Comparison

StarMap 3D+ Plus vs Star Rover

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

Head to head
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
Currently charting
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

About

Star Rover

Explore the night sky with this interactive planetarium. Identify stars, planets, and constellations by simply pointing your device. Discover celestial objects, view moon phases, and even simulate future or past sky events.

Highlights
  • Real-time sky map updates
  • Identify stars, planets, constellations
  • View moon phases and nebulae
  • Manual location and time settings
  • Over 120,000 stars
  • 88 constellations with artwork
Read full description

Do you love the starry night? Do you want to know everything in the sky? Star Rover is the fantastic planetarium for your iPhone and iPod touch. Just hold up your iPhone and Star Rover will tell you exactly what you are pointing at. Star Rover determines your location automatically. You'll see the stars, moon, planets, constellations in their proper place from your current location. As you move your iPhone, the star map updates in real time. Star Rover makes the virtual sky a gorgeous view. You can see star twinkling, beautiful nebulae, occasional meteor and even sunset glow in the evening. Star Rover is very easy to use. You can simply change the sky view in settings and use Quick Find for everything you want to know in the night sky. Star Rover lets you set your location manually so you can see the sky from any part of the world. It also lets you travel to the future or the past and see the sky on different dates and times. If you are planning for a solar eclipse, this is the app you need. Features - Over 120,000 stars. - All 88 constellations with beautiful artworks. - Planets and their moons with stunning graphics. - Moon phases. - Real images of Messier objects. - Sky objects information. - Realistic Milky Way. - Equatorial and azimuthal grids. - Sky view underneath the horizon. - Visual magnitude adjustment. - Manually time & date setting. - Manually location setting. - Quick Find. - Point and view (iPhone only, compass support required).

Screenshots

StarMap 3D+ Plus4 screens
Star Rover4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Star Rover at none against StarMap 3D+ Plus's 1. Star Rover also leads on price ($1.99 vs $2.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.6). StarMap 3D+ Plus's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (6.9K vs 414). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support 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

StarMap 3D+ Plus costs $2.99 and Star Rover $1.99 up front. StarMap 3D+ Plus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Star Rover asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for StarMap 3D+ Plus against 4.7 for Star Rover. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: StarMap 3D+ Plus has 6.9K ratings behind it against 414, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of StarMap 3D+ Plus's written reviews are positive against 89% of Star Rover's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StarMap 3D+ Plus ships an update every 5 weeks, Star Rover every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
StarMap 3D+ Plus versus Star Rover: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarMap 3D+ PlusStar Rover
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.8 (6.9K ratings) — better4.7 (414 ratings)
Positive reviews86.1% of reviews89.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.9K — better414
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#146 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS16.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size576 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSanville Software寒飞 易

Customer experience

StarMap 3D+ Plus

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

Star Rover

All ratings411 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews700 reviews
Positive89.4%
Neutral2.7%
Negative7.9%

User reviews

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

Star Rover

From 414 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Excellent star-gazing app
  • 🔍 Helpful for identifying stars and constellations
  • 🌌 Detailed information on celestial objects
  • 🌠 Useful for amateur astronomers and enthusiasts
  • 🌌 Accurate and up-to-date sky mapping

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with accuracy and alignment
  • 🔍 Difficulty zooming in on small details
  • 🔋 High battery consumption when used extensively
  • 📱 Compatibility issues with certain device models

Bugs and requests

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

Star Rover

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes when trying to access certain features
  • Incorrect location detection leading to inaccurate sky mapping

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add weather information to predict cloud cover
  • Implement a red night mode for better visibility
  • Introduce a search function to easily find celestial objects
  • Allow users to save custom star gazing locations

In-app purchases

1 purchases

StarMap 3D+ Plus

One-time1
  • More Stars$1.99
None

Star Rover

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StarMap 3D+ Plus free?
StarMap 3D+ Plus costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Star Rover free?
Star Rover costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, StarMap 3D+ Plus or Star Rover?
StarMap 3D+ Plus is rated higher. StarMap 3D+ Plus averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Star Rover averages 4.7 from 414 ratings.
Do StarMap 3D+ Plus or Star Rover have ads?
Neither StarMap 3D+ Plus nor Star Rover shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StarMap 3D+ Plus or Star Rover?
StarMap 3D+ Plus ships an update every 5 weeks, and Star Rover every 5 months. Most recently, StarMap 3D+ Plus was updated on November 8, 2026 and Star Rover on November 6, 2026.

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