Education · head to head
Securly vs Star Walk 2
Securly
Education
Web filtering, student safety monitoring and device management for K-12 schools
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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: Securly pricing stacks by module and only Filter has rates that surface publicly, so the quoted total for Filter plus Aware plus On-Call is routinely several times the number a district budgeted from the filtering line alone.; 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: Securly covers Filter, 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 Securly and Star Walk 2 actually diverge.
| Attribute | Securly | Star Walk 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | Per student per year by module | Freemium, low-cost ad-free subscription upgrade |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows |
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 Securly
- Filter
- Aware
- On-Call
- Classroom
- MDM
- Pass
- Home
- Delegated admin
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.
Securly
- A district that must show CIPA compliance for take-home Chromebooks used on home broadband, where network-level filtering does nothingnot Star Walk 2
- A district whose safeguarding policy requires that a human being reads a self-harm alert within minutes at any hour, including school holidaysnot Star Walk 2
- A one-to-one iPad programme needing Apple device enrolment, filtering and classroom control from a single agent rather than threenot Star Walk 2
- A district under pressure from parents who want visibility of what their child does on the school device at home, without the school having to field each request by handnot Star Walk 2
Star Walk 2
- A parent wanting a cheap, simple app to show a child the night skynot Securly
- A traveller who wants to identify stars and planets without a big subscription commitmentnot Securly
- A casual stargazer who does not need telescope control or a deep-sky cataloguenot Securly
- Someone wanting satellite pass tracking including the ISS on a budgetnot Securly
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Securly
- Pricing stacks by module and only Filter has rates that surface publicly, so the quoted total for Filter plus Aware plus On-Call is routinely several times the number a district budgeted from the filtering line alone.
- The safety scanning generates false positives at volume, including song lyrics, creative writing and health-class assignments, and each one consumes counsellor or administrator time that the vendor does not pay for.
- Alerting on student writing is a surveillance decision with real community consequences, and districts that deploy it without an explicit board policy and parent notification have faced local objections after the fact.
- Coverage is strongest on managed Chromebooks; personal devices, non-Chrome browsers and encrypted apps outside the agent leave gaps that the compliance story quietly depends on nobody testing.
- Per-student pricing is charged on enrolment rather than on devices, so a district that issues devices to only some year groups still pays for every student on the roll.
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
Securly
On request- Filter$undefined/year
- Web filtering on and off network
- Tiered per-student rates that fall as enrolment rises
- Published in some purchasing co-operative catalogues, not on the vendor site
- Aware$undefined/year
- Automated scanning of email, documents and search for safety risk
- Quoted per student, no public rate
- On-Call$undefined/year
- 24/7 human review and escalation of serious alerts
- Quoted per student, priced on top of Aware
- Classroom, MDM and Pass$undefined/year
- Sold as separate per-student modules
- Quoted
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 Securly if
- You need filter.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
- You also want aware.
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 Securly or Star Walk 2 better?
- Neither clearly leads. Securly starts at On request and Star Walk 2 at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Securly or Star Walk 2?
- Star Walk 2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Securly and Free for Star Walk 2.
- Does Securly or Star Walk 2 run on more platforms?
- Securly runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows. 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. Securly starts at On request.
- What is Securly best used for?
- Securly is most often used for a district that must show cipa compliance for take-home chromebooks used on home broadband, where network-level filtering does nothing, a district whose safeguarding policy requires that a human being reads a self-harm alert within minutes at any hour, including school holidays, a one-to-one ipad programme needing apple device enrolment, filtering and classroom control from a single agent rather than three, a district under pressure from parents who want visibility of what their child does on the school device at home, without the school having to field each request by hand. Of those, a district that must show cipa compliance for take-home chromebooks used on home broadband, where network-level filtering does nothing and a district whose safeguarding policy requires that a human being reads a self-harm alert within minutes at any hour, including school holidays are not what Star Walk 2 is typically brought in for.
- What can Securly do that Star Walk 2 cannot?
- Securly covers Filter, Aware, On-Call, Classroom. Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view, Time travel mode, Satellite tracking, Night mode.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Securly: Does Securly publish pricing?
Not on its own site. Tiered per-student rates for Filter appear in some US purchasing co-operative catalogues, falling as enrolment rises, but Aware, On-Call, Classroom, MDM and Pass are quoted.
Star 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.
Securly: What is the difference between Aware and On-Call?
Aware is the automated detection that produces alerts. On-Call is the staffed service that reads the serious ones out of hours and phones your escalation contacts. Buying Aware alone leaves the triage with your own staff.
Star Walk 2: Does it support telescope control?
No. For telescope control, SkySafari Plus or Pro is the better choice.
Securly: Does it filter on home internet?
Yes, filtering follows the managed device rather than the network, which is the point for take-home Chromebook programmes.
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.
Securly: Is student data used for anything else?
Securly signs the US Student Privacy Pledge and district data processing agreements; check the specific DPA rather than the marketing page, since scanning scope and retention are negotiated terms.
Related pages
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