Comparison

A Solar System Journey vs DIY Solar System

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

A Solar System Journey

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
Read full description

A Journey through our Solar System. This includes all of the planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A few comments and facts about each planet and close up image of the planet is also included. There is also an animated orbit for the planets.

About

DIY Solar System

Explore the solar system with interactive activities and an augmented reality planet walk. Learn about space travel, design a moon base, and identify celestial objects. Developed by leading science institutions, this app makes learning about space engaging for families and educators.

Highlights
  • Interactive space activities
  • Augmented reality planet walk
  • Design a moon base
  • Grow a space garden
  • Control a Mars rover
  • In or Out space game
  • NASA imagery
Features
Read full description

DIY Solar System makes it easy for families and educators to explore the solar system from anywhere, anytime! The app was developed by the Children’s Creativity Museum, Sciencenter, and Museum of Life and Science, in partnership with UC Berkeley’s The Lawrence Hall of Science. INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES DIY Solar System includes 11 easy-to-use activities to learn about space travel, living in space, and the unique objects that make up the planetary system we call home. Design a Moon base, grow your own space garden, or experience what it’s like to control a rover on Mars! Each activity includes step-by-step instructions that have been tested by educators, kids, and families. Activity materials are easily available and inexpensive—you may already have many of them in your home! AUGMENTED REALITY PLANET WALK Don’t have the time to travel several billion miles to reach Neptune? Try dropping a scale version of the solar system outside your home to start a walk that will show you planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids. At each stop, examine the space object up close using real images from NASA. Don’t forget to take a space selfie with your favorite planet! IN OR OUT GAME Quickly scan awe-inspiring images of space objects from NASA’s Earth and space observatories to decide if the objects are in or out of the solar system. While the solar system is vast, it only represents a tiny corner of the universe. After you have mastered your solar system knowledge, challenge yourself to a new round of objects in or out of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Funding Source This work was supported by NASA under award number 80NSSC21M0082. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these programs are those of the author and do not reflect the views of NASA. Compatibility Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone and iPad. Rated 4+.

Screenshots

A Solar System Journey4 screens
DIY Solar System4 screens

Verdict

The call

A Solar System Journey and DIY Solar System both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of DIY Solar System's written reviews are positive against 25% of A Solar System Journey's. DIY Solar System also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). A Solar System Journey's advantage is ratings volume (435 vs 17). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for A Solar System Journey against 4.5 for DIY Solar System. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: A Solar System Journey has 435 ratings behind it against 17, 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 100% of DIY Solar System's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A Solar System Journey ships an update every 6 months, DIY Solar System every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
A Solar System Journey versus DIY Solar System: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA Solar System JourneyDIY Solar System
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (435 ratings)4.5 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings435 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB180 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn RoudaThe Lawrence Hall of Science

Customer experience

A Solar System Journey

All ratings435 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.8%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral22.2%
Negative52.8%

DIY Solar System

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

A Solar System Journey

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • 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
Show 4 more
  • Earth listed as fifth largest planet (should be fourth)
  • Bug with dragging finger across bottom of screen shows messed up text/pictures
  • App is a slow web browser, doesn't work offline
  • Irritating rolling ads in updates

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add dwarf plants and other stuff
  • Add more moons
  • Add more photos
  • Add more data about planets
  • Add Pluto
Show 3 more
  • Improve accuracy of facts
  • Make text zoomable
  • Update app for current solar system facts

DIY Solar System

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

A Solar System Journey

No in-app purchases

None

DIY Solar System

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is A Solar System Journey free?
A Solar System Journey is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DIY Solar System free?
DIY Solar System is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, A Solar System Journey or DIY Solar System?
DIY Solar System is rated higher. A Solar System Journey averages 4.5 out of 5 from 435 ratings, while DIY Solar System averages 4.5 from 17 ratings.
Do A Solar System Journey or DIY Solar System have ads?
A Solar System Journey shows ads; DIY Solar System does not.
Which is updated more often, A Solar System Journey or DIY Solar System?
A Solar System Journey ships an update every 6 months, and DIY Solar System every 2 months. Most recently, A Solar System Journey was updated on November 1, 2026 and DIY Solar System on October 24, 2026.

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