic Astronomy versus Galaxy Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkyORB Classic AstronomyGalaxy Map
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (23 ratings)4.6 (600 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.3% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings23600 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size143 MB613 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStephane DenisAndrei Nistorescu

Customer experience

SkyORB Classic Astronomy

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews279 reviews
Positive52.3%
Neutral15.4%
Negative32.3%

Galaxy Map

All ratings600 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative13.0%

User reviews

SkyORB Classic Astronomy

From 23 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Great app for stargazing
  • 🔍 Useful for identifying stars, planets, and constellations
  • 📅 Helpful calendar of astronomical events
  • 🌍 Accurate representation of the night sky

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive interface
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Paywall for many features
  • 🔍 Inaccurate or missing information
  • 🔌 Drains battery quickly

Galaxy Map

From 600 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌌 Impressive 3D galaxy and nebula visualizations
  • 🚀 Spaceship exploration feature with landing capability
  • 📚 Educational content about space and astronomy
  • 🎮 Fun and engaging gameplay mechanics
  • ✨ No ads in free version

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive paywall for most content
  • 🐛 App crashes and fails to load
  • 🎮 Poor control mechanics for flying and walking
  • 🔍 Lack of zoom functionality or unclear controls
  • 🌑 Black holes look too similar to each other

Bugs and requests

SkyORB Classic Astronomy

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Compass and orientation issues
  • Inconsistent behavior across devices
  • Incorrect or outdated celestial data
  • Persistent login and subscription problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • More detailed instructions and tutorials
  • Improved search and navigation
  • Ability to track comets and asteroids
  • Seamless integration with telescopes

Galaxy Map

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • Explore button shows nothing
  • Pinch-to-zoom doesn't work
  • App won't load on iPad
  • Text displays as boxes in language settings
Show 4 more
  • Mars moon orbital speed incorrect
  • App kicks users out during exploration
  • Loading issues and incomplete functionality
  • Inconsistent performance across platforms

Requested features

18 requests
  • Search button to find galaxies and objects
  • More diverse and realistic black hole designs
  • AR feature to identify stars/planets in real sky
  • More free content and objects
  • Exoplanet additions (TRAPPIST-1e, J1407B)
Show 13 more
  • Ability to click on stars within galaxies for details
  • Generated planets around stars
  • Sandbox/creation mode for user-generated content
  • Animation for Milky Way and Andromeda
  • More galaxy variety in the app
  • Coordinates filter for objects
  • Space-Engine style gameplay
  • Flying through galaxies feature
  • More female character customization options
  • VIP version option
  • Brown dwarfs addition
  • Photosphere viewing mode
  • More detailed star information

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SkyORB Classic Astronomy

Subscriptions1
  • 1-year Premium Subscription$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Version$3.99
13 purchases

Galaxy Map

One-time13
  • Buy ship - Alien Destroyer$0.99
  • Buy ship - Alien fighter$0.99
  • Remove ads$1.99
Show 10 more
  • Buy ship - Alien Destroyer$1.99
  • Buy ship - Alien fighter$1.99
  • 3D Visualization Pack$1.99
  • Buy ship - Dragon Frigate$1.99
  • Essentials bundle - SALE$2.99
  • Remove ads$3.99
  • 3D Visualization Pack$3.99
  • Essentials bundle$4.99
  • Ultimate bundle - SALE$7.99
  • Ultimate bundle$12.99

Questions

Is SkyORB Classic Astronomy free?
SkyORB Classic Astronomy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Galaxy Map free?
Galaxy Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SkyORB Classic Astronomy or Galaxy Map?
Galaxy Map is rated higher. SkyORB Classic Astronomy averages 4.5 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Galaxy Map averages 4.6 from 600 ratings.
Do SkyORB Classic Astronomy or Galaxy Map have ads?
Both SkyORB Classic Astronomy and Galaxy Map show ads.
Which is updated more often, SkyORB Classic Astronomy or Galaxy Map?
SkyORB Classic Astronomy ships an update every 2 months, and Galaxy Map every 5 weeks. Most recently, SkyORB Classic Astronomy was updated on August 16, 2026 and Galaxy Map on September 20, 2026.

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