Best KStars Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from astronomy apps ranked against KStars on the same published basis.
- 1KStars vs Cosmic Watch
- 2KStars vs Solar System Scope
- 3KStars vs DWARFLAB App
- 4KStars vs NASA Eyes
- 5KStars vs Night Sky
- 6KStars vs Star Chart
- 7KStars vs BXA
- 8KStars vs Celestia
- 9KStars vs squishyplanet
- 10KStars vs Luminos Pro
- 11KStars vs Seestar App
- 12KStars vs UNISTELLAR App
- 13KStars vs Sky Guide
- 14KStars vs Halotools
- 15KStars vs SkySafari
- 16KStars vs SpaceEngine
- 17KStars vs SkyPortal
- 18KStars vs Star Walk 2
- 19KStars vs Gaia Sky
- 20KStars vs Heavens-Above
KStars alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cosmic Watch | 6.0 | Free plan | $0.42/mo | Android, iOS, Mac |
| 2 | Solar System Scope | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | DWARFLAB App | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS |
| 4 | NASA Eyes | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 5 | Night Sky | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac |
| 6 | Star Chart | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | BXA | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 8 | Celestia | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 9 | squishyplanet | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Windows |
| 10 | Luminos Pro | 5.6 | No | $3/mo | iOS, Mac |
| 11 | Seestar App | 5.6 | No | — | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | UNISTELLAR App | 5.6 | No | — | Android, iOS |
| 13 | Sky Guide | 5.5 | No | — | iOS, Mac |
| 14 | Halotools | 5.4 | No | — | Linux |
| 15 | SkySafari | 5.3 | No | — | Android, iOS, Mac, Web |
| 16 | SpaceEngine | 5.3 | No | — | Windows |
| 17 | SkyPortal | 5.2 | No | — | iOS, Android |
| 18 | Star Walk 2 | 5.2 | Free plan | $0.50/mo | Android, iOS |
| 19 | Gaia Sky | 5.1 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 20 | Heavens-Above | 5.1 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android |
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Questions about KStars alternatives
What is the best alternative to KStars?
Cosmic Watch, number 1 in astronomy apps with a score of 6.0 out of 10. The others here: Solar System Scope, DWARFLAB App, NASA Eyes and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to KStars?
Cosmic Watch is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.