SkyView® Lite vs Planet Orbiter VR
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!
Planet Orbiter VR
Explore breathtaking views of Earth, Mars, and the Moon from low orbit. Fly around celestial bodies and discover famous landmarks or distant corners. Enjoy an immersive experience with or without VR glasses.
- Low orbit exploration
- Views of Earth, Mars, and Moon
- VR headset support
- Non-VR mode available
- Detailed planet surface data
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So far away and yet so close. The breathtaking view on Earth, Mars and Moon, the lower orbit. Fly around the planet, visit the most distant corners or the most famous ones. Let your curiosity take over and enjoy views on Earth, Mars and Moon based on extensive planet surface data. It is about you in the lower orbit. With VR glasses and without You will get the most thrilling experience from Planet Orbiter VR with VR glasses. Don't have VR glasses around right now? There is still a great visit of lower orbit ahead of you. Note Planet Orbiter VR is still in development, we are looking forward to bringing you more new lower orbit experience.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planet Orbiter VR at 100% against SkyView® Lite's 65%. Planet Orbiter VR also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). SkyView® Lite's advantage is ratings volume (19K vs 6) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). 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 Planet Orbiter VR 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 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyView® Lite has 19K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of SkyView® Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of Planet Orbiter VR's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, Planet Orbiter VR every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SkyView® Lite | Planet Orbiter VR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (19K ratings) — better | 4.3 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 19K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #116 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 122 MB | 109 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Terminal Eleven LLC | INOVE, s.r.o. |
Customer experience
SkyView® Lite
Planet Orbiter VR
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
Planet Orbiter VR
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SkyView® Lite
- Stargazing Music Pack$0.99
- Brightest Satellites & Sightings$0.99
Planet Orbiter VR
- Additional lower orbit views$5.99
Questions
Is SkyView® Lite free?
Is Planet Orbiter VR free?
Which has better reviews, SkyView® Lite or Planet Orbiter VR?
Do SkyView® Lite or Planet Orbiter VR have ads?
Which is updated more often, SkyView® Lite or Planet Orbiter VR?
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