Comparison

DIY Sun Science vs Planet Fun

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

Head to head
About

DIY Sun Science

Explore the Sun through hands-on activities and real-time data. This app offers 15 engaging experiments, live solar images from NASA, and educational videos to foster understanding of solar science for families and educators.

Highlights
  • 15 hands-on solar activities
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Live Sun images from NASA SDO
  • NASA Earth and space observatory images
  • NASA solar videos
  • Learn about solar activity
Features
Read full description

DIY Sun Science is designed to make it easy for families and educators to learn about the Sun anywhere, anytime! The app is developed by UC Berkeley’s The Lawrence Hall of Science, the Children's Creativity Museum, and Sciencenter; funded by NASA. HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES DIY Sun Science includes 15 easy-to-use hands-on activities to learn about the Sun and its important relationship with Earth. Learn how to cook in a solar oven, measure the size of the Sun, or explore shadows in model Moon craters! Each activity includes step-by-step instructions that have been tested by educators, kids, and families. Activity materials are easily available and inexpensive—you may already have many of them in your home! SUN OBSERVATORY Want to see the Sun right now in different wavelengths? Use DIY Sun Science to view live images of the Sun from NASA’s SDO satellite in the Sun Observatory. Afterwards, you can learn more about the solar activity you observed and test your new knowledge. IMAGES AND VIDEOS See awe-inspiring images of the Sun from NASA’s Earth and space observatories! Learn about the different features of the Sun and how scientists are studying it. You can even watch NASA videos of the Sun from the past 48 hours. Praise & Reviews: —Featured by Apple in "Best New Apps" and "Education" —Common Sense Media: “DIY Sun Science is a great way to spark interest in astronomy and inspire learning. The activities are fun and engaging, and they tie in nicely with important astronomy concepts.” —Gizmodo: “A must for budding astronomy enthusiasts.”

About

Planet Fun

Explore a 4D solar system simulation with accurate astronomical calculations for planets, moons, and stars. Interact with the celestial bodies using touch gestures, set any date and time, and even view your GPS position in augmented reality.

Highlights
  • 4D solar system simulation
  • Configurable animation speed
  • Augmented reality mode
  • Almanac module with ephemeris calculators
  • Touch gesture controls
  • Star and constellation visualization
Features
Read full description

PlanetFun is a 4D solar system simulation (3D + time) Sun, planets, Moon and star positions are calculated using various astronomical methods. App source code (Delphi Firemonkey) is available at: https://github.com/omarreis/vsop2013 PlanetFun features: * Solar system animation with configurable speed * Set any local date and time * Choose camera target (Sun, planets, etc) * Configurable camera distance-to-target * Touch gestures: one finger pan, two finger zoom, two finger rotation * show planet orbits. Each orbit is represented by 52 dots (for Earth it is one dot per week) * Heliocentric axis (x and z) * VSOP2013 and VSOP87 planet position calculations * Moon positions calculations ELP2000 * Star background image with 42455 stars of the Hipparcos Input Catalogue * Star and constellation lines and names ( a celestial sphere image ) * Constellation drawings ( 31 constellations ) * actual 3D spheres for the 150 brightest stars * Lighthouse on Earth on your GPS position * phone in the scene is positioned according to phone sensors (Azimuth,Elevation,Roll) * click the phone button to enter augmented reality mode. * Almanac module allows exploring the ephemeris calculators (stars, planets, Sun, Moon, Earth) controls: * camera distance and angle of view. * planet scales * local time, time animation speed * control visibility of various interface elements * app uses sensors compass, gyro and GPS - requires permission This app collects no user data.

Screenshots

DIY Sun Science4 screens
Planet Fun4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Planet Fun at every 4 weeks against DIY Sun Science's every 6 months. Planet Fun also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Planet Fun holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 8 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DIY Sun Science ships an update every 6 months, Planet Fun every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 3, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DIY Sun Science versus Planet Fun: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDIY Sun SciencePlanet Fun
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (21 ratings)4.8 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews91.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings21 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size134 MB161 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Lawrence Hall of ScienceOmar reis

Customer experience

DIY Sun Science

All ratings21 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.2%

Planet Fun

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

DIY Sun Science

No in-app purchases

None

Planet Fun

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DIY Sun Science free?
DIY Sun Science is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Planet Fun free?
Planet Fun is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DIY Sun Science or Planet Fun?
Planet Fun is rated higher. DIY Sun Science averages 4.4 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Planet Fun averages 4.8 from 8 ratings.
Do DIY Sun Science or Planet Fun have ads?
Neither DIY Sun Science nor Planet Fun shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DIY Sun Science or Planet Fun?
DIY Sun Science ships an update every 6 months, and Planet Fun every 4 weeks. Most recently, DIY Sun Science was updated on June 3, 2026 and Planet Fun on June 4, 2026.

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