Stellarium, SkyView, Sky Map, Star Walk 2 and Sky Tonight compared — point your phone up to identify stars, planets and constellations, online or off.
Pointing a phone at a random patch of sky and getting an accurate label back still feels like magic, even years after these apps appeared. The category splits by what you want the moment for: entertaining a child with the mythological figures behind the Big Dipper is a different job from planning a serious telescope night, and a dense astronomical catalogue is actively worse for the first one. This guide compares the leading planetarium apps for 2026, with Stellarium and SkyView Lite reviewed in depth as the reference and the beginner's doorway, while the questions cover the fully free and telescope-oriented options.
Stellarium brings the reference desktop planetarium to the phone: a vast catalogue, strong accuracy and full offline use, with the category's top ratings.
Point it at the sky and it overlays stars, planets, constellations and deep-sky objects with remarkable positional accuracy, drawing on the same heritage as the best-known desktop planetarium, and it works offline once installed — essential given that the darkest skies have the worst signal. The catalogue is deep enough to grow with a beginner who buys binoculars and then a telescope. Beginners may find the interface dense, the most advanced functions live in the Plus version, and running the orientation sensors for long sessions drains battery like any sky app.
SkyView Lite is the simplest doorway into the sky: live-camera overlays with drawings of the mythological figures, no account and no connection.
You point the phone upward and the names of stars, planets and constellations appear over the live camera image, complete with illustrated mythological figures that make the shapes memorable — the single best way to hand a child the night sky, or to learn the major constellations yourself in ten minutes. No sign-up and no data connection are required. Its limits are deliberate: the catalogue is far smaller than Stellarium's, individual objects carry little scientific detail, and the free version shows advertising.
Download price only. In-app purchases and subscriptions may cost extra.
Questions & answers
Which astronomy app is completely free?
Sky Map is the only one that is fully free with no ads and no paid version, though its catalogue is basic. Stellarium gives a great deal away in its free version and is the most complete cost-free choice; SkyView Lite and Star Walk 2 are free but ad-supported, with content reserved for the paid edition.
Do stargazing apps work without internet?
Yes, which matters because the best skies are usually where signal is not. Stellarium, Sky Map, SkyView and Star Walk 2 run offline once downloaded, using the phone's GPS and orientation sensors rather than the network. Only extras such as object photographs or event alerts need a connection.
Are they useful with a telescope?
As support, yes. Stellarium and Sky Tonight can simulate your telescope's field of view and help plan the night's observing list before you head out. Automatically pointing the scope requires a compatible motorised mount; some apps can control one, depending on your equipment.
Why does the app show a star where I see nothing?
Usually light pollution: from a city only the brightest stars are visible even though the screen displays thousands. Many catalogue objects — galaxies and nebulae — are also beyond the naked eye and need binoculars or a telescope. For filtering to what is genuinely visible from your location, Sky Tonight does the best job.
More related apps
App library · United States App Store. Prices and availability reflect the last check.
