OptiUniverse vs By
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
OptiUniverse
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Explore the Solar System in 3D on your iPhone. Get close to Saturn's rings, discover Jupiter's cloud bands, inspect Earth, and choose a space mission to replay. OptiUniverse brings planets, moons, and spacecraft journeys together in an interactive universe built for curiosity. Browse celestial destinations, move freely around each world, and learn through detailed visuals and concise science facts. EXPLORE PLANETS AND ORBITS - Discover planets, moons, and distant worlds with detailed 3D materials, atmospheres, and rings. - Pan, pinch, and rotate to find your own perspective, or follow a celestial object. - Inspect object facts and visualize orbital paths and supported transfer routes. - Explore a solar-system simulation synchronized to the current date using offline planetary ephemerides. REPLAY SPACE MISSIONS - Follow Voyager 1 from launch through its Jupiter and Saturn flybys to its journey beyond the heliosphere. - Watch Crew 13 travel from Earth to docking with the International Space Station. - Explore Artemis II's Earth-Moon-Earth journey and Starship Flight 14's launch, deployment, and return. - Choose missions from the home-screen carousel, ordered by launch date. Mission replays are compressed, illustrative visualizations. Spacecraft sizes, trajectories, and timing are adapted for clarity; they are not live spacecraft tracking or telemetry reconstructions. From a quick look at a favorite planet to a journey through spaceflight history, OptiUniverse makes space something you can explore.
By
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The Physics of Stars β in your hand. By-Pass is an interactive physics laboratory that brings the fascinating complexity of Newtonian mechanics to your iPad and iPhone. Here, you become the architect of orbital systems and watch simple forces give rise to highly complex mathematical patterns. Unlike simple animations, By-Pass uses its own physics engine with a simulation rate of 60 Hz to calculate real gravitational interactions accurately and without compromise. The physical core: Master of Orbits: Create satellites and planets with intuitive gestures. Use drag gestures to define the initial launch velocity and watch as objects settle into stable orbits or drift away into the vastness of outer space. Dynamic Gravitational Centers: Choose between 1, 2, or 3 suns. Experiment with the unstable and fascinating solutions of the famous threeβbody problem. Each additional center dramatically alters the gravitational field and sends your planets onto unpredictable, dancing trajectories. Variable Gravitational Exponents: Switch between a fully realistic simulation (exponent 2.0) and modified fields for extremely longβlasting, geometric path traces. Precision & Performance: Experience the simulation with a render target of 120 FPS. The physics runs independently at 60 Hz, ensuring smooth visuals even in the most complex systems. Procedural Matter: Each planet (Rocky, Lava, Gas, Ocean, Icy) is generated at runtime and behaves as a discrete physical entity within the simulation.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: By at daily against OptiUniverse's every 10 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
OptiUniverse ships an update every 10 days, By daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | OptiUniverse | By |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Daily β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad β better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 421 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Maksim Doroshenko | Appno UG (haftungsbeschrankt) |
In-app purchases
OptiUniverse
No in-app purchases
By
No in-app purchases









