Comparison

Solar System (Lite) 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

Solar System (Lite)

Explore the Solar System with interactive simulations and size comparisons. This educational app makes learning about planets, galaxies, and space exploration engaging for children. It offers a kid-friendly interface with no ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Interactive simulations
  • Size comparisons of celestial bodies
  • Planetary orbital speed visualization
  • Covers Milky Way, Sun, planets, dwarf planets
  • Kid-friendly navigation
  • No ads or in-app purchases
Features
Read full description

The perfect way for kids to experience the Solar System in a hands-on way! This interactive science book contains a select 18 pages from the full version of the app. ----- INTERACTIVE CONTENT ----- Even as an adult, it can be difficult to visualize just how massive the Sun is or how fast the different planets orbit the Sun. This app uses interactive simulations to allow children to explore these hard to visualize topics in a hands-on way. •••• Size Comparison •••• This page allows children to compare the sizes of many Solar System objects. Comparable objects include the Sun, the planets, major moons, and all the dwarf planets. •••• Planetary Revolutions •••• The planets are shown orbiting the Sun at their comparative speeds. Selecting Neptune reveals it takes 164.8 Earth years to orbit the Sun once while the inner planets seem to orbit the Sun at a dizzying speed. Select Mercury, with a year of 88 Earth days, and the outer planets barely seem to move at all. ----- TOPICS COVERED ----- • The Milky Way galaxy • The Sun • A list of the planets • A list of the dwarf planets • Planetary size comparisons • Planet orbital speeds • The history of space exploration ----- KID FRIENDLY ----- • Easy to use page navigation and search • NO ads • NO in-app purchases ----- FULL VERSION ----- For a more in depth look at the Solar System, consider buying the full version. The full version contains 58 pages of content! •••• Parents •••• The full version of the app is sure to captivate any child with its myriad of interesting facts, striking visuals, and engaging 3D simulations. Not only is the content fascinating to explore, it's educational too! Designed with grade school curriculum in mind, the app covers the major topics of the Solar System while explaining concepts in an easy to understand manner. •••• Teachers •••• Many schools with iPads in the classroom have already used the full version of the app with great success. The interactive content is well suited for teaching complex topics such as planetary seasons and the vast distances of the Solar System. Children can explore this information independently or with the aid of a teacher. ----- MORE INFORMATION ----- Visit http://vosonos.net/product/solar-system-lite

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

DIY Solar System4 screens

Verdict

The call

Solar System (Lite) 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 83% of Solar System (Lite)'s. DIY Solar System also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Solar System (Lite)'s advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Solar System (Lite) against 4.5 for DIY Solar System. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23 and 16 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Solar System (Lite)'s written reviews are positive against 100% of DIY Solar System's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solar System (Lite) ships an update every 3 months, DIY Solar System every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 6, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Solar System (Lite) versus DIY Solar System: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar System (Lite)DIY Solar System
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (23 ratings)4.5 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings23 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB180 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVosonos LLCThe Lawrence Hall of Science

Customer experience

Solar System (Lite)

All ratings23 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

DIY Solar System

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

In-app purchases

None

Solar System (Lite)

No in-app purchases

None

DIY Solar System

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar System (Lite) free?
Solar System (Lite) 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, Solar System (Lite) or DIY Solar System?
Solar System (Lite) and DIY Solar System are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 23 and 16 ratings respectively.
Do Solar System (Lite) or DIY Solar System have ads?
Neither Solar System (Lite) nor DIY Solar System shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solar System (Lite) or DIY Solar System?
Solar System (Lite) ships an update every 3 months, and DIY Solar System every 2 months. Most recently, Solar System (Lite) was updated on July 6, 2026 and DIY Solar System on June 3, 2026.

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