Comparison

Orbit vs Solar System Sim

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

Head to head
About

Orbit

This app is a meditative physics puzzler where you launch planets to create stable orbits around black holes. Explore a variety of levels, create your own challenges in a sandbox mode, and enjoy a visually artistic and relaxing experience.

Highlights
  • Gravity simulation puzzles
  • Create stable orbits
  • Sandbox mode for level creation
  • Community-created levels
  • Visual orbital mechanics
  • Minimalist graphics and relaxing music
Features
Read full description

ORBIT is a gravity simulator at the heart of a puzzle game. Launch planets with a flick of your finger, and try to get them into stable orbits around black holes. Can you make enough orbits to progress to the next level? New: ORBIT now features a Sandbox (paid) where you can create your own levels! Control time, disable collisions, and paint with gravity. Publish your creations to the world for everyone to play. • 45 free levels, with new mechanics are introduced over time — like repulsive black holes and planets with their own gravity that attract each other • Play community-created levels — virtually limitless content made by other players, all completely free • Launch as many planets as you like, and watch the mesmerizing orbital mechanics unfold • Planets leave colored traces, so that at the end of a level you will have created a beautiful piece of art • See the future trajectory of a planet before you launch it • Play in an environment of smooth, minimalist graphics while listening to relaxing classical piano Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/highkeygames Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highkeygames

About

Solar System Sim

Simulate and explore celestial bodies within our solar system and beyond. Create your own solar systems, experiment with gravity and physics, and observe orbital mechanics in action.

Highlights
  • Explore planets and moons
  • Visit nearby stars
  • Create custom solar systems
  • Gravity and physics simulation
  • Recalculate orbits
  • Newton's laws implementation
Features
Read full description

Zoom from a planet's surface out to distant galaxies, then reshape the whole system with your own hands. Solar System Sim is a real-time gravity sandbox built on Newton's laws and real astronomical data. Every body you add, move or destroy recalculates the orbits of everything else, live. • Smash worlds together: impact craters carve into the surface, firestorms sweep the globe, and glowing debris rains back down. • Build your own universe: add planets, moons, asteroids and comets with their own size, mass and looks, or customise the ones already there. • Land anywhere: drop to a first-person view on any planet's surface and experience its environment. • Sculpt rings: add particle rings and watch gravity shape them in real time. • Witness real eclipses: solar and lunar, with real-world astronomical precision. • Follow comets: watch them streak past and interact with the bodies they meet. • Leave the Solar System: travel to remarkable nearby stars and find them within the Milky Way. • Feel the scale: see the true vastness of space, from a pebble-sized moon to the nearest galaxies. Whether you're here to learn how gravity really works or just to break planets with it, explore at your own pace. Start your cosmic adventure with Solar System Sim.

Screenshots

Orbit4 screens
Solar System Sim4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Orbit at none against Solar System Sim's shown. Orbit also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (94% vs 80%). Solar System Sim's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, 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. Orbit sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Solar System Sim sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Orbit holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.6K and 4.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Orbit's written reviews are positive against 80% of Solar System Sim's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Orbit ships an update every 2 months, Solar System Sim every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Orbit versus Solar System Sim: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrbitSolar System Sim
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.6K ratings) — better4.5 (4.1K ratings)
Positive reviews94.4% of reviews — better79.9% of reviews
Number of ratings7.6K — better4.1K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size130 MB512 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHIGHKEY GamesWPC

Customer experience

Orbit

All ratings7,554 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews620 reviews
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.1%

Solar System Sim

All ratings4,131 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral5.3%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews1,064 reviews
Positive79.9%
Neutral10.2%
Negative9.9%

User reviews

Orbit

From 7.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fire game
  • 👍 Relaxing and Enjoyable
  • 👍 Calming, fun, stimulating, humble
  • 👍 Simple and yet complicated
  • 👍 Elegant and easy

Room to improve

  • 🐛 In app purchased not reicevied
  • 🐛 Purchase didn't work for sandbox & ad removal but it's fun.
  • 🔒 Be ware of your data
  • 🐛 Love-hate

Solar System Sim

From 4.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Realistic simulation
  • 🚀 Detailed solar system
  • 🚀 Ability to create custom solar systems
  • 🚀 Impressive graphics
  • 🚀 Frequent updates

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and glitches
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💰 Excessive ads
  • 🐛 Saving and loading issues
  • 🐛 Unstable orbits

Bugs and requests

Orbit

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • In app purchase not received
  • Sandbox mode not working
  • Game crashing and unable to open

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to zoom in and out
  • Ability to rotate the game to landscape on iPad
  • Ability to edit and move existing objects in sandbox mode
  • Ability to name planets and add moons
Show 1 more
  • More levels and game modes

Solar System Sim

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Planets/moons disappearing after saving and loading
  • Bright flashes and screen distortions
  • Planets/objects getting stuck inside stars
  • Crashes when colliding or editing certain objects
  • Inconsistent orbital mechanics and moons ejecting from planets

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add more galaxy and nebula textures
  • Implement realistic supernova effects
  • Allow customization of planet atmospheres and terrain
  • Add binary star systems and rogue planets
  • Introduce a galaxy maker and collision feature
Show 5 more
  • Implement a reverse time lapse option
  • Add more speed options (128x, 256x, etc.)
  • Introduce a population counter and life simulation for planets
  • Allow custom city lights and vegetation on planets
  • Add a Roche limit feature to observe tidal disruption

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Orbit

One-time7
  • $1 contribution$0.99
  • Remove ads$0.99
  • $2 contribution$1.99
Show 4 more
  • $3 contribution$2.99
  • Unlock Sandbox (and remove ads)$2.99
  • $5 contribution$4.99
  • $10 contribution$9.99
5 purchases

Solar System Sim

One-time5
  • HD Mars$2.99
  • HD Earth$2.99
  • HD Moon$2.99
Show 2 more
  • No-ads$3.99
  • HD 3-body pack$6.99

Questions

Is Orbit free?
Orbit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Solar System Sim free?
Solar System Sim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Orbit or Solar System Sim?
Orbit is rated higher. Orbit averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while Solar System Sim averages 4.5 from 4.1K ratings.
Do Orbit or Solar System Sim have ads?
Solar System Sim shows ads; Orbit does not.
Which is updated more often, Orbit or Solar System Sim?
Orbit ships an update every 2 months, and Solar System Sim every 3 weeks. Most recently, Orbit was updated on September 23, 2026 and Solar System Sim on September 24, 2026.

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