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Education · head to head

Star Walk 2 vs YuJa

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
YuJa logo

YuJa

Education

Video platform, lecture capture, accessibility remediation and proctoring bundled for institutions

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.; YuJa nothing is published, and because the pricing is a bundle against enrolment, comparing YuJa with a video-only competitor requires unpicking which modules you would actually deploy rather than reading two price lists.
  • They diverge on capability: Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view, YuJa covers Lumina Video Platform.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

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

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 YuJa

  • Lumina Video Platform
  • Lecture capture
  • Panorama
  • Verity
  • EqualGround
  • Auto-captioning
  • Engage
  • Institution-wide licensing

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 YuJa
  • A traveller who wants to identify stars and planets without a big subscription commitmentnot YuJa
  • A casual stargazer who does not need telescope control or a deep-sky cataloguenot YuJa
  • Someone wanting satellite pass tracking including the ISS on a budgetnot YuJa

YuJa

  • A public university facing an enforceable web and document accessibility deadline that needs LMS content remediated and a dashboard it can show an auditor.not Star Walk 2
  • An institution replacing a per-user lecture capture licence where casual recorders push the seat count past what the budget supports.not Star Walk 2
  • A university that wants captioning, audio description and accessible alternative formats produced natively rather than routed to a third-party captioning vendor per hour.not Star Walk 2
  • A disability services office and IT department jointly procuring one supplier for accessibility remediation, website scanning and media captioning instead of three contracts.not 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.

YuJa

  • Nothing is published, and because the pricing is a bundle against enrolment, comparing YuJa with a video-only competitor requires unpicking which modules you would actually deploy rather than reading two price lists.
  • The suite is broad and the modules are not equally mature; buyers who choose it for the accessibility line should evaluate the video and proctoring products separately rather than assuming equivalent quality.
  • Storage and streaming are presented as unlimited, but unlimited in a quoted institutional contract is a negotiated position rather than a technical guarantee, and heavy adopters should get the fair use threshold in writing.
  • Proctoring is contested; student unions and academic staff at many institutions object to automated invigilation, so buying Verity as part of a bundle can trigger a governance argument the video purchase did not anticipate.
  • Bundling concentrates supplier risk: lecture capture, exam integrity and accessibility compliance in one contract means a single renewal negotiation where the institution has very little leverage.

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

YuJa

On request
  • YuJa Suite$undefined/year
    • Priced per institution, usually against full-time equivalent enrolment
    • Video Platform, Panorama, Verity, EqualGround and Engage licensed individually or bundled
    • Multi-year institutional agreements are the norm

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 YuJa if

  • You need lumina video platform.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want lecture capture.
YuJa review

Questions people ask

Is Star Walk 2 or YuJa better?
Neither clearly leads. Star Walk 2 starts at Free and YuJa 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 YuJa?
Star Walk 2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Star Walk 2 and On request for YuJa.
Does Star Walk 2 or YuJa run on more platforms?
Star Walk 2 runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. YuJa runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Star Walk 2 for free?
Yes. Star Walk 2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. YuJa 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 YuJa is typically brought in for.
What can Star Walk 2 do that YuJa cannot?
Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view, Time travel mode, Satellite tracking, Night mode. YuJa covers Lumina Video Platform, Lecture capture, Panorama, Verity.

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.

YuJa: Is YuJa priced per user?

No. It is licensed per institution, typically against full-time equivalent enrolment, which is the main structural difference from per-seat lecture capture rivals.

Star Walk 2: Does it support telescope control?

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

YuJa: Is storage really unlimited?

It is marketed that way. In a quoted institutional contract, get the fair use position and any streaming threshold written into the agreement.

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.

YuJa: What is Panorama?

An accessibility product that scans documents in your LMS, remediates them, generates alternative formats and reports compliance status.

YuJa: Does it integrate with our LMS?

Yes, with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace and Sakai through LTI, with in-course playback and rostering.

YuJa: How does it compare with Panopto?

Panopto is more focused on video and lecture capture. YuJa bundles accessibility remediation and proctoring around the video, which is why it wins tenders that weight accessibility heavily.

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