# Distant Suns 5 vs Orbital Contact

The clearest difference is price: Orbital Contact at Free against Distant Suns 5's $2.99. Orbital Contact also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months). Distant Suns 5's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). On in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Orbital Contact is free to download; Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99 up front. Distant Suns 5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Orbital Contact sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Distant Suns 5 ships an update every 5 months, Orbital Contact every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Distant Suns 5 | Orbital Contact |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.3 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/distant-suns-5/id363418936/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **97** | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 815 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Mike Smithwick](https://appshunter.io/developer/294198918) | [Rafael Melo de Farias](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776351277) |

## What reviewers say

### Distant Suns 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/distant-suns-5/id363418936)

Explore the cosmos with a realistic and user-friendly astronomy app. Discover constellations, planets, and celestial events with detailed information and stunning visuals. Perfect for both casual stargazers and serious astronomers.

**Highlights:** Realistic night sky display, View from Earth or solar system, Over 18 million stars, Integrated NASA space events, Stories behind constellations, Night vision color mode, Hubble Space Telescope images

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hubble Guide Star Catalog | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent astronomy app
- 🔭 Comprehensive features for stargazing
- 🌍 Helpful for learning about the night sky
- 🔍 Useful for planning observing sessions
- 🌌 Stunning visuals and graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs in recent updates
- 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive interface changes
- 📱 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 🔍 Difficulty finding and selecting objects
- 🔍 Missing or inaccurate information

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when accessing preferences
- Inability to sync with iCloud
- Unresponsive or freezing app
- Incorrect or outdated information displayed
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices

**Requested features**

- Add more detailed information on celestial objects
- Improve compass and tracking functionality
- Provide better support for astrophotography
- Introduce a dark mode for night viewing
- Add more customization options for the user interface


### Orbital Contact

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbital-contact/id6783121636)

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Distant Suns 5 free?

Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Orbital Contact free?

Orbital Contact is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Distant Suns 5 or Orbital Contact have ads?

Orbital Contact shows ads; Distant Suns 5 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Distant Suns 5 or Orbital Contact?

Distant Suns 5 ships an update every 5 months, and Orbital Contact every 5 weeks. Most recently, Distant Suns 5 was updated on November 1, 2026 and Orbital Contact on October 31, 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.*