KStars Alternatives
KStars is described as 'Desktop Planetarium for KDE. It provides an accurate graphical simulation of the night sky, from any location on Earth, at any date and time' and is a Star Map in the Education & Reference category. There are more than 25 alternatives to KStars for a variety of platforms, including iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Android Tablet. The best alternative is Google Earth. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Stellarium or Sky Map. Other great apps like KStars are Gaia Sky (Free, Open Source), Star Walk (series) (Paid), Sky Guide (Paid) and Solar System Scope (Freemium).
- Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places, and share with others.
- Free Personal • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- BSD
- iPad
- Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
- Sky Map (formerly the Google Sky Map) turns your Android-powered mobile phone into a window on the night sky.
- Gaia Sky is a real-time, 3D, astronomy visualisation software that runs on Windows, Linux and OS X.
- Indispensable for amateurs and professionals, as well as for kids who are eager to learn, Star Walk will guide you through the night sky in style.
- Paid • Proprietary
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Apple TV
- Kindle Fire
- A window to the stars has never been more beautiful and easy to use. Sky Guide lets you experience the wonders of the night in ways you’ve only dreamed of.
- 3D simulation of the Solar System and night sky - real time virtual orrery and observatory
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- This program enables you to draw sky charts, making use of the data in 16 catalogs of stars and nebulae. In addition the position of planets, asteroids and comets are shown.
- SkySafari is a powerful planetarium that fits in your pocket. It puts thousands of stars and planets at your fingertips. It lets you find objects in the sky using your device's built-in compass and accelerometer.
- Paid • Proprietary
- Mac
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- SkyView is powerful, easy-to-use app that answers questions about stars, constellations, and more. Simply point the camera to the sky, tap on what you see and discover neat things about these sky objects.
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- Kindle Fire