# Solar Walk vs Space Gate

The clearest difference is price: Solar Walk at $4.99 against Space Gate's $12.99. Solar Walk also leads on ratings volume (8.1K vs 200). Space Gate's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (86% vs 72%). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Solar Walk costs $4.99 and Space Gate $12.99 up front. Solar Walk sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Space Gate sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Solar Walk against 4.8 for Space Gate. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solar Walk has 8.1K ratings behind it against 200, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Solar Walk's written reviews are positive against 86% of Space Gate's.

Solar Walk ships an update every 5 months, Space Gate weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Solar Walk | Space Gate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$4.99** | $12.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (8.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-walk-space-simulator-3d/id347546771/reviews) | **[4.8 (200 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/space-gate-ar-solar-system/id6474214531/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8.1K** | 200 |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews | **85.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 451 MB | 156 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vito Technology Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/289641503) | [Ali Samaei](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721049950) |

## What reviewers say

### Solar Walk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-walk-space-simulator-3d/id347546771)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mission of Cassini-Huygens | Free | one-time |
| Cycles of the Earth System | Free | one-time |
| Major Circles of Latitude | Free | one-time |
| Movies Bundle | Free | one-time |
| 3D Satellites in Real Time | Free | one-time |
| Planets of the Solar System | Free | one-time |
| What is a Solar Eclipse? | Free | one-time |
| The Moon Phases Explanation | Free | one-time |
| Zodiacal Constellations | Free | one-time |
| High Resolution Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| All Additional Content - Sale | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Space Gate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/space-gate-ar-solar-system/id6474214531)

Explore the universe with interactive 3D and AR experiences of the solar system. Discover celestial bodies, engage with live astronomy news, and even interact with black holes. Tailored for learning and education.

**Highlights:** 3D and AR solar system exploration, Interactive black hole simulations, Live astronomy magazine, Educational celestial catalogs, Capture and save celestial snapshots

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $6.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Subscription | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Stunning 3D graphics and visual quality
- 🌍 Immersive AR experience for exploring planets
- 📚 Comprehensive educational content about space
- 🎓 Excellent tool for teachers and students
- 📸 Screenshot/snapshot capture functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Misleading free-to-play pricing model
- 🔒 Unexpected in-app purchase charges
- 🎮 Unintuitive navigation and UI
- 🐛 Orbital mechanics inaccuracies
- 🌙 Moon tidal locking not correctly simulated

**Reported bugs**

- Moon not tidally locked to Earth
- Moon orbiting Earth in wrong direction
- Planets orbiting sun in opposing/incorrect directions
- Uranus moons glitched
- Venus orbital speed faster than Mercury

**Requested features**

- Ability to set any planet as immobile center point
- More free planets without paywall
- Additional galaxies beyond solar system
- Toggle for planet/moon/star name labels
- Time-lapse function with variable speeds


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Solar Walk free?

Solar Walk costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Space Gate free?

Space Gate costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Solar Walk or Space Gate?

Space Gate is rated higher. Solar Walk averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.1K ratings, while Space Gate averages 4.8 from 200 ratings.

### Do Solar Walk or Space Gate have ads?

Neither Solar Walk nor Space Gate shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Solar Walk or Space Gate?

Solar Walk ships an update every 5 months, and Space Gate weekly. Most recently, Solar Walk was updated on September 24, 2026 and Space Gate on August 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*