Comparison

Celestron SkyPortal vs EXPLORE scientific

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

Head to head
About

Celestron SkyPortal

Explore the cosmos with a comprehensive astronomy suite. Discover stars, planets, and celestial events, and enhance your stargazing with detailed information and audio narration. Connect to compatible telescopes for automatic object location.

Highlights
  • Explore 120,000 stars and celestial objects
  • Simulate night sky past/future
  • Real-time sky synchronization
  • Control compatible WiFi telescopes
  • Animate celestial events
  • Audio narration and object descriptions
  • Night Vision mode
Features
Read full description

Celestron’s newest planetarium app is an astronomy suite that redefines how you experience the night sky. Explore the Solar System, 120,000 stars, over 200 star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and dozens of asteroids, comets, and satellites—including the ISS. SkyPortal includes everything you need to experience the night sky in an exciting new way. When connected to a compatible Celestron WiFi telescope, you can automatically point the telescope to any object in the database and view it with great detail. Planetarium Features Simulate the night sky and plan your observing session with a custom list of tonight’s best objects based on your exact time and location. Look ahead to see when Jupiter’s Great Red Spot will be visible, animate transits, eclipses, and other celestial events. View hundreds of photos or listen to more than four hours of audio narration to enhance your stargazing experience. •Simulate the night sky from anywhere on planet Earth, up to 100 years in the past or future. •Compass Mode (with compatible devices): Hold your device up to the sky for a real-time synchronized display of celestial objects – from star names, constellations, planets, to nebulae and galaxies. •Control compatible Celestron WiFi telescopes with sophisticated mount modeling for quick and accurate go-to alignment. •Animate transits, conjunctions, eclipses, and other events with SkyPortal's Time controls. •Explore the sky with Night Vision turned on, and preserve your eyesight after dark. •Learn the history, mythology, and science of the heavens with SkyPortal's hundreds of object descriptions. •Browse hundreds of astronomical photographs and NASA spacecraft images •Access over 4 hours of audio commentary to guide you through the best celestial objects. Computerized Telescope Control Pair your device to your compatible Celestron WiFi telescope, align with Celestron’s patented SkyAlign™ technology, and you’re ready to explore! Identify objects instantly. Tap any object and your telescope automatically centers it in the eyepiece. SkyPortal’s telescope alignment incorporates advanced mount modeling, providing better pointing accuracy than other telescope systems which rely on a dedicated computer.

About

EXPLORE scientific

This application provides professional scientific instruments and resources to inspire exploration and broaden understanding of scientific wonders. It aims to make scientific discoveries accessible to everyone, encouraging a deeper engagement with the world around us.

Highlights
  • Professional scientific instruments
  • Educational resources
  • Inspires spirit of exploration
  • Experience scientific miracles
  • Broaden cognitive boundaries
Features
Read full description

Explore Scientific is committed to providing professional scientific instruments and resources, inspiring the spirit of exploration, allowing everyone to experience scientific miracles and broaden their cognitive boundaries.

Screenshots

Celestron SkyPortal4 screens
EXPLORE scientific4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Celestron SkyPortal at 3.6 against EXPLORE scientific's 1.0. Celestron SkyPortal also leads on review sentiment (32% vs 0%) and ratings volume (354 vs 1). EXPLORE scientific's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Celestron SkyPortal holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Celestron SkyPortal has 354 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Celestron SkyPortal's written reviews are positive against 0% of EXPLORE scientific's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Celestron SkyPortal ships an update every 3 months, EXPLORE scientific every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Celestron SkyPortal versus EXPLORE scientific: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCelestron SkyPortalEXPLORE scientific
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (354 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews31.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings354 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size709 MB222 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCelestron, LLCJOC

Customer experience

Celestron SkyPortal

All ratings354 ratings
Positive62.7%
Neutral11.9%
Negative25.4%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive31.9%
Neutral17.0%
Negative51.1%

EXPLORE scientific

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Celestron SkyPortal

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Fails to align telescope
  • Telescope points in wrong direction
  • Disconnects frequently
  • Doesn't show deep sky objects
  • Crashes on startup
Show 1 more
  • Incompatible with iOS 14

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add red night mode
  • Improve focus motor control
  • Integrate weather data
  • Provide RA/DEC coordinates
  • Add more celestial objects
Show 2 more
  • Improve video streaming
  • Enhance user interface

EXPLORE scientific

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Celestron SkyPortal

No in-app purchases

None

EXPLORE scientific

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Celestron SkyPortal free?
Celestron SkyPortal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is EXPLORE scientific free?
EXPLORE scientific is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Celestron SkyPortal or EXPLORE scientific?
Celestron SkyPortal is rated higher. Celestron SkyPortal averages 3.6 out of 5 from 354 ratings, while EXPLORE scientific averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Celestron SkyPortal or EXPLORE scientific have ads?
Neither Celestron SkyPortal nor EXPLORE scientific shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Celestron SkyPortal or EXPLORE scientific?
Celestron SkyPortal ships an update every 3 months, and EXPLORE scientific every 9 days. Most recently, Celestron SkyPortal was updated on November 6, 2026 and EXPLORE scientific on October 30, 2026.

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