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Education · head to head

Star Walk 2 vs Veracross

Star Walk 2 logo

Star Walk 2

Education

Freemium stargazing app with a low-cost ad-free upgrade, aimed at casual sky watchers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Veracross logo

Veracross

Education

Single database student information, admissions, billing and fundraising system for independent schools

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Star Walk 2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Veracross the product is built for fee charging schools, so districts needing state compliance reporting, federal programme tracking and free and reduced lunch workflows will find those either absent or bolted on.
  • They diverge on capability: Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view, Veracross covers Single relational database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Star Walk 2 and Veracross actually diverge.

Attributes where Star Walk 2 and Veracross differ
AttributeStar Walk 2Veracross
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium, low-cost ad-free subscription upgradequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, macOS, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android

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 Star Walk 2

  • Augmented reality sky view
  • Time travel mode
  • Satellite tracking
  • Night mode
  • Meteor shower and event alerts
  • Ad-free Plus tier

Only in Veracross

  • Single relational database
  • Admissions and enrolment
  • Tuition billing
  • Development and alumni
  • Parent and pupil portals
  • Query and report engine

What people use each for

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

Star Walk 2

  • A parent wanting a cheap, simple app to show a child the night skynot Veracross
  • A traveller who wants to identify stars and planets without a big subscription commitmentnot Veracross
  • A casual stargazer who does not need telescope control or a deep-sky cataloguenot Veracross
  • Someone wanting satellite pass tracking including the ISS on a budgetnot Veracross

Veracross

  • An independent school reconciling a student information system, a billing platform and a fundraising database by hand every termnot Star Walk 2
  • A school where the advancement office needs alumni giving history joined to the original family and pupil recordnot Star Walk 2
  • International schools that need one system across admissions, academics and fee collection in multiple currenciesnot Star Walk 2
  • Schools whose board asks for a single report joining enrolment yield, financial aid spend and net tuition revenuenot Star Walk 2

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Veracross

  • The product is built for fee charging schools, so districts needing state compliance reporting, federal programme tracking and free and reduced lunch workflows will find those either absent or bolted on.
  • A single database means modules cannot be replaced individually. If the learning management or the donor module is weaker than a specialist competitor, the school either accepts it or breaks the integration argument that justified the purchase.
  • Implementation is long because every historic record from three or four legacy systems must be merged into one schema, and schools routinely underestimate the internal staff time this consumes.
  • Configuration depth means the system rewards a school that has a dedicated database administrator and punishes one that does not, so small schools can end up paying for capability they cannot operate.
  • Reporting is capable but query driven, and staff without that skill fall back on asking the one person who has it, which creates a single point of dependency inside the school.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Veracross

On request
  • Veracross$undefined/year
    • Quoted by pupil count and modules taken
    • Implementation and data migration charged separately
    • Multi-year agreements standard

Which should you pick?

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.
Star Walk 2 review

Choose Veracross if

  • You need single relational database.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want admissions and enrolment.
Veracross review

Questions people ask

Is Star Walk 2 or Veracross better?
Neither clearly leads. Star Walk 2 starts at Free and Veracross at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Star Walk 2 or Veracross?
Star Walk 2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Star Walk 2 and On request for Veracross.
Does Star Walk 2 or Veracross run on more platforms?
Star Walk 2 runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. Veracross runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Star Walk 2 for free?
Yes. Star Walk 2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Veracross starts at On request.
What is Star Walk 2 best used for?
Star Walk 2 is most often used for a parent wanting a cheap, simple app to show a child the night sky, a traveller who wants to identify stars and planets without a big subscription commitment, a casual stargazer who does not need telescope control or a deep-sky catalogue, someone wanting satellite pass tracking including the iss on a budget. Of those, a parent wanting a cheap, simple app to show a child the night sky and a traveller who wants to identify stars and planets without a big subscription commitment are not what Veracross is typically brought in for.
What can Star Walk 2 do that Veracross cannot?
Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view, Time travel mode, Satellite tracking, Night mode. Veracross covers Single relational database, Admissions and enrolment, Tuition billing, Development and alumni.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Veracross: Is Veracross suitable for a public school district?

Generally no. It is designed around tuition, financial aid and advancement, and lacks the state reporting depth that a public district is legally required to produce.

Star Walk 2: Does it support telescope control?

No. For telescope control, SkySafari Plus or Pro is the better choice.

Veracross: Does it replace a separate fundraising database?

Yes, that is the main reason schools buy it. Development records sit in the same database as admissions and academics, removing the constituent reconciliation between a student information system and a donor product.

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.

Veracross: How long does migration take?

Plan on a full academic year of overlap. The work is not loading the current roster, it is merging historic academic, billing and giving records that previously lived in separate systems with different family identifiers.

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