Report updated Apr 3, 2026
Star Walk 2 Plus: Live Sky Map
v2.20.1Astronomy enthusiasts, students, and casual stargazers ranging from beginners to experienced observers looking for an educational and visually engaging sky guide.
What Is Star Walk 2 Plus: Live Sky Map?
Launched Apr 28, 2015
Updated Apr 2026
What users think iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.
What does it look like?
What are the key features?
Uses device sensors and GPS to display an accurate, real-time map of stars and planets.
Allows users to observe the sky as it appeared in the past or will appear in the future.
Detailed visualizations of constellations that can be manipulated to understand scale.
Voice-activated access to astronomical event lists and location-based sky data.
What do users think? iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.
“Recent user voice shows a excited sentiment. Users appreciate educational value and accuracy and augmented reality (ar) experience, but report aggressive monetization and ads and technical stability.”
What Users Love
It provides accurate, detailed, and informative explanations regarding celestial bodies
The augmented reality sky view is absolutely brilliant
Pain Points
Now there are so many ads they ruined the functionality of the app
The title screen and then absolutely nothing... the screen was just black
High confidence · 650.6K reviews available
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
- Award-winning visual design and 3D modeling
- Massive user base of over 10 million
- High accuracy and educational depth
- Strong brand recognition in the Education category
Cons
- Intrusive ad model causing sentiment decline
- Technical stability issues (black screens/lag)
- Friction with legacy paid users regarding new subscriptions
What is the market outlook?
Growth Opportunities
- Integration with smart telescope hardware
- Expansion of gamified content like quizzes
- Improved retention through better legacy user management
Market Threats
- Sky Guide's high-fidelity cinematic experience
- Emergence of hardware-software integrated apps (Unistellar)
- User churn due to aggressive monetization
Who competes with Star Walk 2 Plus: Live Sky Map?
The Nemesis
Sky Guide
Fifth Star Labs LLC
The primary premium rival known for its high-fidelity visuals, cinematic soundscapes, and identical real-time AR sky mapping functionality.
The primary premium rival known for its high-fidelity visuals, cinematic soundscapes, and identical real-time AR sky mapping functionality.
Contenders
Star Chart
0ESCAPE VELOCITY LIMITED
A long-standing rival offering real-time sky mapping and 3D exploration of the solar system.
A long-standing rival offering real-time sky mapping and 3D exploration of the solar system.
Starlight® - Explore the Stars
ION6, LLC
A visually focused sky map app that simplifies constellation identification for casual stargazers.
A visually focused sky map app that simplifies constellation identification for casual stargazers.
Peers
The official source for space news and imagery, competing for the attention of astronomy enthusiasts.
NASA+ Streaming Service
Used by night-sky photographers to plan shots of the Milky Way and celestial alignments.
3D Augmented Reality Planner
ISS Detector
★4.1 (159)Derk Vrijdag
Focuses specifically on tracking the International Space Station and other satellites.
Focuses specifically on tracking the International Space Station and other satellites.
Solar System Scope
★4.4 (860)INOVE, s.r.o.
An interactive 3D orrery that focuses on planetary models rather than just the night sky view.
An interactive 3D orrery that focuses on planetary models rather than just the night sky view.
New Kids on the Block
Unistellar
★3.8 (95)Unistellar
A rising threat that combines sky mapping with high-end smart telescope hardware integration.
A rising threat that combines sky mapping with high-end smart telescope hardware integration.
What are the key takeaways?
Star Walk 2 Plus: Live Sky Map is a exciting education app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.6/5 rating from 650.6K reviews, it excites its users from users. Users particularly appreciate educational value and accuracy, though aggressive monetization and ads remains a common concern.
Best for: Astronomy enthusiasts, students, and casual stargazers ranging from beginners to experienced observers looking for an educational and visually engaging sky guide.
How much does it cost?
Model: freemium
Uses an ad-supported model to drive mass adoption, with a subscription-based tier to monetize power users. However, aggressive ad placement is currently hurting user sentiment.
iOS Version
2.20.1
Android Version
2.20.0
Release Date
Apr 28, 2015
iOS Price
Free
Android Price
Free
Developer
Vito Technology Inc.