Comparison

LaunchX vs Liftoff

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

Head to head
About

LaunchX

Stay updated on all rocket launches with real-time countdowns, schedules, and official livestream links. Track missions from major space agencies and receive customizable push notifications for liftoffs and significant events. Explore premium features like satellite tracking and aurora forecasts.

Highlights
  • Live rocket launch countdowns
  • Real-time schedule updates
  • Official livestream links
  • Push notifications for launches
  • Launch calendar with mission details
  • SpaceX, NASA, and Artemis tracking
  • Premium satellite and ISS tracking
Features
Read full description

Never miss a rocket launch again. Join thousands of space fans tracking every launch live, from SpaceX Starship and Falcon 9 to NASA, Artemis and 50+ space agencies. Second-accurate countdowns, instant alerts and links to the live streams. LIVE COUNTDOWNS AND ALERTS Follow every upcoming launch in one clean feed. Set alerts 24 hours, 1 hour or minutes before liftoff, for every mission or only the big ones like Starship and Artemis. If a launch is scrubbed, you get a silent update. No alarm at 3am for a rocket that is not flying. LAUNCH COUNTDOWN WIDGETS Keep a live countdown to the next liftoff on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. See it at a glance without opening the app. The widget updates on its own and rolls to the next mission the moment one ends. WATCH LIVE Every launch links straight to the official stream. Open the app, tap watch, see liftoff. Works with SpaceX webcasts, NASA TV and international broadcasts. BOOSTER LANDINGS AND MISSION DATA Know when SpaceX attempts a booster landing and whether it sticks. Dive into the details: which rocket, which payload, which orbit, all from official sources. ARTEMIS AND THE MOON Humanity is going back to the Moon. Track every Artemis mission and the road to the next crewed Moon landing. PREMIUM: COMPLETE SPACE TOOLKIT Go beyond launches with a live ISS tracker, Starlink visibility, an interactive satellite map, aurora forecasts, Mars rover photos and moon phases. WHY LAUNCHX Built by space fans tired of unreliable apps and cluttered news sites. One app that answers the simple questions: what launches next, when, and did it lift off? Download LaunchX and never miss a launch. Terms of Service: https://haukel.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://haukel.com/privacy-policy

About

Liftoff

Stay updated on all rocket launches globally with real-time alerts and live stream links. Pin countdowns to your home screen and access detailed mission information, even offline. Features live flight data when available.

Highlights
  • Global rocket launch schedule
  • Customizable push alerts
  • Live stream integration
  • Home screen widgets
  • Offline launch data
  • Live flight data display
Features
Read full description

Every rocket launch worldwide, in one feed sorted by what's next. Liftoff wakes you up before T-0, pins a live countdown to your home screen, and drops you straight into the official stream when a launch goes live. Free, no ads, no account. Every Falcon 9, every Starship, every Electron, every Atlas, every Ariane — one schedule, sorted by what's coming. Follow the pads you actually care about and Liftoff alerts you before liftoff. Skip the YouTube rabbit hole. Skip the doomscroll. Open Liftoff and the next launch is right there. NEVER MISS A LAUNCH Push alerts fire at T-24h, T-1h, and T-15m — and only for the pads you've followed. Delays, scrubs, and re-targets push through too, so when a Starlink launch slips you find out before you've parked in front of the wrong stream. Alerts are tuned to stay quiet: a launch sliding its time won't bury you in repeat pings. WATCH IT LIVE When a launch has an official webcast, the stream surfaces right at the top of the launch screen — a STREAM badge marks it on the feed the moment it's live, so you never have to go hunting for the link. LIVE FLIGHT DATA — WHEN AVAILABLE During select SpaceX webcasts, Liftoff reads altitude, velocity, and flight phase out of the active stream and renders them as a clean ribbon at the top of the launch screen. When the data is flowing, you watch the numbers climb through ascent, staging, and entry burn. Availability depends on the broadcast — when it's there, it's a view no other launch app gives you. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Two widget types across compact and wide sizes. Pin the next launch with a final-hour countdown that ticks on your home screen, and choose a single-launch focus widget or a multi-launch upcoming feed. On iOS, a Live Activity keeps the countdown on your Lock Screen as T-0 closes in. THE FULL SCHEDULE Every upcoming rocket launch, worldwide: • SpaceX — Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Starship • NASA — Artemis, SLS, crew missions • Rocket Lab — Electron, Neutron • Blue Origin — New Shepard, New Glenn • ULA — Atlas V, Vulcan • ISRO, ESA, JAXA, Roscosmos, CNSA • Ariane 6, H3, Long March, Soyuz, and everything else on the manifest LAUNCH DETAILS Tap any launch for the full briefing: mission overview, rocket and booster specs, provider, crew bios when applicable, pad location with map, payload details, the count-up clock after liftoff, and a direct link to the official livestream. OFFLINE-FIRST Launch data caches locally the moment you open the app. Lose signal at the viewing site? The countdown keeps running, mission details stay readable, and the schedule is still there. BUILT TO BE USED BY EVERYONE Fully tuned for VoiceOver and Dynamic Type, with a dark, deep-space aesthetic that's easy on the eyes at a 4 a.m. launch window. Got a request or hit a snag? There's a feedback channel built right into the app. DATA SOURCE Liftoff pulls from Launch Library 2, the most comprehensive open rocket launch database — the same source serious launch trackers have trusted for years. Schedules update continuously as agencies confirm, scrub, and re-target. Built for people who set alarms for Starlink launches.

Screenshots

LaunchX4 screens
Liftoff4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Liftoff at 5.0 against LaunchX's 4.2. Liftoff also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). LaunchX's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. LaunchX sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Liftoff asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Liftoff holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LaunchX ships an update every 3 weeks, Liftoff weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
LaunchX versus Liftoff: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLaunchXLiftoff
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHaukel GbRNATHANIEL KREBS

Customer experience

LaunchX

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Liftoff

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

LaunchX

Subscriptions2
  • LaunchX Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • LaunchX Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
None

Liftoff

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LaunchX free?
LaunchX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Liftoff free?
Liftoff is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LaunchX or Liftoff?
Liftoff is rated higher. LaunchX averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Liftoff averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do LaunchX or Liftoff have ads?
LaunchX shows ads; Liftoff does not.
Which is updated more often, LaunchX or Liftoff?
LaunchX ships an update every 3 weeks, and Liftoff weekly. Most recently, LaunchX was updated on October 16, 2026 and Liftoff on October 13, 2026.

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