3D Solar System vs Planetaria
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
3D Solar System
Explore the solar system in 3D and augmented reality. Learn about planets, moons, stars, and constellations through interactive models, scientific facts, and engaging quizzes. Create your own planets with AI.
- 3D & AR Solar System models
- Scientific facts about celestial bodies
- Interactive star map
- Engaging educational tasks and quizzes
- AI-powered planet creation
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Have you ever wanted to hold the Solar System in your hands? Now you can. 3D Solar System turns your device into a window to the planets, constellations, and stars beyond. Solar System in 3D and AR Travel from the Sun to the icy edge of deep space — a planetary journey of nearly 15 billion kilometers through our cosmic backyard. Study planets, moons, dwarf planets, and two major asteroid fields: the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune. See how tiny Earth looks next to Jupiter. Zoom in on planets' craters, spin Saturn's rings, and realize just how vast the universe really is. Interactive star map for passionate stargazers A complete map of the night sky with gyroscope support. Tilt your device toward the ceiling and explore constellations like a true space explorer — as if you were standing under a real night sky. Learn each constellation's name, its ancient stories, and the astronomy behind them. Learn to identify Orion, Ursa Major, Cassiopeia and discover dozens more. What you can do: ► Study planets — from scorched Mercury to icy Neptune — along with moons, dwarf planets, and bright constellations like a real astronomer. ► Test your knowledge with quizzes, planet order challenges, "True or False", and mythology questions. Learn who the planets are named after, how long a day lasts on Pluto, and what makes a star shine. ► Create your own planet using AI — design it, name it, and explore it. 714,000+ people have downloaded our app. To put that in perspective: that's 79 times more than all the stars you can see in the night sky with your own eyes. Some features may require a subscription. Free version includes: basic planet info, part of the constellation catalog, some quizzes and tests, star map, and AI planet generation (up to 2 planets). Subscription unlocks: full content about the Solar System, full constellation catalog, all quizzes and tests, planet cross-sections, unlimited AI planet generation. Every planet is different. Each constellation has a story. The universe is waiting — and it's bigger than you ever imagined. Explore all planets, learn every constellation, and become the space explorer you've always wanted to be. Start your journey through space today. Privacy Policy: http://educationterra.com/privacy Terms Of Use: https://educationterra.com/tos
Planetaria
Explore a dynamic 3D model of the Solar System, synchronizing with real-time data to show celestial bodies in orbit. Discover planets, dwarf planets, and moons with detailed surface models. Manipulate time to view past and future solar system configurations.
- Interactive 3D Solar System model
- Real-time celestial body positions
- Detailed 3D surface models
- Explore planets, dwarf planets, and moons
- Time manipulation (past/future)
- AR integration
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Explore the celestial worlds of the Solar System with Planetaria, an interactive 3D simulator experience for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. This dynamic scale model of the Solar System synchronizes with real-time data to display the live positions of celestial bodies in their orbits, along with beautiful and detailed 3D models of their surfaces. On your journey through outer space, you can visit the Sun, the 8 planets, 5 dwarf planets, and over 20 major moons. Entire worlds await your discovery, each with their own individual features and environments. You can also fast-forward or rewind time, and see what the Solar System looks like at any time in the past or future. Photos and 3D models provided by NASA/JPL.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: 3D Solar System at Free against Planetaria's $4.99. 3D Solar System also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (1.7K vs 9). Planetaria's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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
3D Solar System is free to download; Planetaria costs $4.99 up front. 3D Solar System sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Planetaria asks for nothing beyond the download.
Planetaria holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 3D Solar System has 1.7K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of 3D Solar System's written reviews are positive against 50% of Planetaria's.
3D Solar System ships an update fortnightly, Planetaria every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 3D Solar System | Planetaria |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (1.7K ratings) | 4.7 (9 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.6% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 347 MB | 510 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Education Terra | Joseph Rupertus |
Customer experience
3D Solar System
Planetaria
Bugs and requests
3D Solar System
Reported bugs
3 issues- Planets displayed incorrectly
- Subscription charges without consent
- Inability to cancel subscription
Requested features
4 requests- More free content and features
- Realistic planet models and animations
- Expanded content beyond the solar system
- Improved accessibility and usability
Planetaria
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
3D Solar System
- 1 Week Subscription$7.997 Days
- 1 Month PRO3 Days trial$9.991 Month
- 1 month Sale2 Months trial$10.991 Month
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- 12 months sale3 Days trial$14.991 Year
- 6 months$19.996 Months
- Astronomy guide - Sky atlas$19.991 Month
- 12 months3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Astronomy guide - Sky atlas3 Days trial$29.993 Months
- 2 Month Subscription3 Days trial$29.992 Months
- 2 Months Subscription3 Days trial$39.992 Months
- Disable Ads Sale$9.99
- Disable Ads$19.99
Planetaria
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 3D Solar System free?
Is Planetaria free?
Which has better reviews, 3D Solar System or Planetaria?
Do 3D Solar System or Planetaria have ads?
Which is updated more often, 3D Solar System or Planetaria?
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