Comparison

Polaris vs Star Map Night Sky

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

Head to head
About

Polaris

Features
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Polaris verwandelt dein iPhone in eine präzise Sternenkarte – komplett offline, ohne Datenverbindung. Richte dein Gerät in den Nachthimmel und erkenne Sterne, Planeten und Konstellationen in Echtzeit. Die AR-Kamera überlagert die reale Welt mit präzisen Himmelsdaten – auf die Bogensekunde genau berechnet für deinen genauen Standort. FEATURES • Interaktive Sternenkarte mit über 9.000 Sternen • AR-Kamera: Sterne und Planeten live im Kameraausschnitt • Alle 88 Konstellationen mit Verbindungslinien • Planeten des Sonnensystems in Echtzeit • Detailinfos zu jedem Objekt: Magnitude, Distanz, Spektralklasse • Sternschnuppen-Animation • Nachtmodus für optimale Dunkeladaption • Kompass und Horizontlinie • Vollständig offline – keine Internetverbindung nötig • Verfügbar auf Deutsch und Englisch Perfekt für Hobbyastronomen, neugierige Köpfe und alle, die den Nachthimmel verstehen wollen.

About

Star Map Night Sky

Features
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SpaceUtil is a star map with AR that helps you find constellations, explore a 3D solar system, follow the ISS tracker live and see where Voyager is right now. The whole night sky in one astronomy app, with no account, and almost everything computed on your device without an internet connection. ■ AR STAR MAP AND SKY VIEWER • Point your phone at the sky to see the stars and constellations in that direction. • 120,000 stars and all 88 constellations with lines, names and artwork. • AR mode overlays the sky chart on your camera view. • Red night mode for comfortable stargazing in the dark. • Search for a star, planet or constellation and an arrow guides you to it. • Rewind or fast-forward time to see the sky on any date. ■ 3D SOLAR SYSTEM • An orrery with the Sun, the eight planets and major moons in their real positions. • Rotate and zoom with your fingers, and tap a planet for its story. • Live distances to each planet, Jupiter's four big moons and Saturn's rings. • Follow conjunctions and planet alignments. ■ LIVE ISS TRACKER • See where the International Space Station is right now on a 3D globe and a world map, updated every second. • Visible pass predictions for your location with time, direction and altitude. • A sky-path view of each pass. ■ WHERE ARE VOYAGER 1 AND 2? • Follow the two farthest human-made objects on a 3D map of the solar system. • See their current distance from Earth, computed on your device from public space-agency reference data. ■ TONIGHT • A briefing on tonight's observing conditions based on the moon phase and twilight times. • 5 objects worth looking at right now. • Sun, moon and planet rise and set times. • Civil, nautical and astronomical twilight. ■ MOON, ECLIPSES, METEOR SHOWERS • Moon phase calendar and lunar age. • Upcoming solar and lunar eclipses. • Every major meteor shower with its peak night and how bright the moon will be. ■ ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY HELPERS • 500-rule exposure calculator. • Milky Way planner. • Golden hour, blue hour and moonrise direction. ■ LEARN AND PLAY • Constellation myths and a space quiz. • The sky on your birthday and light travel time. • Light-year, AU and parsec converter. • An exoplanet catalog. • An observation log with badges. ■ GETTING STARTED • Open the star map and hold your phone up toward the sky. • Switch on AR mode to see constellation lines over the camera image. • Turn on red mode once you are outside in the dark. • Search for a planet or star and follow the arrow. • Check Tonight before heading out. ■ WHO IS IT FOR? • Stargazers identifying stars and constellations with AR. • Space fans tracking the ISS, the Voyager probes and planetary alignments. • Astrophotographers planning Milky Way shots. • Anyone learning about exoplanets, myths and moon phases. ■ TIPS • Use time controls to preview the sky on an eclipse date. • Check how bright the moon will be before a meteor shower peak night. • Log what you observe to collect badges. ■ FAQ • Do I need an account? No. There is no account and no cloud. • Does it work offline? Almost everything is computed on your device. • Is the camera image saved? No, never. • Are there ads? A single banner ad at the bottom of the screen supports development. No full-screen or video ads. ■ PRIVACY AND PERMISSIONS • Location is used only on the device to align the sky map. • The camera powers the AR view, and its image is never captured, stored or sent anywhere. Data sources: an open star catalog (CC BY-SA) and public satellite, space-weather and planetary data. SpaceUtil is not affiliated with or endorsed by the data providers. Clear skies from SpaceUtil.

Screenshots

Polaris4 screens
Star Map Night Sky4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Polaris at none against Star Map Night Sky's shown. Star Map Night Sky's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.5). On price, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Polaris versus Star Map Night Sky: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolarisStar Map Night Sky
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Fortnightly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBenjamin Mattis Willichtanzsoft

In-app purchases

None

Polaris

No in-app purchases

None

Star Map Night Sky

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Polaris free?
Polaris is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Star Map Night Sky free?
Star Map Night Sky is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Polaris or Star Map Night Sky have ads?
Star Map Night Sky shows ads; Polaris does not.

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