CosmAtlas vs Real Solar System
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CosmAtlas
Explore the Milky Way with a realistic physics simulator. Navigate the cosmos, land on planets and moons, and view the sky from different celestial bodies. Features detailed information on solar system objects, stars, and constellations.
- Milky Way simulation
- Real physics engine
- Explore planets and moons
- Detailed celestial body data
- View sky from different locations
- Multi-language support
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CosmAtlas is a powerful Milky Way simulator for iPhone and iPad devices, which applies real physics to calculate every single celestial body position at any time between the year 0 to year 9999. With this educational App you'll be able to navigate across the astronomical distances in our cosmos, land on the major planets and satellites and see the sky from there or read about it. Main Features - More than 400 Solar System bodies, including: - The 8 major planets; -177 Solar System natural satellites; - 295 comets (including the legendary Halley's Comet); - 11 dwarf planets (including Pluto); - 3 major asteroid groups: Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt, Oort Cloud; - 1449 nearby bright stars; - The 88 modern constellations; - Real physics (celestial mechanics) on the objects positioning in relation of time; - See the sky from the surface of the major planets/dwarf planets, the sun and major satellites; - A few terrestrial planets and satellites will have an approximate terrain if your on the surface; - Atmospheric effects also tuned to the reality (that includes twilight sky colours). Languages Six languages available to maximise the educational reach: - English; - Spanish; - Portuguese; - Italian; - French; - German;
Real Solar System
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This solar system simulator reflects actual planetary position information. When the app is launched, the sun is positioned 20 cm in front of the device, based on the device's position. Around it, the eight main planets of the solar system and the celestial body to be observed orbit. The orbits are displayed as if they were trajectories. The position of each planet is calculated based on actual values. # Features - x] Realistic solar system with ARKit - x] Orbits of the 8 planets are displayed. - x] Planets are realistic textures imported from USDZ files. - x] Planet positions are calculated based on real values (using Horizons API) - x] The object to be observed can be changed. - x] Display of the orbit of the object of interest - x] Calculate the position of the target object based on actual values (using the Horizons API). - x] Adjustable speed (minus value for reverse rotation) - x] Zoom function (zoom in/zoom out) - x] Toggle the display of the text information and the coordinate axis (New!) ## How to use 1. when you launch the application, you will be asked for "permission to use camera" at the first startup. If you allow it, an ARKit session will start. 2. 2. a coordinate axis will be placed 20 cm in front of you, based on the device's position. 3. Tap the "Load Planet" button to load the planet model. Just wait a moment. 4. The 8 main planets of the solar system and the object to be observed will orbit around it. 5. Move the device to observe the solar system from various angles. 6. Tap the buttons at the bottom of the screen to adjust the speed and zoom. 7. You can change the object to be observed from the menu in the upper right corner of the screen. 1. Halley's Comet 2. Hayabusa2 & Ryugyu 3. Voyager 1 & 2 4. New Horizons & Pluto 5. Cassini (New!) 6. OSIRIS-REx & Bennu 7. Comparison of Circle and Ellipse 8. Geocentric theory (New!) 8. Toggle the display of the text information and the coordinate axis from the menu in the upper right corner of the screen. (New!)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CosmAtlas at 4.1 against Real Solar System's 1.0. CosmAtlas also leads on ratings volume (17 vs 1) and iOS requirement (8.1 vs 17.6). Real Solar System's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CosmAtlas holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CosmAtlas has 17 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
CosmAtlas ships an update every 9 months, Real Solar System monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | CosmAtlas | Real Solar System |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (17 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.1 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 868 MB | 302 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aurelio Calegari | Masaya Nagaoka |
In-app purchases
CosmAtlas
No in-app purchases
Real Solar System
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CosmAtlas free?
Is Real Solar System free?
Which has better reviews, CosmAtlas or Real Solar System?
Do CosmAtlas or Real Solar System have ads?
Which is updated more often, CosmAtlas or Real Solar System?
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