Education · head to head
Rosetta Stone vs Star Walk 2
Star Walk 2
Education
Freemium stargazing app with a low-cost ad-free upgrade, aimed at casual sky watchers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Star Walk 2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Rosetta Stone no pricing information available on homepage; requires navigating to /buy page; Star Walk 2 its object catalogue is far smaller than SkySafari Pro, so it has little to offer once someone wants to go beyond naked-eye stargazing.
- They diverge on capability: Rosetta Stone covers Immersive learning, Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Rosetta Stone and Star Walk 2 actually diverge.
| Attribute | Rosetta Stone | Star Walk 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $13.25/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | Freemium, low-cost ad-free subscription upgrade |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows |
| Founded | 1992 | Unknown |
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 Rosetta Stone
- Immersive learning
- Speech recognition
- TruAccent
- Live tutoring
- Phrasebook
- Stories
- Audio companion
- Mobile apps
Only in Star Walk 2
- Augmented reality sky view
- Time travel mode
- Satellite tracking
- Night mode
- Meteor shower and event alerts
- Ad-free Plus tier
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Rosetta Stone
- Language learning across 25+ languages with immersive methodnot Star Walk 2
- Speech recognition practice via TruAccent toolnot Star Walk 2
- Conversational fluency building through Chat Missionsnot Star Walk 2
- Custom learning materials creation with Sapphire Studionot Star Walk 2
- Professional and personal development language acquisitionnot Star Walk 2
Star Walk 2
- A parent wanting a cheap, simple app to show a child the night skynot Rosetta Stone
- A traveller who wants to identify stars and planets without a big subscription commitmentnot Rosetta Stone
- A casual stargazer who does not need telescope control or a deep-sky cataloguenot Rosetta Stone
- Someone wanting satellite pass tracking including the ISS on a budgetnot Rosetta Stone
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Rosetta Stone
- No pricing information available on homepage; requires navigating to /buy page
- Multiple membership tiers exist but pricing not displayed on main site
Star Walk 2
- Its object catalogue is far smaller than SkySafari Pro, so it has little to offer once someone wants to go beyond naked-eye stargazing.
- It has no telescope control, unlike SkySafari Plus and Pro, so it cannot drive a motorised mount.
- The free tier carries ads, which some users find intrusive during a stargazing session.
- It shares a visual style with many similar AR sky map apps, so its differentiation beyond price is limited.
- Content depth for deep-sky objects and satellite catalogues lags noticeably behind Sky Guide Pro and SkySafari Pro.
Pricing, plan by plan
Rosetta Stone
$13.25/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Rosetta Stone review.
Star Walk 2
Free- Star Walk 2Free
- Core sky map and AR view
- Ad-supported
- Star Walk 2 Plus$5.99/year
- Ads removed
- Additional sky content
Which should you pick?
Choose Rosetta Stone if
- You need immersive learning.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want speech recognition.
Choose Star Walk 2 if
- You need augmented reality sky view.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
- You also want time travel mode.
Questions people ask
- Is Rosetta Stone or Star Walk 2 better?
- Neither clearly leads. Rosetta Stone starts at $13.25/month and Star Walk 2 at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Rosetta Stone or Star Walk 2?
- Star Walk 2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $13.25/month for Rosetta Stone and Free for Star Walk 2.
- Does Rosetta Stone or Star Walk 2 run on more platforms?
- Rosetta Stone runs on Web, iOS, Android. Star Walk 2 runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
- Can I use Star Walk 2 for free?
- Yes. Star Walk 2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rosetta Stone starts at $13.25/month.
- What is Rosetta Stone best used for?
- Rosetta Stone is most often used for language learning across 25+ languages with immersive method, speech recognition practice via truaccent tool, conversational fluency building through chat missions, custom learning materials creation with sapphire studio. Of those, language learning across 25+ languages with immersive method and speech recognition practice via truaccent tool are not what Star Walk 2 is typically brought in for.
- What can Rosetta Stone do that Star Walk 2 cannot?
- Rosetta Stone covers Immersive learning, Speech recognition, TruAccent, Live tutoring. Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view, Time travel mode, Satellite tracking, Night mode.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Rosetta Stone: Where can I find Rosetta Stone pricing information?
Rosetta Stone pricing is not displayed on the main homepage. Customers must navigate to the membership purchase pages or click the JOIN NOW button to access pricing information for individual, enterprise, or school membership options. Source: https://www.rosettastone.com
SourceStar Walk 2: Is Star Walk 2 free?
A free ad-supported version exists; Star Walk 2 Plus removes ads and adds content for a low annual or monthly fee.
Star Walk 2: Does it support telescope control?
No. For telescope control, SkySafari Plus or Pro is the better choice.
Star Walk 2: How does it compare to SkySafari on price?
It is substantially cheaper, but with a much smaller star and deep-sky object catalogue.
Related pages
More on Rosetta Stone
More on Star Walk 2
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- Star Walk 2 vs Open edX
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- Star Walk 2 vs Wakelet
- Star Walk 2 vs Wooclap
- Star Walk 2 vs YuJa
- Star Walk 2 vs Anki
- Star Walk 2 vs Flowkey
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- Star Walk 2 vs Stellarium
- Star Walk 2 vs Gaggle
- Star Walk 2 vs CampMinder
- Star Walk 2 vs Melodics
- Star Walk 2 vs PictureThis
- Star Walk 2 vs Yousician
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