# Night Sky vs Pocket PlanetARium

The clearest difference is ads: Night Sky at none against Pocket PlanetARium's shown. Night Sky also leads on ratings volume (498K vs 64) and chart position (#30 vs unranked). Pocket PlanetARium's advantage is review sentiment (94% vs 63%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Night Sky sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days and Pocket PlanetARium sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Night Sky against 4.6 for Pocket PlanetARium. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Night Sky has 498K ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Night Sky's written reviews are positive against 94% of Pocket PlanetARium's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Night Sky | Pocket PlanetARium |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (498K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-sky/id475772902/reviews)** | [4.6 (64 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-planetarium-explore-ar/id1532774983/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **498K** | 64 |
| Positive reviews | 62.9% of reviews | **93.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#30** | — |
| Size | 530 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iCandi Apps Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/305827577) | [5Play Apps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1342100905) |

## What reviewers say

### Night Sky

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-sky/id475772902)

**Currently charting:** #30 Top Free · Reference, #31 Top Grossing · Reference (US App Store)

Explore the cosmos with an AI-powered planetarium. Identify stars, planets, and satellites by pointing your device at the sky. Discover celestial objects in augmented reality and share your stargazing experiences with others.

**Highlights:** AI personal planetarium, Identify stars, planets, constellations, satellites, Augmented Reality (AR) exploration, AI Super Astronomer (subscription), Customizable Sky Tags, Connected Stargazing with SharePlay, Spatial Audio Object Navigation

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Night Sky + | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Night Sky + | $9.99 | per month |
| Night Sky + Aura | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Night Sky + Aura | $17.99 | per month |
| Night Sky + | $49.99 | per year |
| Night Sky + Aura | $69.99 | per year |
| Night Sky + Aura | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent app for stargazing and learning about the night sky
- 🔭 Detailed information on celestial objects, satellites, and space events
- 🌍 Accurate mapping of the sky to real-world locations
- 🎨 Beautiful visuals and animations
- 🔍 Helpful for identifying stars, planets, and constellations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Frequent prompts to upgrade to premium subscription
- 🔌 Concerns about high battery consumption
- 🤔 Calibration and alignment issues with the AR features
- 🤯 Overwhelming amount of information and features for casual users
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches reported

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing or freezing during use
- Inaccurate mapping of the night sky compared to the real-world view
- Issues with the app continuing to run and consume data in the background even when not in use

**Requested features**

- Option to disable or reduce the frequency of subscription prompts
- Improved accuracy and responsiveness of the AR sky blending
- More customization options to tailor the app experience
- Better support for users in areas with high light pollution
- Ability to search for and locate specific celestial objects more easily


### Pocket PlanetARium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-planetarium-explore-ar/id1532774983)

Explore the cosmos in augmented reality, bringing the universe to life in your surroundings. Walk around and zoom in on planets, experiencing the solar system in 3D with interactive controls and fascinating facts.

**Highlights:** Immersive AR experience, Interactive controls, Fascinating space facts, 3D solar system exploration, Adjustable planet scale

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Night Sky free?

Night Sky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pocket PlanetARium free?

Pocket PlanetARium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Night Sky or Pocket PlanetARium?

Night Sky is rated higher. Night Sky averages 4.7 out of 5 from 498K ratings, while Pocket PlanetARium averages 4.6 from 64 ratings.

### Do Night Sky or Pocket PlanetARium have ads?

Pocket PlanetARium shows ads; Night Sky does not.

### Which is updated more often, Night Sky or Pocket PlanetARium?

Night Sky ships an update monthly, and Pocket PlanetARium monthly. Most recently, Night Sky was updated on October 30, 2026 and Pocket PlanetARium 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.*