Education · head to head
Jackrabbit Class vs Stellarium
Jackrabbit Class
Education
Class management for dance, gym, swim and music schools, priced by student count
- From
- $49/month
- Rated
- -
Stellarium
Education
Free open source desktop planetarium software, distinct from the paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Stellarium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Jackrabbit Class billing counts every student record in the account, active and inactive, so studios that never archive leavers pay for a larger tier than their real enrolment and only discover it when someone audits the database.; 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: Jackrabbit Class covers Class scheduling, Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Jackrabbit Class and Stellarium actually diverge.
| Attribute | Jackrabbit Class | Stellarium |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Per month by student count | Open source, no licence fee |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Windows, 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 Jackrabbit Class
- Class scheduling
- Recurring tuition billing
- Parent portal
- Attendance and skills
- Staff portal
- Jackrabbit Pay
- Reporting
- Online registration
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.
Jackrabbit Class
- A dance studio moving recurring tuition off manual card charges onto automatic monthly billing with family accountsnot Stellarium
- A gymnastics club tracking skill progression per athlete alongside attendancenot Stellarium
- A multi-site swim school that needs one enrolment view across locationsnot Stellarium
- An owner who wants published software pricing rather than a quote, so the cost of growth is predictablenot Stellarium
Stellarium
- A student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line itemnot Jackrabbit Class
- An amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modifynot Jackrabbit Class
- Someone running a planetarium display or public astronomy event on a scripted shownot Jackrabbit Class
- A hobbyist who wants a large object catalogue without paying a subscription, and does not need a phone appnot Jackrabbit Class
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Jackrabbit Class
- Billing counts every student record in the account, active and inactive, so studios that never archive leavers pay for a larger tier than their real enrolment and only discover it when someone audits the database.
- Payment processing through Jackrabbit Pay is charged on top of the subscription and typically exceeds it in absolute terms, so the published tier price understates the real monthly cost considerably.
- Marketing capability is minimal: there is no meaningful lead capture, nurture or campaign tooling, so studios run a separate marketing stack and reconcile enrolments manually.
- The interface is dense and dated, and part-time front desk staff need more training than the price point suggests, which is a recurring cost in a sector with high staff turnover.
- Feature parity between the web application and the mobile apps is incomplete, so administrators end up back at a desktop for anything beyond attendance and rosters.
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
Jackrabbit Class
$49/month- 0 to 100 students$49/month
- All core class management features
- Unlimited staff users
- Parent portal
- 101 to 250 students$89/month
- Same feature set
- Billed on month-end student count
- 251 to 500 students$129/month
- Same feature set
- Billed on month-end student count
- 501 to 1,000 students$169/month
- Same feature set
- Billed on month-end student count
Stellarium
Free- Stellarium DesktopFree
- Full software, GPL licensed
- No account, ads or subscription
- Community-developed plugins
Which should you pick?
Choose Jackrabbit Class if
- You need class scheduling.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want recurring tuition billing.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Jackrabbit Class or Stellarium better?
- Neither clearly leads. Jackrabbit Class starts at $49/month and Stellarium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Jackrabbit Class or Stellarium?
- Stellarium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Jackrabbit Class and Free for Stellarium.
- Does Jackrabbit Class or Stellarium run on more platforms?
- Jackrabbit Class 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. Jackrabbit Class starts at $49/month.
- What is Jackrabbit Class best used for?
- Jackrabbit Class is most often used for a dance studio moving recurring tuition off manual card charges onto automatic monthly billing with family accounts, a gymnastics club tracking skill progression per athlete alongside attendance, a multi-site swim school that needs one enrolment view across locations, an owner who wants published software pricing rather than a quote, so the cost of growth is predictable. Of those, a dance studio moving recurring tuition off manual card charges onto automatic monthly billing with family accounts and a gymnastics club tracking skill progression per athlete alongside attendance are not what Stellarium is typically brought in for.
- What can Jackrabbit Class do that Stellarium cannot?
- Jackrabbit Class covers Class scheduling, Recurring tuition billing, Parent portal, Attendance and skills. Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering, Large object catalogue, Telescope control, Scripting engine.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Jackrabbit Class: How is the student count calculated?
On the total number of students in your account at month end, including inactive ones. Archive former students before the billing date or you will pay a higher tier than your enrolment warrants.
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.
Jackrabbit Class: What does payment processing cost?
It is charged separately from the subscription through Jackrabbit Pay and is quoted rather than published. For most studios it is the larger cost, so get the rate in writing.
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.
Jackrabbit Class: Is there a per-user charge?
No. Staff users are unlimited on every tier, which suits studios with many part-time instructors.
Stellarium: What platforms does the free version run on?
Windows, macOS and Linux desktop.
Jackrabbit Class: Does it handle multiple locations?
Yes, with location-level scheduling and reporting, though very large multi-site operators find the reporting shallower than a purpose-built enterprise system.
Related pages
More on Jackrabbit Class
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