Softwr

Education · head to head

CampMinder vs Stellarium

CampMinder logo

CampMinder

Education

Camp management for residential summer camps, priced by camper rather than by seat

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stellarium logo

Stellarium

Education

Free open source desktop planetarium software, distinct from the paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Stellarium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CampMinder pricing is never published and scales with camper volume, so a camp that grows a session finds its renewal quote grows with it, without a published schedule to check the increase against.; Stellarium it is desktop-only software, so it has no native touch-optimised phone interface; the similarly named mobile app is a different paid product from a different company.
  • They diverge on capability: CampMinder covers Enrolment and waitlists, Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CampMinder and Stellarium actually diverge.

Attributes where CampMinder and Stellarium differ
AttributeCampMinderStellarium
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, macOS, Linux

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CampMinder

  • Enrolment and waitlists
  • Tuition billing
  • Health records
  • Staff management
  • Cabin and group assignment
  • Parent portal
  • Transport
  • Reporting

Only in Stellarium

  • Photorealistic sky rendering
  • Large object catalogue
  • Telescope control
  • Scripting engine
  • Free and open source
  • Plugin ecosystem

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CampMinder

  • An overnight camp of eight hundred campers whose nurse currently runs medication logs on paper and cannot produce records for an insurernot Stellarium
  • A camp hiring three hundred seasonal staff a year and losing candidates in an email-based application processnot Stellarium
  • A camp network wanting consistent enrolment and retention reporting across several sitesnot Stellarium
  • A camp whose parent communication during session is the main driver of re-enrolment and is currently ad hocnot Stellarium

Stellarium

  • A student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line itemnot CampMinder
  • An amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modifynot CampMinder
  • Someone running a planetarium display or public astronomy event on a scripted shownot CampMinder
  • A hobbyist who wants a large object catalogue without paying a subscription, and does not need a phone appnot CampMinder

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CampMinder

  • Pricing is never published and scales with camper volume, so a camp that grows a session finds its renewal quote grows with it, without a published schedule to check the increase against.
  • Payment processing is charged separately from the licence and is negotiable, but many camps accept the default rate; on several million dollars of card tuition that decision costs more than the software.
  • It is built for the North American residential camp model, so camps in the UK, Europe or Australia find terminology, health record structure and transport tooling assume American practice.
  • The interface accumulated over two decades and is dense; new administrators need real training, which matters when camp offices turn over staff between seasons.
  • Off-season utilisation is poor: a camp pays for a full year of a platform it uses intensively for four months, which makes the per-camper cost feel high to a board reviewing annual spend.

Stellarium

  • It is desktop-only software, so it has no native touch-optimised phone interface; the similarly named mobile app is a different paid product from a different company.
  • As a volunteer-maintained open source project, support is community-based rather than a guaranteed commercial help desk.
  • The interface, while capable, is less immediately intuitive for a first-time user than a polished commercial phone app.
  • Telescope control and some advanced plugins require additional setup that a non-technical user may find fiddly.
  • Because it shares a name with the unrelated paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app, buyers researching pricing online can easily conflate the two products.

Pricing, plan by plan

CampMinder

On request
  • CampMinder$undefined/year
    • Registration, billing, health and staff modules
    • Parent portal with photos and messaging
    • Priced by camper volume, quoted annually

Stellarium

Free
  • Stellarium DesktopFree
    • Full software, GPL licensed
    • No account, ads or subscription
    • Community-developed plugins

Which should you pick?

Choose CampMinder if

  • You need enrolment and waitlists.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want tuition billing.
CampMinder review

Choose Stellarium if

  • You need photorealistic sky rendering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want large object catalogue.
Stellarium review

Questions people ask

Is CampMinder or Stellarium better?
Neither clearly leads. CampMinder starts at On request and Stellarium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CampMinder or Stellarium?
Stellarium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CampMinder and Free for Stellarium.
Does CampMinder or Stellarium run on more platforms?
CampMinder runs on Web, iOS, Android. Stellarium runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Stellarium for free?
Yes. Stellarium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CampMinder starts at On request.
What is CampMinder best used for?
CampMinder is most often used for an overnight camp of eight hundred campers whose nurse currently runs medication logs on paper and cannot produce records for an insurer, a camp hiring three hundred seasonal staff a year and losing candidates in an email-based application process, a camp network wanting consistent enrolment and retention reporting across several sites, a camp whose parent communication during session is the main driver of re-enrolment and is currently ad hoc. Of those, an overnight camp of eight hundred campers whose nurse currently runs medication logs on paper and cannot produce records for an insurer and a camp hiring three hundred seasonal staff a year and losing candidates in an email-based application process are not what Stellarium is typically brought in for.
What can CampMinder do that Stellarium cannot?
CampMinder covers Enrolment and waitlists, Tuition billing, Health records, Staff management. Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering, Large object catalogue, Telescope control, Scripting engine.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CampMinder: What does CampMinder cost?

It is not published. Pricing is quoted annually against camper volume, plus separate implementation and payment processing costs. Ask for the volume bands in writing so next year's increase is predictable.

Stellarium: Is Stellarium really free?

The desktop software is free and open source under the GPL licence. The separate mobile app, Stellarium Mobile Plus, is a different paid product.

CampMinder: Is payment processing negotiable?

Yes, and it is the largest cost most camps overlook. Compare the offered rate against an independent merchant quote before signing.

Stellarium: Is the mobile app made by the same team?

No. Stellarium Mobile Plus is built by Noctua Software, a different company, and is sold on subscription.

CampMinder: Does it handle camper health records properly?

Yes. The health centre module with medication administration logs is one of the strongest reasons camps choose it over generic registration tools.

Stellarium: What platforms does the free version run on?

Windows, macOS and Linux desktop.

CampMinder: Is it suitable for a day camp?

It can be, but much of what you pay for, such as bunking, transport and health centre operations, is built for overnight camps.

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