Comparison

Planetarium 3D vs ARPlanets 2

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

Head to head
About

Planetarium 3D

Explore the solar system in an interactive 3D environment. Travel to planets, moons, dwarf planets, and asteroids, with detailed facts and stunning visuals. Launch cinematic tours and capture your favorite views.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D solar system model
  • Instant travel to planets and moons
  • Explore dwarf planets and asteroids
  • Cinematic tours with various perspectives
  • Capture and share space views
  • Real science-inspired facts and data
  • Supports multiple Apple devices
Features
Read full description

Planetarium 3D turns the solar system into a place you can actually move through. Spin the system with your fingers, zoom in, tap a world, and launch across space to meet it. Drift past Saturn's rings, drop in on Jupiter's moons, or head far beyond Pluto to explore dwarf planets and distant icy worlds. Choose how you want to travel: - Tap any planet to fly there instantly - Visit moons directly and open fact cards along the way - Explore dwarf planets and named asteroids beyond the main planetary lineup - Launch cinematic tours with different flight styles and perspectives - Capture and share your favorite views This version lets you explore more than the classic solar system view. Alongside the 9 planets and 23 moons (now with Mimas, Iapetus, Miranda), you can now travel to worlds like Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, Haumea, Makemake, Eris, Sedna and Quaoar. Built for curiosity, not complexity: - Beautiful 3D planets, rings, lighting and atmosphere effects - Real science-inspired facts and orbital data - Simple touch controls with quick onboarding - Supports iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV - Available in 19 languages No account. No setup. Just open the app and start flying.

About

ARPlanets 2

Explore the augmented reality Solar System with interactive 3D models and intuitive gestures. Learn basic and advanced astronomy concepts through engaging AR lessons.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality Solar System exploration
  • Interactive 3D model manipulation
  • Discover celestial body details
  • AR-based astronomy lessons
  • User-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

Introducing ARPlanets 2! Completely rewritten from scratch to offer the ultimate user experience this app will bring the entire augmented reality Solar System into your pocket! The AR user experience is of the highest level with total control of the models thanks to intuitive gestures. The new great AR Lessons section will teach you with nice lessons in augmented reality basic astronomy concepts such as Kepler's Laws up to advanced notions such as differential photometry. Learning has never been so beautiful! -> Main features - User friendly user interface aimed at offering the maximum user experience - Completely manipulate 3D models thanks to very simple gestures. - Discover the names of the most interesting areas of the Moon, Mars and Jupiter simply by getting closer with your phone! - Learn notions of basic astronomy in augmented reality such as the Earth-Moon system and Kepler's Laws up to advanced topics such as differential photometry thanks to the AR Lessons section! Learning has never been so beautiful!

Screenshots

Planetarium 3D4 screens
ARPlanets 23 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ARPlanets 2 at Free against Planetarium 3D's $1.99. ARPlanets 2 also leads on ratings volume (15 vs 1). Planetarium 3D's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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

ARPlanets 2 is free to download; Planetarium 3D costs $1.99 up front. ARPlanets 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Planetarium 3D asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Planetarium 3D holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ARPlanets 2 has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Planetarium 3D's written reviews are positive against 57% of ARPlanets 2's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Planetarium 3D versus ARPlanets 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlanetarium 3DARPlanets 2
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.3 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews57.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings115 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB408 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSolueman HussainDaniele Citi

Customer experience

Planetarium 3D

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

ARPlanets 2

All ratings15 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative28.6%

In-app purchases

None

Planetarium 3D

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ARPlanets 2

One-time1
  • Full Access AR$1.99

Questions

Is Planetarium 3D free?
Planetarium 3D costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ARPlanets 2 free?
ARPlanets 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Planetarium 3D or ARPlanets 2?
Planetarium 3D is rated higher. Planetarium 3D averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ARPlanets 2 averages 3.3 from 15 ratings.
Do Planetarium 3D or ARPlanets 2 have ads?
Neither Planetarium 3D nor ARPlanets 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Planetarium 3D or ARPlanets 2?
Planetarium 3D ships an update every 6 weeks, and ARPlanets 2 every 6 weeks. Most recently, Planetarium 3D was updated on October 29, 2026 and ARPlanets 2 on October 29, 2026.

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