SkyView® Lite vs Cosmic Atlas
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SkyView® Lite
Identify stars, constellations, satellites, and more by simply pointing your device at the sky. This augmented reality app makes stargazing accessible to everyone, day or night. Explore celestial paths and even travel through time to view the sky on different dates.
- Identify stars, constellations, and satellites
- Augmented Reality (AR) stargazing
- Set reminders for celestial events
- View sky paths for Sun and Moon
- Time travel to view past/future skies
- Capture and share sky images
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SkyView® Lite brings stargazing to everyone! Simply point your iPhone, iPad, or iPod at the sky to identify stars, constellations, satellites, and more! Downloaded over 40 million times. If you like our lite version of SkyView then you'll love our full version! It includes: a convenient Apple Watch app, a Today Widget displaying tonight's brightest objects, ALL in-app purchases offered in this version, thousands more objects to discover, and more! App Store Best of 2012 App Store Rewind 2011 -- Best Education App “If you've ever wanted to know what you're looking at in the night sky, this app is the perfect stargazer's companion.” – CNET "If you’ve ever been looking for a stargazing app for your iPhone, then this [is] definitely the one to get." – AppAdvice “SkyView is an Augmented Reality app that lets you see just what delights the sky has to offer.” – 148Apps Editor’s Choice You don't need to be an astronomer to find stars or constellations in the sky, just open SkyView® Lite and let it guide you to their location and identify them. SkyView® Lite is a beautiful and intuitive stargazing app that uses your camera to precisely spot and identify celestial objects in sky, day or night. Find your favorite constellations as they fade in and out while you scan across the sky, locate the Moon, discover distant galaxies, and witness satellite fly-bys. Features: • Simple: Point your device at the sky to identify galaxies, stars, constellations and satellites (including the ISS and Hubble) passing overhead at your location. • Sightings: set reminders for celestial events and plan an evening stargazing & spotting satellites. • Augmented Reality (AR): Use your camera to spot objects in the sky, day or night. • Sky Paths: Follow the daily sky tracks for the Sun and Moon to see their exact locations in the sky on any date & time. • Time Travel: Jump to the future or the past and see the sky on different dates and times. • Social: Capture and share beautiful images with friends and family on social networks. • Mobile: WiFi is NOT required (does not require a data signal or GPS to function). Take it camping, boating, or even flying! • Supports Space Navigator™ binoculars, spotting scope, and telescopes. What a fun way to teach yourself, your children, your students, or your friends about our wonderful universe!
Cosmic Atlas
Explore a vast, scientifically rendered universe with lifelike exoplanets and detailed celestial bodies. Navigate through trillions of light years with multiple exploration modes, from first-person flight to telescopic identification. Discover and learn about thousands of planets beyond our solar system.
- Explore 5,000+ lifelike exoplanets
- Navigate 180 trillion sq light years
- Six interstellar travel modes
- First-person planet view
- Scientifically accurate renderings
- Telescope identification mode
- Detailed planet information panels
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Go beyond star gazing. Visit nearly 5,000 lifelike exoplanets and navigate 180 trillion square light years of the universe beyond our solar system. Featuring 6 modes of interstellar travel and examination, Cosmic Atlas is an open-world space exploration app for those who look up at the night sky and wonder what we may find in the infinite frontier of the universe. Try it free and fly anywhere in the solar system plus six bonus planetary systems for a total of 50+ stunning planets, moons, and dwarf planets. Upgrade for all the incredible planets and features to explore every corner of the Milky Way mapped by NASA, JPL, ESA, and other international space programs. ::::: VISIT THOUSANDS OF PLANETS ::::: First-person view of 4,987 recently discovered exoplanets with stunning 3D models featuring detailed atmospheres and surfaces using science-driven artist renderings, including: [•] Potentially habitable Earth-like planets in the Habitable Zone that can support liquid water [•] Hot terrestrial planets closer to the system's star with landscapes from windswept sands to volcanic infernos or oppressive Venus-like atmospheres [•] Cold terrestrial planets past the habitable zone covered with rocks, frozen deserts, or sheets of ice [•] Jovian gas giants with colorful cloud layers based on the elements visible in the upper atmosphere at different temperatures [•] Neptunian ice giants with outer clouds that appear glassy smooth or enveloped with strings of cool clouds ::PLUS:: High resolution planets, moons, and dwarf planets in our own Solar System created from enhanced NASA mission images ::::: MASSIVE OPEN COSMIC ENVIRONMENT ::::: [•] Over 180 trillion square light years of the Milky Way ready to explore at it’s true scale [•] 116,000+ unique stars individually colored to match their true color temperature in blue, yellow, or red spectrums [•] 3,710 unique planetary systems with confirmed exoplanets [•] Scientifically accurate star positions and luminosity to see what the night sky looks like from distant worlds [•] Data-rich information panels to learn about planet attributes, parent system, discovery method, and research