# A Solar System Journey vs Pocket Planets

A Solar System Journey and Pocket Planets both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 67% of Pocket Planets's written reviews are positive against 25% of A Solar System Journey's. Pocket Planets also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). A Solar System Journey's advantage is ratings volume (435 vs 22). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for A Solar System Journey against 4.6 for Pocket Planets. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: A Solar System Journey has 435 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 25% of A Solar System Journey's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pocket Planets's.

A Solar System Journey ships an update every 6 months, Pocket Planets every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | A Solar System Journey | Pocket Planets |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (435 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-solar-system-journey/id444804070/reviews) | **[4.6 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-planets/id1496547610/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **435** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Size | 15 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [John Rouda](https://appshunter.io/developer/396597129) | [Ad Lunam Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag](https://appshunter.io/developer/1496547609) |

## What reviewers say

### A Solar System Journey

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-solar-system-journey/id444804070)

Explore our solar system with detailed information and images for each planet. Discover facts, view animated orbits, and learn about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

**Highlights:** Detailed planet information, Close-up planet images, Animated planet orbits, Facts about each planet, Covers all major planets

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Nice graphics
- ✨ Kool presentation
- ✨ Interesting solar system facts
- ✨ Helpful for astronomy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 App freezes
- 🐛 App won't download
- 🐛 Planets rotate backwards
- 🐛 Incorrect astronomical facts

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't work after download
- Cannot exit planet view
- App crashes on opening
- Planets rotate and orbit backwards
- Mercury and Earth both listed as densest

**Requested features**

- Add dwarf plants and other stuff
- Add more moons
- Add more photos
- Add more data about planets
- Add Pluto


### Pocket Planets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-planets/id1496547610)

Explore our solar system with detailed information on planets, moons, and astronauts. Track who is currently in space and receive notifications for new launches. Access NASA images and compare celestial body characteristics.

**Highlights:** Detailed planet and moon data, Astronaut information and missions, Real-time space occupancy, Launch notifications, NASA image gallery, Celestial body comparisons

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is A Solar System Journey free?

A Solar System Journey is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pocket Planets free?

Pocket Planets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, A Solar System Journey or Pocket Planets?

Pocket Planets is rated higher. A Solar System Journey averages 4.5 out of 5 from 435 ratings, while Pocket Planets averages 4.6 from 22 ratings.

### Do A Solar System Journey or Pocket Planets have ads?

Both A Solar System Journey and Pocket Planets show ads.

### Which is updated more often, A Solar System Journey or Pocket Planets?

A Solar System Journey ships an update every 6 months, and Pocket Planets every 3 weeks. Most recently, A Solar System Journey was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pocket Planets on October 24, 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.*