Comparison

Orbital Contact vs Sapling Isle

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

Head to head
About

Orbital Contact

Read full description

Saw a strange light in the sky? Find out what it was. Orbital Contact turns your phone into a pocket planetarium. Point it at the sky and see planets, stars, constellations, the International Space Station, satellites and Starlink trains, live, exactly where they are right now. WHAT'S THAT LIGHT? Aim at a light and get the answer: a planet, a bright star, the ISS, a satellite, a Starlink or a passing plane. Saw something yesterday? Tell the app when and where you looked, and it goes back in time to find out what was there. A SKY THAT TEACHES The Moon in 3D, with its seas, craters and all six Apollo landing sites. Stars with history: Betelgeuse, Sirius, Polaris and more, with their size compared to the Sun. Your star: find the star whose light reaching you today left it the year you were born. The sky on the day you were born, with that night's planets and Moon. Eclipses from 1900 to 2100, the next one visible from your city, and eclipses that changed history. Planets in the habitable zone, the worlds where science is searching for life. Historic moments: the sky on the night of Apollo 11, Halley's Comet and more. ISS, LAUNCHES AND SATELLITES Know when the ISS and China's Tiangong station pass over you. Follow rocket launches, see the sky from the launch site at liftoff, follow the flight timeline and get an alert when newly launched satellites pass over your city. UAP FILES Dozens of unidentified aerial phenomena cases from around the world, with official and press sources, a clear status (explained, disputed, unexplained) and a reconstruction of that night's sky. Reports, not conclusions: nothing here claims alien origin. AND MORE My sky: save your favorite objects and give a star a personal name. Time Machine, Cosmic Calculator and Mysteries of the Universe. Space and UAP news, "On this day" in space history and daily facts. Cosmic Path: learn astronomy with lessons and challenges. For iPhone and iPad. ORBITAL CONTACT PREMIUM No ads, unlimited identifications, time travel in the sky, every satellite and Starlink layer, every full UAP dossier, sky alerts, the complete deep-sky catalog and an unlimited My sky. Premium is a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription. The yearly plan may include a 3-day free trial for eligible users. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase or when the trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel it in your Account Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Orbital Contact Terms: https://rmappflow-ux.github.io/orbital-contact-legal/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://rmappflow-ux.github.io/orbital-contact-legal/privacy/

About

Sapling Isle

Explore physics and astronomy through interactive 3D experiments. Manipulate variables, observe system responses, and delve into underlying scientific concepts and equations. Offers multilingual support and adaptive layouts for iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D physics experiments
  • 3D Solar System simulation
  • Black hole and light bending exploration
  • Microscopic world simulations
  • Multivariable comparisons and graphs
  • Exploration of equations and model limits
  • Multilingual interface
Features
Read full description

Sapling Isle is a multilingual interactive science lab that connects observable phenomena with advanced scientific concepts on iPhone and iPad. Change variables directly, observe how a system responds, read graphs and measurements, then explore the equations, assumptions, and limits behind the model. Explore nature and the universe • Control a 3D Solar System and observe planetary motion and astronomical time • Follow curved light, an accretion disk, and Einstein rings around a black hole Enter a hands-on physics lab • Explore forces, motion, heat, energy, magnetic fields, light, and atoms • Compare heating, compression, and diffusion in a 3D microscopic world • Investigate orbits, waves, entropy, Boltzmann distributions, quantum tunneling, and double-slit patterns Explore at your own depth • Start with direct manipulation and visual feedback • Continue with multivariable comparisons, measurements, and graphs • Go deeper into equations, approximations, and model boundaries • Choose from 10 interface languages • Adaptive layouts for both iPhone and iPad • No account, advertising, or cross-app tracking • Progress, camera frames, and experiment data are handled primarily on device Pick an island, begin with a phenomenon, and follow the evidence toward deeper models.

Screenshots

Orbital Contact4 screens
Sapling Isle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sapling Isle at none against Orbital Contact's 2. Sapling Isle also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). Orbital Contact's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Orbital Contact sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Sapling Isle asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Orbital Contact ships an update every 5 weeks, Sapling Isle fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences Ā· 4 level
Orbital Contact versus Sapling Isle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrbital ContactSapling Isle
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB40 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperRafael Melo de Farias大鹏 张

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Orbital Contact

Subscriptions2
  • Premium$4.991 Month
  • Premium Annual3 Days trial$29.991 Year
None

Sapling Isle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Orbital Contact free?
Orbital Contact is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sapling Isle free?
Sapling Isle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Orbital Contact or Sapling Isle have ads?
Orbital Contact shows ads; Sapling Isle does not.
Which is updated more often, Orbital Contact or Sapling Isle?
Orbital Contact ships an update every 5 weeks, and Sapling Isle fortnightly. Most recently, Orbital Contact was updated on November 10, 2026 and Sapling Isle on November 10, 2026.

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