Comparison

Star Chart vs Stellarium Mobile

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

*** 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

About

Stellarium Mobile

Explore the night sky with a real-time planetarium. Identify stars, planets, constellations, and satellites by simply pointing your phone. Offers detailed astronomical data and cultural constellation interpretations.

Highlights
  • Real-time sky simulation
  • Identify stars, planets, satellites
  • Constellation shapes and illustrations
  • Deep sky object catalog
  • Night mode for eye comfort
  • Telescope control (Plus)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Stellarium Mobile is a planetarium app that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. Identify stars, constellations, planets, comets, satellites (such as the ISS), and other deep sky objects in real time in the sky above you in just a few seconds, just by pointing the phone at the sky! This astronomy application has an easy to use and minimalist user interface, that makes it one of the best astronomical applications for adults and children who want to explore the night sky. Stellarium Mobile features: • View an accurate night sky simulation of stars and planets for any date, time and location. • Dive in a collection of many stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects. • Zoom on realistic Milky Way and Deep Sky Objects images. • Discover how people living in other regions of the planet see the stars by selecting the shapes and illustrations of the constellations for many sky cultures. • Track artificial satellites, including the International Space Station. • Simulate landscape and atmosphere with realistic sunrise, sunset and atmosphere refraction. • Discover 3D rendering of the major solar system planets and their satellites. • Observe the sky in night mode (red) to preserve your eyes adaptation to darkness. Stellarium Mobile contains in-app purchases allowing to upgrade to Stellarium Plus. With this upgrade, the app will display objects as faint as magnitude 22 (versus magnitude 8 in the base version) and enable advanced observing features. Stellarium Plus features (unlocked with in-app purchase): • Reach the limit of knowledge by diving in a massive collection of stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects:   - All known stars: Gaia DR2 catalog of over 1.69 billion stars   - All known planets, natural satellites and comets, and many other minor solar system objects (10k asteroids)   - Most known deep sky objects: a combined catalog of over 2 million nebulas and galaxies • Zoom almost without limits on high resolution images of deep sky objects or planetary surfaces. • Observe in the field, even without internet connection, with a "reduced" set of data: 2 million stars, 2 million Deep Sky Objects, 10k asteroids. • Control your telescope through WIFI: drive any GOTO telescope compatible with NexStar, SynScan or LX200 protocols. • Prepare your observing sessions using the advanced observation tools, to predict a celestial object observability and transit times. Stellarium Mobile is made by the original creator of Stellarium, the well known open source planetarium and one of the best astronomy applications on Desktop PC. Your can unlock the full features using either a one time payment or a subscription. See In-App Purchase section for the subscription price available in your country. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your account settings after purchases. Terms of service: https://stellarium-labs.com/stellarium-mobile-plus/stellarium-mobile-terms-of-use Privacy policy: https://www.stellarium-labs.com/privacy-policy-for-stellarium-mobile

Screenshots

Star Chart4 screens
Stellarium Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Stellarium Mobile at 4.8 against Star Chart's 4.6. Stellarium Mobile also leads on chart position (#137 vs unranked). Star Chart's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 17). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. Star Chart sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Stellarium Mobile sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stellarium Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25K and 37K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of Star Chart's written reviews are positive against 84% of Stellarium Mobile's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Chart ships an update fortnightly, Stellarium Mobile every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Star Chart versus Stellarium Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar ChartStellarium Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (25K ratings)4.8 (37K ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews — better83.9% of reviews
Number of ratings25K37K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#137 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB456 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperESCAPE VELOCITY LIMITEDNoctua Software Ltd

Customer experience

Star Chart

All ratings24,838 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews1,947 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral5.2%
Negative9.8%

Stellarium Mobile

All ratings37,269 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews584 reviews
Positive83.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative10.1%

User reviews

Star Chart

From 25K App Store ratings

What 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

Stellarium Mobile

From 37K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Fabulous star tracking
  • 🌌 Detailed night sky information
  • 🔭 Helpful for stargazing and astronomy
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🌍 Accurate for different locations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding some objects
  • 🌓 Inaccurate moon/planet positions in daylight
  • 🔧 Calibration issues with compass
  • 💰 Paid version may not justify the cost

Bugs and requests

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

Stellarium Mobile

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compass not working properly
  • Favorites list disappearing
  • Inconsistent performance on different devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Notifications for astronomical events
  • More customization options
  • Integration with camera for AR overlay
  • Better support for telescopes and mounts
  • Improved search and navigation

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Star Chart

One-time7
  • Comets$2.99
  • Meteor Showers$4.99
  • Extended Solar System$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Enhanced Constellations$4.99
  • Satellites$4.99
  • Extended Star Catalog$9.99
  • Enhanced Messier Catalog$9.99
2 purchases

Stellarium Mobile

Subscriptions1
  • Stellarium PLUS7 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Stellarium PLUS$18.99

Questions

Is Star Chart free?
Star Chart is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stellarium Mobile free?
Stellarium Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Star Chart or Stellarium Mobile?
Stellarium Mobile is rated higher. Star Chart averages 4.6 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while Stellarium Mobile averages 4.8 from 37K ratings.
Do Star Chart or Stellarium Mobile have ads?
Neither Star Chart nor Stellarium Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Chart or Stellarium Mobile?
Star Chart ships an update fortnightly, and Stellarium Mobile every 5 weeks. Most recently, Star Chart was updated on September 25, 2026 and Stellarium Mobile on September 24, 2026.

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