Planetarium AlternativesStar Maps and other similar apps like Planetarium

Planetarium is described as 'A browser-based virtual planetarium of stars and planets customizable by location (latitude and longitude) and time of day' and is a Star Map in the education & reference category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Planetarium, not only websites but also apps for a variety of platforms, including iPad, Windows, iPhone, Android and Android Tablet apps. The best Planetarium alternative is Google Earth. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Stellarium or Celestia. Other great sites and apps similar to Planetarium are Sky Map, NASA World Wind, Gaia Sky and Planetario.

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Planetarium alternatives are mainly Star Maps but may also be Map Services. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Planetarium.
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A browser-based virtual planetarium of stars and planets customizable by location (latitude and longitude) and time of day.

More about Planetarium
Planetarium alternatives page was last updated Jan 17, 2024
  1. Google Earth icon
     1029 likes

    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.

    60 Google Earth alternatives
    Google Earth screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free PersonalProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad

    Google Earth Features

    1.  Street panning and viewing
    2. Google Drive icon  Google Drive integration
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Points of Interest (POI)
    6.  Visual navigation
    Google Earth iconPlanetarium Icon

    Google Earth VS Planetarium

    Is Google Earth a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
    • Google Earth is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Android & Mac alternative to Planetarium.

    • Google Earth is the most popular free alternative to Planetarium.

    • Google Earth is Free Personal and ProprietaryPlanetarium is Free and Proprietary
  2. Stellarium icon
     353 likes

    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.

    57 Stellarium alternatives
    The dance of the planets above ESO headquarters, near Munich.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com

    Stellarium Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Exploration
    5.  Cross-Platform
    Stellarium iconPlanetarium Icon

    Stellarium VS Planetarium

    Is Stellarium a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
    Comments about Stellarium as an Alternative to Planetarium
     
    Guest

    It's downloadable on Linux, so it can be used offline.

    Positive commentJul 22, 2020
    0
    Planetarium Icon
    Stellarium icon
    • Stellarium is the most popular Open Source alternative to Planetarium.

    • Stellarium is Free and Open SourcePlanetarium is Free and Proprietary
  3. Celestia icon
     123 likes

    Celestia is an application for real-time 3D visualization of space, with a detailed model of the solar system, over 100,000 stars, more than 10,000 galaxies, and an extension mechanism for adding more objects.

    29 Celestia alternatives
    The orbits of a number of main belt asteroids (in brown) plotted together with major planet orbits (in blue).

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS

    Celestia Features

    1.  Portable
    Celestia iconPlanetarium Icon

    Celestia VS Planetarium

    Is Celestia a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
  4. Sky Map icon
     133 likes

    Sky Map (formerly the Google Sky Map) turns your Android-powered mobile phone into a window on the night sky.

    43 Sky Map alternatives
    Sky Map screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android

    Sky Map Features

    1.  Augmented Reality
    Sky Map iconPlanetarium Icon

    Sky Map VS Planetarium

    Is Sky Map a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
  5. NASA World Wind icon
     44 likes

    World Wind lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth. Leveraging Landsat satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data, World Wind lets you experience Earth terrain in visually rich 3D, just as if you were really there.

    15 NASA World Wind alternatives
    Blue Marble: View of the eastern hemisphere

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    NASA World Wind Features

    1.  Turn-by-turn Navigation
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  Image Navigation
    NASA World Wind iconPlanetarium Icon

    NASA World Wind VS Planetarium

    Is NASA World Wind a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
  6. Gaia Sky icon
     10 likes

    3D visualization software for ESA's (European Space Agency) Gaia mission to chart about 1 billion stars of the Milky Way Galaxy.

    44 Gaia Sky alternatives
    Gaia Sky screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Gaia Sky Features

    1.  Notifications
    Gaia Sky iconPlanetarium Icon

    Gaia Sky VS Planetarium

    Is Gaia Sky a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
  7. Planetario icon
     2 likes

    Planetario contains a 3D model of our solar system. It will show the horizon and the planets in their path along the sky. The word planet comes from the Greek planetai, meaning "wanderers". Because of the rotation of the earth, the stars seem to move in perfect...

    51 Planetario alternatives
    Planetario screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    Planetario iconPlanetarium Icon

    Planetario VS Planetarium

    Is Planetario a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
  8. Sky Guide icon
     5 likes

    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.

    40 Sky Guide alternatives
    Sky Guide screenshot 1

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch

    Sky Guide Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    Sky Guide iconPlanetarium Icon

    Sky Guide VS Planetarium

    Is Sky Guide a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
    • Sky Guide is the most popular commercial alternative to Planetarium.

    • Sky Guide is Paid and ProprietaryPlanetarium is Free and Proprietary
  9. Solar System Scope icon
     4 likes

    3D simulation of the Solar System and night sky - real time virtual orrery and observatory

    51 Solar System Scope alternatives
    Solar System Scope screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Solar System Scope Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Multiple languages
    Solar System Scope iconPlanetarium Icon

    Solar System Scope VS Planetarium

    Is Solar System Scope a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
  10. KStars icon
     18 likes

    KStars is a Desktop Planetarium for KDE. It provides an accurate graphical simulation of the night sky, from any location on Earth, at any date and time. The display includes upto 100 million stars, 13,000 deep-sky objects,all 8 planets, the Sun and Moon, and thousands of comets...

    45 KStars alternatives
    KStars showing the constellation of Orion

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • KDE Plasma
    KStars iconPlanetarium Icon

    KStars VS Planetarium

    Is KStars a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
  11. SkyView icon
     11 likes

    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.

    36 SkyView alternatives
    SkyView screenshot 1
    SkyView screenshot 2
    +2
    SkyView screenshot 3

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Kindle Fire

    SkyView Features

    1.  Augmented Reality
    SkyView iconPlanetarium Icon

    SkyView VS Planetarium

    Is SkyView a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
  12. Starry Night (series) icon
     2 likes

    The Starry Night apps are the most comprehensive educational astronomy apps. Use it with your introductory astronomy textbook or on its own. It's a powerful, portable planetarium that fits in your backpack. It puts thousands of stars and planets at your fingertips.

    39 Starry Night (series) alternatives
    Starry Night (series) screenshot 1

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Starry Night (series) iconPlanetarium Icon

    Starry Night (series) VS Planetarium

    Is this a good alternative to Planetarium?
     
12 of 51 Planetarium alternatives