Comparison

SpaceStationAR vs Planet Pointer

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Planet Pointer

Features
Read full description

Planet Pointer turns your phone into a pocket sky guide. Pick one target — a planet, a star, a constellation, a satellite or a deep-sky object — and an on-screen arrow, a dashed guide line, or both, lead you until your phone is aimed right at it. Or point the camera at something you don't recognise and let the app tell you what it is. Simple, focused, and accurate. POINT AT THE SKY Choose what you want to find and follow the guide. When you're locked on target, the phone confirms with a gentle vibration. If your target is below the horizon, the app tells you what time it rises. The live camera view helps you line up the guide with the real sky. WHAT'S THAT? IDENTIFY MODE Point the camera at anything in the sky and tap it to identify it. A phone compass is only accurate to about 5°, so the app never hands you a confident answer it cannot back up: you get the most likely object with a match percentage, plus anything else near enough to be a real possibility. Turn on constellation lines if you like them, or keep the stars bare. Ask which star that is and get an honest answer instead of a guess. TONIGHT, FREE See what is actually up right now: the Moon and its phase, which planets are visible and until what time, and the next satellite pass you could genuinely see with your own eyes. No purchase and no setup. WHAT YOU CAN FIND - The Sun, the Moon and all 7 planets - 33 of the brightest named stars - All 88 constellations, drawn as connect-the-dots figures over the live sky - Deep sky: nebulae, galaxies and star clusters — Orion, Andromeda, the Pleiades and more - Live satellites — including the ISS, Hubble, Starlink and more — tracked in real time, with upcoming passes and how easy each one will be to see - Rise, transit and set times for every object, in your location's own time zone ACCURATE & OFFLINE Positions are calculated on your device using a precise astronomy engine, with true-north correction from the World Magnetic Model. No internet needed for the core features. MORE TO EXPLORE - Sky Events: eclipses, meteor showers, equinoxes and solstices, supermoons, planet oppositions and the next visible ISS pass — tap one to jump there. Moon phases are always free, and so are the two nearest events. - A Moon phase view, with the crescent tilted the way it really looks from where you are, and the whole month to scroll through - Time Travel (Pro): shift the sky forward or back in time to see where everything will be - Info cards with facts, figures and mythology for every body and constellation - Favourites, brightness/magnitude data, and a search you can filter to "visible now" SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE 13 languages built in, and 66 more available to download with Pro — 79 in all, with translated planet, star and constellation names. BUILT FOR STARGAZING - Night-vision red mode to protect your dark-adapted eyes - Spoken sky: hear your target and aim guidance read aloud - Choose km or miles, set your location manually, and more FREE & PRO Free, forever: the camera pointer, the Sun, the Moon and all 7 planets, the Tonight view, rise and set times, the Moon phase view, and a few famous stars, constellations, deep-sky objects and satellites to try — everything that is free in the lists is free in identify mode too. Planet Pointer Pro is a single one-time purchase — no subscription — that unlocks every star, constellation, deep-sky object and satellite, Time Travel, the full Sky Events list, unlimited favourites, the full night-vision options and every language download. PRIVACY FIRST No account. No ads. No trackers. Your location and camera are used only on your device to point you at the sky — they're never recorded or sent anywhere. Look up. Point. Find it.

Screenshots

SpaceStationAR4 screens
Planet Pointer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Planet Pointer at Free against SpaceStationAR's $2.99. Planet Pointer also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). SpaceStationAR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (4 vs 1). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Planet Pointer is free to download; SpaceStationAR costs $2.99 up front. Planet Pointer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SpaceStationAR asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SpaceStationAR ships an update every 10 days, Planet Pointer every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SpaceStationAR versus Planet Pointer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpaceStationARPlanet Pointer
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (117 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews65.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings117 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToriningen Co.,Ltd.Haviv Tarazi

In-app purchases

None

SpaceStationAR

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Planet Pointer

One-time1
  • Planet Pointer Pro$4.99

Questions

Is SpaceStationAR free?
SpaceStationAR costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Planet Pointer free?
Planet Pointer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SpaceStationAR or Planet Pointer have ads?
Neither SpaceStationAR nor Planet Pointer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SpaceStationAR or Planet Pointer?
SpaceStationAR ships an update every 10 days, and Planet Pointer every 4 days. Most recently, SpaceStationAR was updated on October 25, 2026 and Planet Pointer on October 24, 2026.

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