# Popar Planets vs Rocket Simulator

The clearest difference is ads: Popar Planets at none against Rocket Simulator's shown. Popar Planets also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 10%) and rating (4.0 vs 3.8). Rocket Simulator's advantage is ratings volume (422 vs 4). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Popar Planets sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Rocket Simulator sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Popar Planets holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rocket Simulator has 422 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Popar Planets's written reviews are positive against 10% of Rocket Simulator's.

Popar Planets ships an update every 4 months, Rocket Simulator every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Popar Planets | Rocket Simulator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/popar-planets/id569044109/reviews)** | [3.8 (422 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocket-simulator-spaceflight/id1624406379/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **422** |
| Positive reviews | **33.3% of reviews** | 10.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 278 MB | 280 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Popar Toys](https://appshunter.io/developer/521483805) | [Education Terra](https://appshunter.io/developer/946819038) |

## What reviewers say

### Popar Planets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/popar-planets/id569044109)

Explore our Solar System with interactive Augmented and Virtual Reality. Discover planets, probes, and satellites with animations, videos, and educational content. Take photos and videos to share your cosmic adventures.

**Highlights:** Interactive AR animations, Educational read-alongs and facts, 360° environments and sound effects, Virtual Reality mode, Astronaut photo and video capture, Planet resizing, rotation, and zoom

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Virtual Reality Mode Unlock | $1.99 | one-time |


### Rocket Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocket-simulator-spaceflight/id1624406379)

Build and launch your own rockets in augmented reality. Assemble various rocket models, learn about their history and functions, and customize them with AI-generated stickers. Experience space exploration with different missions and modes.

**Highlights:** AR rocket assembly, Rocket model customization, Historical rocket information, AI sticker generation, Flight simulation, Educational facts about rockets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rocket Ship - 1 Week | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Week Subscription | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Rocket Simulator: Spaceflight | $19.99 | per month |
| Rocket Ship Building & Launch | $20.99 | per year |
| 3 Months Subscription | $20.99 | per 3 months |
| 2 Months Subscription | $39.99 | per 2 months |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cool concept
- 👍 Epic game
- 👍 Nice
- 👍 Good game
- 👍 Great game!

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Pay to play
- 💸 Subscription required
- 💸 Expensive
- 💸 Misleading free trial
- 💸 Unusable without payment

**Reported bugs**

- Parts don't connect
- No command center on launch
- Rocket goes to sky and mission complete
- Animations not shown correctly
- Slow rollout animation

**Requested features**

- Add command center
- Add space exploration
- Add more to the game
- Add staging and space rocket control
- Add other planets to land on


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Popar Planets free?

Popar Planets is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Rocket Simulator free?

Rocket Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Popar Planets or Rocket Simulator?

Popar Planets is rated higher. Popar Planets averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Rocket Simulator averages 3.8 from 422 ratings.

### Do Popar Planets or Rocket Simulator have ads?

Rocket Simulator shows ads; Popar Planets does not.

### Which is updated more often, Popar Planets or Rocket Simulator?

Popar Planets ships an update every 4 months, and Rocket Simulator every 2 months. Most recently, Popar Planets was updated on October 2, 2026 and Rocket Simulator on October 16, 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.*