Comparison

StarTracker HD vs Planetarium 3D

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

Head to head
About

StarTracker HD

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
Read full description

== Best StarGazing experience @60fps! == == Video: http://tiny.cc/starvideo == --- Top 1 Education app in 34 countries and Top 10 Education app in 79 countries when FREE! Thank you all my dear users, please leave a review or rating if you love this application! --- Hey, get outdoor with your friends and start star gazing! Let StarTracker guide you to explore the universe. Just hold up and point the device to the sky and have fun! You can see any stars, constellations and deep sky objects you are watching in reality. ======================== What our user said: "Best star gazing app I've ever used. Very well put together and great visuals!!! From end to end this app is a must-have for anyone interested in astronomy!!" "This app is a marvel of technology, art, and science. Super smooth operation, great graphics and a great merging of the devices capabilities. Having grown up using star charts and compasses, this app feels like science fiction come to life. Great job!" "Looking at the sky was never this incredible!" "If you download only one app, make sure it's this one!! This is one of the best apps I've ever seen, period! Its quality is unmatched among star gazing apps!" ======================== Features: • Augmented Reality Star Gazing with gyroscope! Just hold up the device. • Sun, Moon, planets and 8000+ stars visible to the naked eyes. • 88 Constellations & 100+ deep sky objects with magnificent graphics. • All data is offline! • Search and Lock the objects in Solar system, 12 Zodiac Constellations, 88 Constellations, Deep Sky Objects and Famous Stars. • 3D compass in AR mode, indicate position of objects your searched. • Location auto set by GPS, or set manually. • Time Machine. Time and date can be adjusted smoothly. • Capture a screenshot and share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or save to Photos. • Smooth motion flow and quick response which is realized by cutting edge signal processing technique. • Superb high quality graphics with full screen anti-aliasing. Usage: • Bottom Right: Hide/Show Main Setting Menu, settings for name display, constellation, deep sky object, night mode, star amount and grid mode. • Top Right: Search Menu (Solar system, 12 Zodiac and 88 Constellations, Deep Sky Object and Famous Stars) • Top Left: Location Menu, choose location from a world map. Below is the Share button. • Top bar: Time Machine Menu, adjust any time/date. • Bottom Left: AR Compass indicator in AR track mode, pan the screen to enter un-track mode and click track button to back. Tips: • When search any object under un-track mode, it will be locked at the center of the screen, then user can adjust time/date to see changes of the related sky. • When under un-track mode, just lift up the screen and point it to the sky to enter AR track mode.

About

Planetarium 3D

Explore the solar system in an interactive 3D environment. Travel to planets, moons, dwarf planets, and asteroids, with detailed facts and stunning visuals. Launch cinematic tours and capture your favorite views.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D solar system model
  • Instant travel to planets and moons
  • Explore dwarf planets and asteroids
  • Cinematic tours with various perspectives
  • Capture and share space views
  • Real science-inspired facts and data
  • Supports multiple Apple devices
Features
Read full description

Planetarium 3D turns the solar system into a place you can actually move through. Spin the system with your fingers, zoom in, tap a world, and launch across space to meet it. Drift past Saturn's rings, drop in on Jupiter's moons, or head far beyond Pluto to explore dwarf planets and distant icy worlds. Choose how you want to travel: - Tap any planet to fly there instantly - Visit moons directly and open fact cards along the way - Explore dwarf planets and named asteroids beyond the main planetary lineup - Launch cinematic tours with different flight styles and perspectives - Capture and share your favorite views This version lets you explore more than the classic solar system view. Alongside the 9 planets and 23 moons (now with Mimas, Iapetus, Miranda), you can now travel to worlds like Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, Haumea, Makemake, Eris, Sedna and Quaoar. Built for curiosity, not complexity: - Beautiful 3D planets, rings, lighting and atmosphere effects - Real science-inspired facts and orbital data - Simple touch controls with quick onboarding - Supports iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV - Available in 19 languages No account. No setup. Just open the app and start flying.

Screenshots

Planetarium 3D4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Planetarium 3D at every 6 weeks against StarTracker HD's every 5 months. Planetarium 3D also leads on price ($1.99 vs $3.99) and device support (3 vs 1). StarTracker HD's advantage is review sentiment (59% vs 50%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

StarTracker HD costs $3.99 and Planetarium 3D $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StarTracker HD ships an update every 5 months, Planetarium 3D every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
StarTracker HD versus Planetarium 3D: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarTracker HDPlanetarium 3D
Price$3.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.0 (43 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews59.4% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings43 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer身吉 潘Solueman Hussain

Customer experience

StarTracker HD

All ratings43 ratings
Positive74.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative20.9%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive59.4%
Neutral12.5%
Negative28.1%

Planetarium 3D

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

StarTracker HD

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • 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
Show 10 more
  • Screen display only showing bottom right corner on iPad Pro 12.9
  • App spinning continuously without stopping
  • Screen orientation lock issues after iOS updates
  • Duplicate app installations appearing
  • iPad 2 compatibility issues despite gyroscope presence
  • Inaccurate celestial object positioning (e.g., M71 placement)
  • Sun position showing incorrectly during daytime
  • Ursa Minor not rotating properly over 24-hour period
  • Menu disappearing after using forward button
  • Half-screen display stuck after exploring tools

Requested features

13 requests
  • 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)
Show 8 more
  • Tap-to-identify popup descriptions for objects
  • Add grid markings and horizon line with directional labels
  • Better zoom control with more detailed object information
  • Ability to manually rotate and correct star map
  • Offline functionality without WiFi requirement
  • Remove or disable astrology content
  • Project capability for classroom screens
  • iPhone version availability

Planetarium 3D

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

StarTracker HD

No in-app purchases

None

Planetarium 3D

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StarTracker HD free?
StarTracker HD costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Planetarium 3D free?
Planetarium 3D costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do StarTracker HD or Planetarium 3D have ads?
Neither StarTracker HD nor Planetarium 3D shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StarTracker HD or Planetarium 3D?
StarTracker HD ships an update every 5 months, and Planetarium 3D every 6 weeks. Most recently, StarTracker HD was updated on October 22, 2026 and Planetarium 3D on October 12, 2026.

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