Comparison

xSky vs Stellarium Mobile

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

Head to head
About

xSky

Explore the cosmos with a virtual telescope. Point your device at the sky to identify celestial bodies. Zoom in for detailed views and use a search function to locate specific objects.

Highlights
  • Virtual telescope functionality
  • Identify Sun, Moon, Planets, Stars, Galaxies
  • Zoom up to a million times
  • Screen lock to stop motion
  • Object search arrow
  • Soft music and sound effects
Features
Read full description

xSky is a simple to use virtual telescope app. Just look at the sky through your device. Lock the screen and zoom in to explore in more detail. Features: • Sun, Moon, Planets, Galilean Moons, Stars, Constellations and Galaxies. • Pinch the screen to zoom up to a million times. • Use lock button to stop motions. • Search arrow will help to locate any object in the sky. • Soft music and sound effects.

About

Stellarium Mobile

Explore the night sky with a real-time planetarium. Identify stars, planets, constellations, and satellites by simply pointing your phone. Offers detailed astronomical data and cultural constellation interpretations.

Highlights
  • Real-time sky simulation
  • Identify stars, planets, satellites
  • Constellation shapes and illustrations
  • Deep sky object catalog
  • Night mode for eye comfort
  • Telescope control (Plus)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Stellarium Mobile is a planetarium app that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. Identify stars, constellations, planets, comets, satellites (such as the ISS), and other deep sky objects in real time in the sky above you in just a few seconds, just by pointing the phone at the sky! This astronomy application has an easy to use and minimalist user interface, that makes it one of the best astronomical applications for adults and children who want to explore the night sky. Stellarium Mobile features: • View an accurate night sky simulation of stars and planets for any date, time and location. • Dive in a collection of many stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects. • Zoom on realistic Milky Way and Deep Sky Objects images. • Discover how people living in other regions of the planet see the stars by selecting the shapes and illustrations of the constellations for many sky cultures. • Track artificial satellites, including the International Space Station. • Simulate landscape and atmosphere with realistic sunrise, sunset and atmosphere refraction. • Discover 3D rendering of the major solar system planets and their satellites. • Observe the sky in night mode (red) to preserve your eyes adaptation to darkness. Stellarium Mobile contains in-app purchases allowing to upgrade to Stellarium Plus. With this upgrade, the app will display objects as faint as magnitude 22 (versus magnitude 8 in the base version) and enable advanced observing features. Stellarium Plus features (unlocked with in-app purchase): • Reach the limit of knowledge by diving in a massive collection of stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects:   - All known stars: Gaia DR2 catalog of over 1.69 billion stars   - All known planets, natural satellites and comets, and many other minor solar system objects (10k asteroids)   - Most known deep sky objects: a combined catalog of over 2 million nebulas and galaxies • Zoom almost without limits on high resolution images of deep sky objects or planetary surfaces. • Observe in the field, even without internet connection, with a "reduced" set of data: 2 million stars, 2 million Deep Sky Objects, 10k asteroids. • Control your telescope through WIFI: drive any GOTO telescope compatible with NexStar, SynScan or LX200 protocols. • Prepare your observing sessions using the advanced observation tools, to predict a celestial object observability and transit times. Stellarium Mobile is made by the original creator of Stellarium, the well known open source planetarium and one of the best astronomy applications on Desktop PC. Your can unlock the full features using either a one time payment or a subscription. See In-App Purchase section for the subscription price available in your country. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your account settings after purchases. Terms of service: https://stellarium-labs.com/stellarium-mobile-plus/stellarium-mobile-terms-of-use Privacy policy: https://www.stellarium-labs.com/privacy-policy-for-stellarium-mobile

Screenshots

xSky4 screens
Stellarium Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Stellarium Mobile at 4.8 against xSky's 4.3. Stellarium Mobile also leads on ratings volume (39K vs 80) and chart position (#77 vs unranked). xSky's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, review sentiment, 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. Stellarium Mobile sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. xSky asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stellarium Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stellarium Mobile has 39K ratings behind it against 80, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of xSky's written reviews are positive against 84% of Stellarium Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

xSky ships an update every 3 months, Stellarium Mobile every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
xSky versus Stellarium Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterxSkyStellarium Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (80 ratings)4.8 (39K ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.4% of reviews84.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8039K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#77 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB456 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOleg SurNoctua Software Ltd

Customer experience

xSky

All ratings75 ratings
Positive74.7%
Neutral13.3%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews155 reviews
Positive79.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative15.5%

Stellarium Mobile

All ratings38,274 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews620 reviews
Positive84.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative10.0%

User reviews

xSky

From 80 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🔭 Realistic space simulation
  • ✨ Beautiful visuals and music
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 💡 Great for learning astronomy
  • 💯 Highly accurate object identification

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashing issues
  • 🧭 Location services not working
  • 🔄 Inconsistent with reality (out of sync)
  • 📱 Not optimized for all devices (e.g., iPhone 12)
  • 🎛️ Hard to control

Stellarium Mobile

From 39K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Fabulous star tracking
  • 🌌 Detailed night sky information
  • 🔭 Helpful for stargazing and astronomy
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🌍 Accurate for different locations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding some objects
  • 🌓 Inaccurate moon/planet positions in daylight
  • 🔧 Calibration issues with compass
  • 💰 Paid version may not justify the cost

Bugs and requests

xSky

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App keeps crashing
  • Location services not working/picking a country
  • App closes immediately upon opening
  • App is glitchy and moves by itself
  • Search button not working in horizontal position
Show 4 more
  • App not working on iPhone 12
  • App out of sync with reality
  • Sun located incorrectly at noon
  • Mercury in retrograde causing app to not open

Requested features

9 requests
  • Camera feature for high-quality photos
  • Ability to turn down exposure for photos
  • Facts read aloud about celestial objects
  • Traditional constellation names (e.g., Virgo, Taurus)
  • Show International Space Station or other satellites
Show 4 more
  • Option to turn off constellation lines
  • Improve search button size and usability
  • Fix search button in horizontal mode
  • More mythological graphics and information about stars

Stellarium Mobile

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compass not working properly
  • Favorites list disappearing
  • Inconsistent performance on different devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Notifications for astronomical events
  • More customization options
  • Integration with camera for AR overlay
  • Better support for telescopes and mounts
  • Improved search and navigation

In-app purchases

None

xSky

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Stellarium Mobile

Subscriptions1
  • Stellarium PLUS7 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Stellarium PLUS$18.99

Questions

Is xSky free?
xSky is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stellarium Mobile free?
Stellarium Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, xSky or Stellarium Mobile?
Stellarium Mobile is rated higher. xSky averages 4.3 out of 5 from 80 ratings, while Stellarium Mobile averages 4.8 from 39K ratings.
Do xSky or Stellarium Mobile have ads?
Neither xSky nor Stellarium Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, xSky or Stellarium Mobile?
xSky ships an update every 3 months, and Stellarium Mobile every 5 weeks. Most recently, xSky was updated on October 20, 2026 and Stellarium Mobile on October 31, 2026.

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