Comparison

Solar Walk vs MathTappers

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

Head to head
About

Solar Walk

Explore a detailed 3D model of our solar system and the universe. Interact with planets, moons, and satellites, and take virtual flights through space. Travel through time to see the universe's past and learn with educational movies.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D solar system model
  • Virtual flights between celestial bodies
  • Time travel feature for historical views
  • Educational movies about space
  • Orrery and true-to-scale view modes
  • Milky Way Galaxy view
Features
Read full description

Solar Walk is an amazing 3D model of our Solar system bringing the universe to the palm of your hand and allowing you to interact with planets, satellites, moons, comets and other space objects anytime and anywhere. Start your fascinating journey through the realms of space and learn more about the universe we live in. *** Over 6 million users!*** *** National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) - GOLD winner in the Educational Tools for Parents and Children category! *** *** A Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner *** “Simply amazing.” - Macworld “Solar Walk serves up a visually impressive 3D model of our solar system. Set against a haunting, atmospheric soundscape, the app shows planets and satellites in their correct positions, and offers mini movies, facts and other related tidbits.” - TNW “This jaw-dropping app provides a wholly interactive 3D model of our solar system, one that’s had me hooked for days. It’s the kind of thing you can imagine a science teacher using in the classroom of the future — except that we don’t have to wait.” - CNet “Zoom from Mercury to Pluto (which makes the cut in this app), passing each planet’s moons along the way. Because Solar Walk knows what time it is, the planets are in proper orientation to the Sun: Earth is dark where it is currently night and gradually lightens to daytime on the other side.” - NY Times "It's great for showing my students the relative positions of the planets in the solar system, the satellites orbiting the Earth and our place in the galaxy. Awesome with a smartboard as well." - by jbrown61 Solar Walk enables you to: ► Observe the 3D model of our Solar system with all its objects in real time and in a proper orientation. Turn into an astronomer and explore planets, moons, satellites, asteroids, dwarf planets, comets, stars and other celestial bodies. Enjoy gorgeous graphics and visuals while navigating through the solar system. ► Make virtual flights from one space object to another. ► Travel in time and see what the universe and our Solar system looked like at a certain period. ► Find an exciting view of the Milky Way Galaxy. ► Watch a collection of educational solar system movies to learn about space-related topics including Earth's moon phases, Earth's cycles, tidal phenomena, and zodiacal constellations. ► Enjoy 3D planetarium with the help of special glasses and activating the anaglyph mode. ► Share interesting screenshots of the app with your friends. ► Choose the view mode comfortable for you (orrery/true-to-scale). The app contains In-App Purchases. Solar Walk is a great educational tool appropriate for both adults and children. The amount of information users can learn about the planets, moons, satellites and other celestial bodies is impressive. All information is age-appropriate and detailed. Animated video clips will make learning about our Solar system even more engaging. Start exploring the universe with Solar Walk!

About

MathTappers

Features
Read full description

MathTappers: MultiMatch, challenges players to clear an array of cards by finding and removing sets of related cards. A sample game deck is included—Factors to 50. Once familiar with the app, you may choose to create and share additional game decks to support learning in any content area. Decks can be shared via email, website or airdrop. A game deck contains many sets of cards plus some instruction slides. When playing, a few of the sets in the deck are displayed in an array that must be cleared by selecting one set at a time. A card set may include 1, 2, 3, or more cards. Game cards may have one or more faces (just swipe to switch), and you can tap and hold on a card to enlarge it. In the settings screen, players may choose: the size of the array 3x3, 4x4, etc.; whether to have cards presented face up or face down; whether they want to start with the top image on each card or have them shuffled; and which game deck they want to play with. They may also manage the decks in their collection (delete or share). We have designed MathTappers: MultiMatch to allow anyone (teachers, students, parents, experts, etc.) to create game decks to support consolidation, mastery, and fluency development in any content area. Teacher created games can be useful, but the greater educational value comes from encouraging students to develop and demonstrate their mastery of a topic by participating in the creation and validation of their own matching game decks. Having students design and construct their own game decks may lead to: • learning that is contextualized, authentic, engaged, and active • skill development in creative thinking, reasoning, story-telling, visual design, problem-solving and audience awareness • an appreciation for intellectual property (IP) rights and understandings about copyright, Creative Commons, and appropriate attribution For those who are curious as to whether we are stepping away from mathematics in this app—we are not. Mathematics was derived from the Greek word máthēma—which is associated with study, learning, knowledge, and instruction. Designed by: Tim Pelton Leslee Francis Pelton Eileen van der Flier-Keller Joshua E Smith Programmed by: Joshua E Smith Skyler A Smith Development supported by: CER-Net University of Victoria

Screenshots

Solar Walk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MathTappers at Free against Solar Walk's $4.99. MathTappers also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11). Solar Walk's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 108 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and iOS requirement 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

MathTappers is free to download; Solar Walk costs $4.99 up front. Solar Walk sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. MathTappers asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solar Walk ships an update every 5 months, MathTappers every 108 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Solar Walk versus MathTappers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar WalkMathTappers
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (8.1K ratings) — better—
Number of ratings8.1K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 108 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size451 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVito Technology Inc.Joshua Smith

Bugs and requests

Solar Walk

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • In-app purchases not working correctly
  • Freezing and performance issues on older devices
  • Incorrect planet/moon positioning and timing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more planets, moons, and objects to the solar system
  • Expand to include other star systems and galaxies
  • Improve navigation and controls for easier exploration
  • Offer more free content instead of paid add-ons
  • Fix reported bugs and crashes

MathTappers

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Solar Walk

One-time11
  • Mission of Cassini-HuygensFree
  • Cycles of the Earth SystemFree
  • Major Circles of LatitudeFree
Show 8 more
  • Movies BundleFree
  • 3D Satellites in Real TimeFree
  • Planets of the Solar SystemFree
  • What is a Solar Eclipse?Free
  • The Moon Phases ExplanationFree
  • Zodiacal ConstellationsFree
  • High Resolution Bundle$1.99
  • All Additional Content - Sale$2.99
None

MathTappers

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar Walk free?
Solar Walk costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is MathTappers free?
MathTappers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Solar Walk or MathTappers have ads?
Neither Solar Walk nor MathTappers shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solar Walk or MathTappers?
Solar Walk ships an update every 5 months, and MathTappers every 108 months. Most recently, Solar Walk was updated on October 15, 2026 and MathTappers on September 25, 2026.

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