Jupiter Atlas vs 12parsecs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Jupiter Atlas
Explore interactive 3D globes of Jupiter's four Galilean moons. Zoom in to reveal detailed labels, tap for more information, and view celestial phases. Customize orientation and explore over 680 named features.
- Interactive 3D globes of Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
- Pinch and zoom gestures for detailed exploration
- Tap labels for feature information
- Adjustable moon phase and orientation
- Searchable feature database
- Real-time celestial data display
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Explore 3D globes of Jupiter's Galilean moons Use pinch and finger gestures to manipulate a 3D globe of one of four of Jupiter's Galilean moons. As you zoom in more labels appear as finer detail comes into view. You can double tap on the labels to get more information about a particular feature. Jupiter Atlas displays the approximate phase, axial tilt and central meridian of the selected moon from your chosen location and time, and renders these on the globe. You can switch to a 'Globe' mode that allows you to spin the moon around to see the whole globe. The feature database is searchable and can move the globe to a searched feature. The phase can be switched off to show the whole globe more clearly. The moon's globe can be shown with north or south at the top or inverted to suit different telescope views. Over 680 named features across four moons are included. These moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. The phase view shows the current view of Jupiter itself including the position of the Great Red Spot and the approximate axial tilt and central meridian. You can swipe left and right on the phase view to go backwards and forwards a day. When you turn the device to landscape mode a wider view is shown with the Galilean moons in their approximate positions for the time selected. Date, time and location can be changed. There is also a realtime mode that will update to the current time. Atlases for the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus and Saturn are also available on the App Store!
12parsecs
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12parsecs provides conversion between commonly used astronomical units: parsecs kilometres astronomical units light years Features: Randomly selects background upon launch swipe left/right to change background tap results fields to show distances in non-scientific format Additional star data shown for stars 12pc from earth press units selector for more than 1 second for definition of unit definitions via wikipedia page available in: English French German
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: 12parsecs at Free against Jupiter Atlas's $2.99. On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
12parsecs is free to download; Jupiter Atlas costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Jupiter Atlas ships an update every 4 months, 12parsecs every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Jupiter Atlas | 12parsecs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Julian James | Alan Glasby |
In-app purchases
Jupiter Atlas
No in-app purchases
12parsecs
No in-app purchases






