# ShowSky vs Solar Coaster

The clearest difference is rating: Solar Coaster at 5.0 against ShowSky's 3.8. Solar Coaster also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 48 months). ShowSky's advantage is iOS requirement (9.2 vs 14.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Solar Coaster holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively.

ShowSky ships an update every 48 months, Solar Coaster every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShowSky | Solar Coaster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showsky/id936737341/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-coaster/id1218422388/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 48 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 80 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.2** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steven Suckow](https://appshunter.io/developer/594617821) | [Steve Lidie](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869780159) |

## What reviewers say

### ShowSky

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showsky/id936737341)

Explore the night sky with this astronomy app. It provides detailed views of stars, constellations, and deep space objects, helping you understand their positions and identify them in real-time by pointing your device.

**Highlights:** 180-degree sky map with flat horizon, 360-degree visible sky map, Real-time sky tracking view, Detailed views of stars, constellations, and deep space objects, Planet identification

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Solar Coaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-coaster/id1218422388)

Visualize the precise movements of the Sun and Moon with 3D graphs, eclipse details, and rise/set times. This app offers offline calculations for celestial positions and moon phases, making it ideal for astronomy enthusiasts.

**Highlights:** 3D movement graphs, Eclipse information and circumstances, Rise and set times, Moon phase and illumination, Offline astronomical data, Local horizontal coordinate system

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShowSky free?

ShowSky is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Solar Coaster free?

Solar Coaster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ShowSky or Solar Coaster?

Solar Coaster is rated higher. ShowSky averages 3.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Solar Coaster averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do ShowSky or Solar Coaster have ads?

Neither ShowSky nor Solar Coaster shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShowSky or Solar Coaster?

ShowSky ships an update every 48 months, and Solar Coaster every 3 months. Most recently, ShowSky was updated on June 10, 2026 and Solar Coaster on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*