Softwr

Education · head to head

PictureThis vs Stellarium

PictureThis logo

PictureThis

Education

Commercial plant identification app with a short free trial that converts to an annual subscription

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stellarium logo

Stellarium

Education

Free open source desktop planetarium software, distinct from the paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Stellarium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: PictureThis the free trial converts to a paid annual subscription automatically, and a documented pattern of user complaints describes unexpected charges when the trial was not cancelled in time.; 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: PictureThis covers Plant identification, Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PictureThis and Stellarium actually diverge.

Attributes where PictureThis and Stellarium differ
AttributePictureThisStellarium
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer year, sold via a short free trial that auto-renewsOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsiOS, AndroidWindows, 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 PictureThis

  • Plant identification
  • Disease diagnosis
  • Care reminders
  • Plant care library
  • Toxicity warnings
  • My Garden tracking

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.

PictureThis

  • A gardener who wants ongoing care reminders and disease diagnosis, not just a one-off identificationnot Stellarium
  • Someone willing to pay for a more polished interface than the free nonprofit alternativesnot Stellarium
  • A plant owner who wants toxicity warnings for pets and childrennot Stellarium
  • A buyer who reads the trial terms carefully and sets a reminder to cancel before it convertsnot Stellarium

Stellarium

  • A student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line itemnot PictureThis
  • An amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modifynot PictureThis
  • Someone running a planetarium display or public astronomy event on a scripted shownot PictureThis
  • A hobbyist who wants a large object catalogue without paying a subscription, and does not need a phone appnot PictureThis

Where each one falls short

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

PictureThis

  • The free trial converts to a paid annual subscription automatically, and a documented pattern of user complaints describes unexpected charges when the trial was not cancelled in time.
  • Cancellation has to be done through App Store or Play Store account settings, not by deleting the app, which catches users off guard.
  • It solves the same core identification problem that Seek, PlantNet and Merlin solve for free, so the paid tier is competing against genuinely free options for the same task.
  • Care guidance for uncommon or exotic species is criticised as generic rather than specific.
  • Being a commercial product from a company that publishes near-identical identification apps for other categories, its plant-specific depth is not obviously deeper than a dedicated botanical tool.

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

PictureThis

On request
  • PictureThis Annual$39.99/year
    • Unlimited plant identifications
    • Disease diagnosis
    • Care reminders and guides

Stellarium

Free
  • Stellarium DesktopFree
    • Full software, GPL licensed
    • No account, ads or subscription
    • Community-developed plugins

Which should you pick?

Choose PictureThis if

  • You need plant identification.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want disease diagnosis.
PictureThis review

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.
Stellarium review

Questions people ask

Is PictureThis or Stellarium better?
Neither clearly leads. PictureThis starts at On request and Stellarium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PictureThis or Stellarium?
Stellarium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for PictureThis and Free for Stellarium.
Does PictureThis or Stellarium run on more platforms?
PictureThis runs on 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. PictureThis starts at On request.
What is PictureThis best used for?
PictureThis is most often used for a gardener who wants ongoing care reminders and disease diagnosis, not just a one-off identification, someone willing to pay for a more polished interface than the free nonprofit alternatives, a plant owner who wants toxicity warnings for pets and children, a buyer who reads the trial terms carefully and sets a reminder to cancel before it converts. Of those, a gardener who wants ongoing care reminders and disease diagnosis, not just a one-off identification and someone willing to pay for a more polished interface than the free nonprofit alternatives are not what Stellarium is typically brought in for.
What can PictureThis do that Stellarium cannot?
PictureThis covers Plant identification, Disease diagnosis, Care reminders, Plant care library. Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering, Large object catalogue, Telescope control, Scripting engine.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PictureThis: Is there a free version?

A limited free tier exists with restricted identifications and ads; full use requires the paid subscription.

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.

PictureThis: How long is the free trial and does it auto-renew?

The trial is typically about seven days and auto-renews into the annual subscription unless cancelled beforehand through your App Store or Play Store settings.

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.

PictureThis: Is PictureThis the same as PlantNet or Seek?

No. PlantNet and Seek are free nonprofit identification tools; PictureThis is a commercial subscription product with more built-in care features.

Stellarium: What platforms does the free version run on?

Windows, macOS and Linux desktop.

Share

Related pages

More on PictureThis

More on Stellarium

Keep looking

Other head to heads