Comparison

Solar Walk vs StarMap 3D+ Plus

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

StarMap 3D+ Plus

Explore the cosmos with a portable star atlas. Identify planets, constellations, and deep sky objects using your device's sensors. Features detailed information and 3D visualizations for both beginners and advanced astronomers.

Highlights
  • Real-time satellite tracking (ISS, Hubble)
  • Extensive star and deep sky object database
  • Detailed constellation information and lines
  • Location-based celestial object identification
  • 3D universe visualization
  • Adjustable date and time for celestial viewing
Features
Read full description

Use your iPhone's compass and gyroscope to find planets, constellations, satellites, and more with crisp, colorful, high-definition Retina graphics that use every pixel of your iPhone or iPad! Hold the universe in your pocket! StarMap 3D Plus is the portable star atlas for beginners or advanced astronomers. Use StarMap 3D Plus to find the planets, stars, constellations, star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae visible to you based on your location and time. StarMap 3D will even use the compass to automatically align the map! • Real-time positions of 150 artificial satellites, including the International Space Station (ISS), and the Hubble Space Telescope • iPad Support • Over 100,000 stars, with detailed information for each of them • 6,441 deep sky objects, with details such as distance from Earth, diameter, apparent size and orientation, and morphology • All 88 modern constellations, with lines based on the outlines from "The Stars: A New Way to See Them" by H.A. Rey • MacRobert and Classic constellation lines also available • Location-based-services (LBS) / Global Positioning System (GPS) support, or manually enter your longitude and latitude • Adjustable date and time of day • Also adjust time instantaneously and interactively with the Time Scroll feature • Compass support, if present • Planetarium Mode for seeing only objects visible to you, or browse the entire celestial sphere • 3D Mode for visualizing the universe in three dimensions

Screenshots

Solar Walk4 screens
StarMap 3D+ Plus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: StarMap 3D+ Plus at every 5 weeks against Solar Walk's every 5 months. StarMap 3D+ Plus also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 72%) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On rating, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Solar Walk costs $4.99 and StarMap 3D+ Plus $2.99 up front. Solar Walk sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and StarMap 3D+ Plus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 — 4.7 for Solar Walk against 4.8 for StarMap 3D+ Plus. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.2K and 6.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Solar Walk's written reviews are positive against 86% of StarMap 3D+ Plus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solar Walk ships an update every 5 months, StarMap 3D+ Plus every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Solar Walk versus StarMap 3D+ Plus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar WalkStarMap 3D+ Plus
Price$4.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (8.2K ratings)4.8 (6.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.2% of reviews86.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8.2K — better6.9K
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size451 MB576 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVito Technology Inc.Sanville Software

Customer experience

Solar Walk

All ratings8,149 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral3.5%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews461 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral7.2%
Negative20.6%

StarMap 3D+ Plus

All ratings6,821 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews753 reviews
Positive86.1%
Neutral5.0%
Negative8.9%

User reviews

Solar Walk

From 8.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Excellent graphics and visuals
  • 🔍 Detailed information about the solar system
  • 🌍 Ability to explore the planets and moons
  • 🎥 Informative videos and animations
  • 🧠 Educational and informative for all ages

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases required to unlock full features
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported, especially after updates
  • 🕹️ Navigation and controls can be unintuitive
  • 🌌 Limited to just the solar system, no other galaxies or deep space

StarMap 3D+ Plus

From 6.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Excellent star mapping and identification
  • 🔍 Detailed information on celestial objects
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🔭 Helpful for amateur astronomers
  • 🌍 Works well across locations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional tracking/alignment issues
  • 🔍 Lack of detailed instructions/guides
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns regarding data collection
  • 🎨 Dislike for cartoon-style constellation art

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

StarMap 3D+ Plus

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes on launch
  • Incorrect moon and planet positioning
  • Inconsistent performance after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • More detailed deep sky object representations
  • Improved tracking and compass accuracy
  • Addition of educational content and tutorials
  • Customization options for constellation art

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
1 purchases

StarMap 3D+ Plus

One-time1
  • More Stars$1.99

Questions

Is Solar Walk free?
Solar Walk costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is StarMap 3D+ Plus free?
StarMap 3D+ Plus costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Solar Walk or StarMap 3D+ Plus?
StarMap 3D+ Plus is rated higher. Solar Walk averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.2K ratings, while StarMap 3D+ Plus averages 4.8 from 6.9K ratings.
Do Solar Walk or StarMap 3D+ Plus have ads?
Neither Solar Walk nor StarMap 3D+ Plus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solar Walk or StarMap 3D+ Plus?
Solar Walk ships an update every 5 months, and StarMap 3D+ Plus every 5 weeks. Most recently, Solar Walk was updated on October 21, 2026 and StarMap 3D+ Plus on October 21, 2026.

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