Best Astronomy Apps in 2026
Updated
In short: NASA Eyes is ranked #1 of 34 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Celestia and Solar System Scope. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Celestia. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Cosmic Watch at $0.42/mo.
Astronomy apps can help you explore sky objects, learn about space or follow missions, with capabilities that vary across the entries. Compare catalog size and platform coverage, then consider whether AR sky view or offline access suits how you observe. Learning content and mission tracking offer other ways to explore, while telescope control may matter if it’s part of your setup. NASA Eyes, Solar System Scope and Cosmic Watch are among the named apps, alongside Night Sky and Seestar App. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide further points of comparison.
34 astronomy apps ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
9 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NASA EyesWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 2 | CelestiaWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 3 | Solar System ScopeWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 4 | Cosmic WatchMac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $0.42/mo | 6.6 | |
| 5 | Night SkyMac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 6 | Star ChartWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 7 | DWARFLAB AppAndroid · iPhone | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | squishyplanetWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 9 | BXALinux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 10 | Seestar AppWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 11 | Luminos ProMac · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | $3/mo | 5.5 |
| 12 | UNISTELLAR AppAndroid · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 13 | Gaia SkyWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 14 | Star ChartWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 15 | Aladin DesktopWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 16 | HalotoolsLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 17 | Heavens-AboveWeb · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 18 | ISS DetectorMac · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 19 | KStarsWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | SingularityAndroid · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 21 | Sky GuideMac · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 22 | SkyORBWindows · Mac · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 23 | SkyPortalAndroid · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 24 | Spot the StationAndroid · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 25 | Star Walk 2Android · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Offline access | Platform coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NASA Eyes | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | No | cross-platform |
| 2 | Celestia | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | cross-platform |
| 3 | Solar System Scope | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | cross-platform |
| 4 | Cosmic Watch | 6.6 | Free plan | $0.42/mo | Yes | — | — | cross-platform |
| 5 | Night Sky | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | cross-platform |
| 6 | Star Chart | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | cross-platform |
| 7 | DWARFLAB App | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | mobile |
| 8 | squishyplanet | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | No | — | — | — |
| 9 | BXA | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | desktop |
| 10 | Seestar App | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | mobile |
| 11 | Luminos Pro | 5.5 | No | $3/mo | Yes | — | Yes | mobile |
| 12 | UNISTELLAR App | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | mobile |
| 13 | Gaia Sky | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | desktop |
| 14 | Star Chart | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | cross-platform |
| 15 | Aladin Desktop | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | desktop |
| 16 | Halotools | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 17 | Heavens-Above | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | cross-platform |
| 18 | ISS Detector | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | cross-platform |
| 19 | KStars | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | desktop |
| 20 | Singularity | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | No | mobile |
| 21 | Sky Guide | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | cross-platform |
| 22 | SkyORB | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | cross-platform |
| 23 | SkyPortal | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | mobile |
| 24 | Spot the Station | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | mobile |
| 25 | Star Walk 2 | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | mobile |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which astronomy app is ranked first on Freedom251?
NASA Eyes is ranked #1 of 34 with a score of 6.8. Celestia is second and Solar System Scope third.
How many of these have a free plan?
9 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Cosmic Watch has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.42/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.