SkyORB Classic Astronomy vs GlobeViewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
GlobeViewer
Explore Earth with a high-resolution 3D globe and topography maps. View surface, underwater, and topographical details, with real-time event overlays. Access extensive geographical data for offline use.
- Interactive 3D globe
- High-resolution topography maps
- Surface and underwater views
- Real-time event overlays
- Offline data caching
- Extensive place names and geographical features
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GlobeViewer is a high resolution 3D terrestrial globe with topography and surface maps. This app enables a high-quality view of the surface of our blue planet. It is divided into two areas: the rotatable, global view as an interactive globe and a high-resolution 3D map representation of the Earth's topography. - Interactive 3D globe with surface, underwater and topography maps - High-resolution 3D topography map set of the entire Earth's surface - divided into 22,912 individual tiles. You can load 110 different regions onto the interactive globe, which then present the many individual tiles in a meaningful, connected way and reload them automatically. The app initially only contains the textures for the globe in low resolution. All required downloads are automatically loaded from our server. A total of around 105 GB of data is available. The data remains in the cache on your device for offline use, but can be deleted at any time in the main menu. Furthermore, all events recorded by the GDACS, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, etc., are entered on the globe. The 3D topography map is based on the elevation data from the NASA Terra probe, which recorded 83° of the northern and southern hemispheres between 2000 and 2013 - this is the result of the ASTER3-DEM. With version 0.10.0, the map is enriched with around 7.5 million place names from geonames.org. This means that all the towns, mountains, lakes, deserts and many other geographical features entered there are shown on the map. From version 0.12.0, data from OpenStreetMaps (buildings, borders, streets...) is also available on the tiles - but only for the demos and the purchased maps. Use the tutorial in the app to get started quickly or read the manual to find out which functions are included in this app. Since the app is still under development, some functions may still change. We hope you enjoy using GlobeViewer!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SkyORB Classic Astronomy at 4.5 against GlobeViewer's 3.4. SkyORB Classic Astronomy also leads on review sentiment (52% vs 33%) and ratings volume (23 vs 5). GlobeViewer's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. SkyORB Classic Astronomy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year and GlobeViewer sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SkyORB Classic Astronomy holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of SkyORB Classic Astronomy's written reviews are positive against 33% of GlobeViewer's.
SkyORB Classic Astronomy ships an update every 2 months, GlobeViewer every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 16, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SkyORB Classic Astronomy | GlobeViewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (23 ratings) — better | 3.4 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 52.3% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 23 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 236 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stephane Denis | RAB-Software |
Customer experience
SkyORB Classic Astronomy
GlobeViewer
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
GlobeViewer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SkyORB Classic Astronomy
- 1-year Premium Subscription$1.991 Year
- Premium Version$3.99
GlobeViewer
- 4K & Polar Regions$0.99
- 4K & South America$2.99
- 4K & Pacific$2.99
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- 4K & Japan/Korea/Taiwan$2.99
- 8K & North America$4.99
- 8K & Australia$4.99
- 8K & China$4.99
- 8K & Russia$4.99
- 8K & Europe$4.99
- 8K Pass$8.99
- Professional Version$14.99
Questions
Is SkyORB Classic Astronomy free?
Is GlobeViewer free?
Which has better reviews, SkyORB Classic Astronomy or GlobeViewer?
Do SkyORB Classic Astronomy or GlobeViewer have ads?
Which is updated more often, SkyORB Classic Astronomy or GlobeViewer?
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