SpaceStationAR vs OrbitSmith
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SpaceStationAR
Visualize satellites, stars, and galaxies in augmented reality. Track the International Space Station, Starlink trains, and more overlaid on your surroundings. Access celestial charts, event calendars, and receive notifications for upcoming passes.
- AR satellite pass simulation
- Real-time satellite tracking
- Display of stars, galaxies, and spacecraft
- Satellite orbits on maps and charts
- Calendar of upcoming passes and launches
- Satellite pass notifications
- Night Observation Mode
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SpaceStationAR is an augmented reality (AR) application that simulates the visibility of satellites in the night sky. With SpaceStationAR, you can easily spot the brilliant International Space Station, spectacular Starlink Trains, and various satellites at the forefront of space exploration with your own eyes! As your iPhone or iPad camera captures the scenery around you, SpaceStationAR overlays passes of the International Space Station, the Starlink Train (a group of Starlink satellites), and the Chinese Space Station onto the actual scenery. You can also use the app to find bright stars, galaxies, spacecrafts like Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, and even see the direction of major cities beyond the ground. SpaceStationAR also indicates the positions of geostationary satellites, making it a valuable tool for antenna installation. It can even forecast potential atmospheric re-entries of satellites. You can easily access satellite orbits on maps and celestial charts in addition to the AR views. The "Calendar" tab displays events like upcoming satellite passes and rocket launches within the next two weeks. You can choose a pass from the list and simulate it in AR. SpaceStationAR also comes with an Apple Watch app and a "Today" widget. If you have a compatible device, you can conveniently check a simplified satellite forecast list without needing to open the main app. List of Features * AR simulation of satellite passes overlaid on real landscapes * Real-time tracking of passing satellites (Exclusive to the paid version) * Display of stars, galaxies, black holes, planetary probes, satellites, and world cities in AR (Visibility can be customized by type) * Visualization of satellite passes on maps and celestial charts (Celestial chart feature is available in the paid version) * Presentation of satellite orbits and current locations on a global map * Calendar listing satellite passes within the next two weeks * Support for newly launched satellites * Turn on "Night Observation Mode" to switch AR and the celestial chart to a red-and-black color scheme, helping your eyes stay adapted to the dark (Night Observation Mode is available in the paid version) * Offline app usage * Forecasts potential atmospheric re-entries of satellites (currently in beta) * Satellite pass notifications: Set notification times from 15 minutes to 6 hours before the event for accurate alerts. (Please allow background location updates for precise notifications. Disabling this feature may lead to inaccurate notifications when traveling long distances with the app closed.) The LITE version of the app restricts AR mode display to 30 minutes before satellite passes and does not provide real-time AR functionality. Additionally, advertisements will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. http://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/torisat/id361194118?mt=8
OrbitSmith
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OrbitSmith is a free, open-source space situational awareness toolkit that puts the orbital environment at your fingertips. REAL-TIME 3D TRACKER Visualize 30,000+ objects orbiting Earth — active satellites, rocket bodies, and debris — rendered in real-time 3D with Blue Marble Earth textures. Tap any object to see its orbital details, search by name or NORAD ID, and track conjunction events from Space-Track CDM data. VISIBLE PASS PREDICTIONS Know exactly when to look up. OrbitSmith predicts visible passes of ISS, Tiangong, Starlink, and hundreds of bright satellites using SGP4 orbital propagation with real TLE data. Interactive sky charts with 44 reference stars help you find the satellite in the sky. NOTIFICATIONS & WIDGETS Never miss a bright pass. Receive push notifications before ISS and other satellites become visible, and check your next pass at a glance with lock screen and home screen widgets. MISSION DESIGNER Design satellite missions with a 5-step wizard. Choose from 7 mission templates, configure orbital parameters, run power/link/thermal/mass/orbit decay analysis, and find compatible launch vehicles from a database of 10 rockets. SATELLITE IMAGERY Browse 21 layers of satellite imagery from NASA, ESA, and ESRI — including MODIS true color, VIIRS night lights, sea surface temperature, vegetation health, and Sentinel-2 cloudless. All orbital data sourced from the U.S. Space Force via Space-Track.org.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: OrbitSmith at Free against SpaceStationAR's $2.99. SpaceStationAR's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On ads, in-app purchases 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
OrbitSmith is free to download; SpaceStationAR costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SpaceStationAR ships an update weekly, OrbitSmith every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SpaceStationAR | OrbitSmith |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (117 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 117 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Toriningen Co.,Ltd. | Seita Iizuka |
In-app purchases
SpaceStationAR
No in-app purchases
OrbitSmith
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SpaceStationAR free?
Is OrbitSmith free?
Do SpaceStationAR or OrbitSmith have ads?
Which is updated more often, SpaceStationAR or OrbitSmith?
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