StarCat vs CalMatters
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
StarCat
Stay updated on global rocket launches with real-time information and detailed mission specifics. Receive launch reminders and access a dedicated news section for spaceflight updates. Features Dynamic Island integration for live tracking.
- Live Activity tracking on Dynamic Island
- Detailed mission information
- Launch reminders and notifications
- Spaceflight news section
- Starship development updates
- Reusable rocket landing info
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Track your favorite rockets with StarCat - your ultimate companion for staying in the loop on rocket launches worldwide. Whether you're a seasoned space enthusiast or just curious about the wonders of space exploration, StarCat brings you real-time information and comprehensive details about upcoming rocket launches. 1. Live Activity - Track every launch leveraging your Dynamic Island, best way to receive latest updates on tracked launch, regardless if it's a scrub or delay. 2. Mission Details - Dive deep into the specifics of each mission. Learn about the payload, launch vehicle, mission objectives, orbit information, location of the launch pad and landing information of reusable rockets, such as Falcon 9. 3. Launch Reminders - Never miss a launch again! Get notified before every launch with push notifications (customizable notifications coming in the future). 4. News Section - Get access to latest and featured articles about world of spaceflight with option to save articles you liked. 5. Starship Section - Latest news about Starship and Starbase with specially selected articles about development of our favorite spacecraft. Discover list of all prototypes developed at Starbase and list of all launches up to date - both orbital and sub-orbital - with respective information about their outcomes.
CalMatters
Access in-depth, nonpartisan news and analysis focused on California's quality of life issues. Hold leaders accountable with investigative journalism covering the Golden State and its global economic impact.
- In-depth news analysis
- Focus on quality of life issues
- Investigative journalism
- Accountability reporting
- Covers California and its economy
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CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable. We are the only journalism outlet dedicated to covering America’s biggest state, 39 million Californians and the world’s fifth largest economy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: CalMatters at Free against StarCat's $1.99. CalMatters also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (18 vs 1). StarCat's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases, chart position 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
CalMatters is free to download; StarCat costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CalMatters holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CalMatters has 18 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
StarCat ships an update every 5 weeks, CalMatters fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | StarCat | CalMatters |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #110 — better | #209 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hubert Jozwiak | CalMatters |
Customer experience
StarCat
CalMatters
In-app purchases
StarCat
No in-app purchases
CalMatters
No in-app purchases