programs credited with its discovery [•] Flag stars and planets to easily revisit later ::::: SIX EXPLORATION MODES ::::: [New!] Telescope :: to point your phone at the sky to identify planets, stars, and distant planetary systems Pilot :: with first person flight controls and autopilot to lock trajectory toward a selected destination Orbit :: to easily navigate systems and rotate or zoom in to examine planets Navigator :: to find nearby systems and planets or revisit saved planets Database :: to browse the complete catalog find new exoplanets, planetary systems, and stars Search :: to find specific stars and exoplanets or nearby planets, moons, and dwarf planets in our solar system ::::: SETTINGS ::::: HDR Lighting :: Active by default, HDR lighting shows realistic relative brightness of stars and planets. Toggle HDR off for consistent lighting with stars and the Milky Way always visible in the background. Systems Only :: Enable to hide labels for stars without exoplanets in Pilot, Navigator, & Telescope modes. Objects with Info Only :: Enable to hide labels for stars without detailed data available. ::::: DATA SOURCES ::::: Using the latest exoplanet data from programs by NASA and the European Space Agency, Cosmic Atlas is a true-to-scale 3D environment where users can freely explore our small section Milky Way galaxy and examine thousands of newly discovered stars and exoplanets. The latest planetary system data is collected from a number of public research programs, including the University of Puerto Rico's Planetary Habitability Laboratory and the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology, under contract with NASA under the Exoplanet Exploration Program.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SkyView® Lite at 4.5 against Cosmic Atlas's 3.7. SkyView® Lite also leads on ratings volume (19K vs 65) and review sentiment (75% vs 59%). Cosmic Atlas's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. SkyView® Lite sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Cosmic Atlas sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SkyView® Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyView® Lite has 19K ratings behind it against 65, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of SkyView® Lite's written reviews are positive against 59% of Cosmic Atlas's.
SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, Cosmic Atlas every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SkyView® Lite | Cosmic Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (19K ratings) — better | 3.7 (65 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 74.9% of reviews — better | 58.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 19K — better | 65 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #62 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 122 MB | 147 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Terminal Eleven LLC | Cosmic Atlas LLC |
Customer experience
SkyView® Lite
Cosmic Atlas
User reviews
SkyView® Lite
From 19K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Accurate star and planet tracking
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🔭 Helpful for learning about the night sky
- 💫 Engaging and educational for all ages
- 🌌 Realistic AR display of celestial objects
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compass/location issues causing inaccurate positioning
- 🔍 Limited free features, many paid upgrades
- 🤔 Confusing for some users to understand how it works
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Cosmic Atlas
From 65 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Stunning visuals and graphics
- 🌌 Immersive exploration experience
- 📚 Great for learning about the universe
- 💡 Unique and original app
- 🚀 Fast and smooth performance (when working)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and errors
- 💸 Paywalls limit free version
- 🤔 Confusing in-app purchases
- 📱 Text size difficult to read
- 😵 Over-the-top and irritating graphics
Bugs and requests
SkyView® Lite
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes or freezes on some devices
- Outdated information on certain celestial objects
- Compatibility issues with older iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add more celestial objects like satellites, comets, and nebulae
- Improve compass calibration and location accuracy
- Provide more detailed information and facts about stars/planets
- Integrate with virtual reality for immersive stargazing experience
- Add reminders for upcoming astronomical events
Cosmic Atlas
Reported bugs
8 issues- App crashes upon opening
- Kicked out of the game
- Cannot connect to server
- Error that doesn't let user in
- Planets brighten up unexpectedly
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- Dark side of planets brightens up
- Cannot buy upgrades
- App became free after purchase, now requires new purchase for features
Requested features
7 requests- Add more solar system objects
- Fix Haumea's shape
- Add more candidates, dwarf moons, hypothetical objects, spacecrafts, anomalies, random asteroids, meteoroids, and comets
- Add ability to go into planets and see a preview
- Add more galaxies to travel to
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- Add a search page/bar
- Add control for enlarging text
In-app purchases
SkyView® Lite
- Stargazing Music Pack$0.99
- Brightest Satellites & Sightings$0.99
Cosmic Atlas
- Premium Features$0.99
Questions
Is SkyView® Lite free?
Is Cosmic Atlas free?
Which has better reviews, SkyView® Lite or Cosmic Atlas?
Do SkyView® Lite or Cosmic Atlas have ads?
Which is updated more often, SkyView® Lite or Cosmic Atlas?
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