# Mars Globe HD vs StarTracker HD

The clearest difference is rating: Mars Globe HD at 4.8 against StarTracker HD's 4.0. Mars Globe HD also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 67%) and price ($0.99 vs $3.99). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Mars Globe HD costs $0.99 and StarTracker HD $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Mars Globe HD holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 54 and 43 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Mars Globe HD's written reviews are positive against 67% of StarTracker HD's.

Mars Globe HD ships an update every 3 months, StarTracker HD every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mars Globe HD | StarTracker HD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$0.99** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (54 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-globe-hd/id376020224/reviews)** | [4.0 (43 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/startracker-hd-mobile-skymap/id449605942/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **54** | 43 |
| Positive reviews | **82.7% of reviews** | 67.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 526 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Midnight Martian](https://appshunter.io/developer/284473660) | [身吉 潘](https://appshunter.io/developer/341563645) |

## What reviewers say

### Mars Globe HD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-globe-hd/id376020224)

Explore the Red Planet with a detailed virtual globe. This app features a high-resolution satellite map, topographic lighting, and annotated surface features. Discover intriguing locations with an introduction and guided tour, or explore freely.

**Highlights:** High-resolution satellite map of Mars, Advanced topographic lighting, Annotated surface features (1500+), Introduction and guided tour, Free exploration mode

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Visually stunning and detailed
- 💡 Informative and educational
- 🚀 Smooth and intuitive navigation
- 🌟 Great for astronomy enthusiasts
- 📱 Pocket-sized Mars exploration

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Lacks recent mission data (Curiosity, Perseverance)
-  blurry HD textures on modern iOS
- 📉 Outdated information
- ❓ Dead NASA links
- 🐌 Slow download/update times

**Reported bugs**

- Dead NASA links
- Blurry HD textures on modern iOS
- Navigation issues near poles
- Choppy playback after updates
- Jittery movement during rotation

**Requested features**

- Add Sun, Earth, and moons Phobos/Deimos
- More defined sun color
- Update with InSight and Perseverance landing sites
- Add a reset button
- Input latitude and longitude


### StarTracker HD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/startracker-hd-mobile-skymap/id449605942)

Explore the night sky with this augmented reality planetarium. Identify stars, constellations, planets, and deep sky objects by simply pointing your device at the sky. All data is available offline.

**Highlights:** Augmented Reality Star Gazing, Identify 8000+ stars, planets, and constellations, Offline data access, Search and lock celestial objects, Time Machine feature, High-quality graphics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth, fluid graphics and responsive gyroscope tracking
- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 🌟 Beautiful HD visuals and stunning design
- 📍 Accurate real-time sky positioning and planet/constellation identification
- 🎓 Excellent educational tool for learning astronomy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on various devices
- 🐛 Compass/gyroscope malfunction issues
- 🐛 Screen display problems on larger tablets
- ❌ Limited functionality and educational depth
- ❌ Lack of object information and descriptions

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup or during use
- Compass direction incorrect (north pointing wrong direction)
- Gyroscope not responding or locked
- Share button causes crashes
- Forward/share button greying out and causing screen loss

**Requested features**

- Add search functionality for celestial objects
- Include ISS and satellite tracking
- Display object information (distance, magnitude, color, brightness)
- Add ecliptic line visibility option
- Show coordinate information (RA, Dec, Alt, Azimuth)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mars Globe HD free?

Mars Globe HD costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is StarTracker HD free?

StarTracker HD costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mars Globe HD or StarTracker HD?

Mars Globe HD is rated higher. Mars Globe HD averages 4.8 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while StarTracker HD averages 4.0 from 43 ratings.

### Do Mars Globe HD or StarTracker HD have ads?

Neither Mars Globe HD nor StarTracker HD shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mars Globe HD or StarTracker HD?

Mars Globe HD ships an update every 3 months, and StarTracker HD every 5 months. Most recently, Mars Globe HD was updated on November 6, 2026 and StarTracker HD on November 1, 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.*
