Comparison

SolarNav 3D vs StellarVana

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

Head to head
About

SolarNav 3D

Features
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Watch the solar system as it is, right now. SolarNav lets you explore the Sun, the planets, dwarf planets, their moons, and the asteroid belts in 3D, all shown in their real, continuously updated positions. Navigate freely through space, approach any celestial body, and watch each planet and moon rotate, always facing the Sun as it truly does. TRAVEL THROUGH TIME Go three centuries into the past or just as far into the future. Play continuously, fast-forward, or jump straight to any date you choose. EXPERIENCE AN ECLIPSE Browse every solar and lunar eclipse around a given date. Pick an observing location and watch the eclipse unfold from the ground, as if you were there. EXPLORE 26 celestial bodies and their asteroid belts, each with a detailed info card: distance, size, temperature, composition, and fun facts. No connection required. No data collected.

About

StellarVana

Explore the night sky with a dynamic celestial map. Identify stars, planets, and constellations in real-time. Plan observations and learn about astronomical events like eclipses.

Highlights
  • Live sky map identification
  • Constellation and object search
  • Eclipse countdowns and visibility
  • Tonight's observation planner
  • Educational astronomy topics
  • Night-vision red mode
Features
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Open to a living sky. Identify what's overhead. StellarVana is an educational star map and celestial reference: the sky above your horizon, IAU constellations, Sun, Moon, and planets, plus eclipse countdowns with honest visibility. Sit with the map. Pan, pinch, and scrub time. The first screen is the sky itself. Hold-up uses the compass and gyroscope so the drawn map follows how you point your phone — there is no camera viewfinder. Search finds objects. Instruments sit on the map: Tonight, Eclipse, Learn, and Settings. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT • Tonight Observe ranks targets for your horizon — twilight, best-now, and Moon-wash (what the Moon will drown tonight) • Eclipse honesty: local “visible here” versus a global candidate. A miss is not upgraded into a backyard forecast • Confirmed exoplanet-host stars on the map. The included sky keeps the brightest hosts. A subscription Search also finds famous systems, including TRAPPIST-1 (about 2,000 hosts). • Instruments on the map, not a tabbed planetarium. Graphics-first Learn — diagrams and Help, not a chat • Sky math on your iPhone (VSOP87, Meeus, SGP4). ISS TLE age is shown. No account. SKY MAP • Live stereographic sky for your location, or a manual latitude and longitude • Naked-eye catalog (magnitude 5) with all 88 IAU constellation names • Constellation stick figures on Free (Orion, Ursa Major, Crux, twelve ecliptic); sky colors that follow the time of day • Hold-up identify and night-vision red mode (night vision hides the normal dome tints) • Naked-eye Messier highlights: Andromeda (M31), Orion Nebula (M42), Pleiades (M45) • Deeper sky when you subscribe: about 42,000 stars to magnitude 8, about 120,000 to magnitude 9, zoom level-of-detail, Messier 110, illustrated art on the twelve ecliptic constellations, full constellation stick-figure pack, optional IAU boundary lines, and the confirmed exoplanet-host layer (about 2,000) SATELLITES • Included: the ISS next pass for your horizon. No clock and no path on the map. • With a subscription: the ISS path and timetable, Hubble, Tiangong (the Chinese space station), and a Starlink-train card when a train passes tonight. Not every satellite in orbit. TONIGHT OBSERVE • Meteor-shower peaks and bright conjunctions as factual event cards • Observation planning for your horizon: twilight bands, ranked targets, best-now, and Moon-wash — what the Moon will drown tonight ECLIPSES • Next solar and lunar geocentric candidates, countdown, diagrams, show on map • Local circumstance when you subscribe: visible here, magnitude, path-vs-you, and a NASA GSFC / Espenak Earth path ribbon on a dedicated Earth card. A miss is not upgraded into “you will see it.” LEARN • Graphics-first topics from the live sky — diagrams and short Help popups, not encyclopedia essays • Positions use VSOP87 (Sun and planets) and Meeus (Moon). ISS uses SGP4 from a TLE; age is shown. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Sky math runs on your iPhone. Location is used to draw your horizon (or set coordinates manually). EDUCATION ONLY StellarVana is astronomy education and observation planning. It is not a photographer’s shot planner, and not medical or professional advice. Privacy Policy: https://stellarvana.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://stellarvana.com/terms Support: support@stellarvana.com

Screenshots

SolarNav 3D4 screens
StellarVana4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SolarNav 3D at none against StellarVana's 2. SolarNav 3D also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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. StellarVana sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. SolarNav 3D asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SolarNav 3D versus StellarVana: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolarNav 3DStellarVana
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size139 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrederic SalaGary Saggu

In-app purchases

None

SolarNav 3D

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

StellarVana

Subscriptions2
  • StellarVana Premium monthly$4.991 Month
  • StellarVana Premium Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is SolarNav 3D free?
SolarNav 3D is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is StellarVana free?
StellarVana is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SolarNav 3D or StellarVana have ads?
Neither SolarNav 3D nor StellarVana shows ads.

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