Comparison

OrbitRadar vs ISS Satellite Tracker

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

Head to head
About

OrbitRadar

Features
Read full description

OrbitRadar turns your iPhone and iPad into a live window on the sky. Watch 15,000+ real satellites orbit a photorealistic 3D Earth in real time — from the same orbital data mission controllers use. • LIVE 3D GLOBE — Spin a beautiful day-and-night Earth and watch the whole satellite swarm move in real time. • EVERY SATELLITE — The full active catalog: Starlink, the ISS, GPS, weather and science craft, each on its true orbit. • TAP ANYTHING — Live altitude, speed, position, orbit details, operator and country for any object. • AR SKY VIEW — Point your device at the sky and see what's passing overhead right now. • CINEMATIC MODE — Sit back and let an auto-director fly you between the coolest objects. • BEYOND EARTH — Track the James Webb Space Telescope, Voyager 1 & 2, and even the Tesla Roadster ("Starman") out by the planets. • THE SOLAR SYSTEM — Explore the planets, moons and Sun at their real positions in the sky. • PRIVATE BY DESIGN — No account, no ads, no tracking. Works offline. Whether you want to catch the Space Station overhead tonight or just watch the sky come alive, OrbitRadar makes satellite tracking effortless and beautiful.

About

ISS Satellite Tracker

Discover when and where to see the International Space Station and Starlink trains from your location. Get accurate predictions and reminders for visible passes, working entirely offline. Enhance your viewing experience with detailed orbital data and an educational library.

Highlights
  • Accurate pass predictions
  • Offline functionality
  • Pass reminders
  • Live 2D satellite map
  • Starlink train tracking
  • 3D orbital globe (Pro)
  • Educational library (Pro)
Features
Read full description

The International Space Station is one of the few genuinely spectacular things you can see with your own eyes: a brilliant point of light, brighter than any star, sailing silently across the sky. Most people never realise it passes right over their own backyard. ISS Tracker has one job: get you outside at the right moment, looking up. No guesswork. Open the app and it tells you plainly: tonight at 9:47, look west, visible for six minutes, and how bright it will be. Then you step outside and watch it cross. Other apps promise a live video feed and hand you a black screen. This one does not need a feed. Every pass is worked out on your own device from real orbital data, so it works completely offline, anywhere, with nothing to buffer and nothing that can go down. No black screens. No account. Just the right time to look up. Free, forever: - Accurate pass predictions for your exact location - A reminder before each pass, so you never miss one - A live 2D map of the station circling the Earth right now - Every Starlink train currently in the sky, shown as soon as it's up Go further with Pro: - A cinematic 3D globe with the station's real orbit rendered live - Brightness for every pass ("brighter than Jupiter tonight") so you know which passes are actually worth heading outside for - Beyond the ISS: China's Tiangong station and Hubble, tracked the same way - An alert the moment a Starlink train is worth stepping outside for - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets with a live countdown to the next pass - An education library: what you are really seeing, why it sometimes vanishes mid-pass, how a 400 km orbit and 16 sunrises a day actually work It is not a database and it is not a live stream. Every satellite here earns its place because you can actually see it with your own eyes, not because it's in a catalogue. It is the simplest, most reliable way to answer the only questions that matter: will I see it tonight, and is it worth going out for? Whether you have never spotted it before or you look up every chance you get, ISS Tracker turns "I always miss it" into "there it is." Look up. ISS Tracker's premium features are available as a one-time purchase. There is no subscription and nothing renews automatically. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://digitaldoctorltd.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

OrbitRadar4 screens
ISS Satellite Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OrbitRadar at none against ISS Satellite Tracker's 2. OrbitRadar also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence and ads 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. ISS Satellite Tracker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. OrbitRadar asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OrbitRadar ships an update every 5 days, ISS Satellite Tracker every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
OrbitRadar versus ISS Satellite Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrbitRadarISS Satellite Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOFL ASDigital Doctor LTD

In-app purchases

None

OrbitRadar

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ISS Satellite Tracker

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Annual$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$16.99

Questions

Is OrbitRadar free?
OrbitRadar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ISS Satellite Tracker free?
ISS Satellite Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OrbitRadar or ISS Satellite Tracker have ads?
Neither OrbitRadar nor ISS Satellite Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OrbitRadar or ISS Satellite Tracker?
OrbitRadar ships an update every 5 days, and ISS Satellite Tracker every 10 days. Most recently, OrbitRadar was updated on October 28, 2026 and ISS Satellite Tracker on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons