Comparison

Planetary Clock vs Solar System Viewer

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

Head to head
About

Planetary Clock

Visualize the precise positions of all planets in the Solar System for any given day. It uses accurate NASA data for orbital calculations and relative planet sizing, offering a clear, educational view of celestial mechanics.

Highlights
  • Real-time planet positions
  • Accurate orbital calculations
  • Uses NASA data
  • Relative planet sizing
  • Educational solar system view
Features
Read full description

Planetary Clock is simple and elegant app what shows positions of all planets of the Solar System at any given day. The app uses precise calculation to determine accurate positions in real time. Sun’s and planets sizes are not to scale in order to show them clearly, but other parameters such as size of orbit, eccentricity, shape of the orbit and position of planets are calculated using precise NASA data. Planets are also realistically sized to each other

About

Solar System Viewer

Explore and simulate the orbits of planets in our solar system. This app allows you to speed up or slow down time, travel to any date, and view planetary positions. It also offers widgets for your home screen and Apple Watch complications.

Highlights
  • Simulate planetary orbits
  • Adjust time speed
  • Time travel to specific dates
  • Home screen widgets
  • Apple Watch integration
  • View planet overviews
Features
Read full description

8Planets is a simple viewer and simulator for planetary orbits in our Solar System. 8Planets helps you discover how the planets aligned and move around over time so that you feel the scale of the Solar System or even the Universe. By giving you quick and easy access to the Solar System everywhere, 8Planets will make you feel that the Solar System is close to us. FEATURES ・Planetary Motion Speed up or slow down time to see how the planets rotate over time and grasp the scale of the Solar System. ・Time Travel Travel back or forward in time to view the Solar System or planetary positions on any given date. ・Widgets Widgets allow you to display the real-time Solar System on your Home Screen. ・Watch View the Solar System on your wrist and use Digital Crown to travel back or forward in time. ・Others Apple Watch Complications, Overview of the planets, Option to show Pluto, Sharing your favorite moment of the Solar System, URL Scheme, and more.

Screenshots

Planetary Clock4 screens
Solar System Viewer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Planetary Clock at 4.9 against Solar System Viewer's 4.4. Planetary Clock also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and price ($0.99 vs $2.99). Solar System Viewer's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 27 months) and review sentiment (83% vs 57%). On ratings volume, ads, monetization model 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

Planetary Clock costs $0.99 and Solar System Viewer $2.99 up front. Solar System Viewer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Planetary Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Planetary Clock holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 28 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Planetary Clock's written reviews are positive against 83% of Solar System Viewer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Planetary Clock ships an update every 27 months, Solar System Viewer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 19, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Planetary Clock versus Solar System Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlanetary ClockSolar System Viewer
Price$0.99 — better$2.99
Rating4.9 (34 ratings) — better4.4 (28 ratings)
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings34 — better28
Update frequencyEvery 27 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS11.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPiotr KnapczykBLUE COMET LABS LLC

Customer experience

Planetary Clock

All ratings34 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative35.7%

Solar System Viewer

All ratings28 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Planetary Clock

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Solar System Viewer

One-time4
  • Io Tip$1.99
  • Europa Tip$3.99
  • Ganymede Tip$5.99
Show 1 more
  • Callisto Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Planetary Clock free?
Planetary Clock costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Solar System Viewer free?
Solar System Viewer costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Planetary Clock or Solar System Viewer?
Planetary Clock is rated higher. Planetary Clock averages 4.9 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Solar System Viewer averages 4.4 from 28 ratings.
Do Planetary Clock or Solar System Viewer have ads?
Neither Planetary Clock nor Solar System Viewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Planetary Clock or Solar System Viewer?
Planetary Clock ships an update every 27 months, and Solar System Viewer every 2 months. Most recently, Planetary Clock was updated on August 19, 2026 and Solar System Viewer on September 18, 2026.

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