Education · head to head
Stellarium vs Veracross
Stellarium
Education
Free open source desktop planetarium software, distinct from the paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Veracross
Education
Single database student information, admissions, billing and fundraising system for independent schools
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Stellarium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 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.; 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: Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering, Veracross covers Single relational database.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Stellarium and Veracross actually diverge.
| Attribute | Stellarium | Veracross |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Open source, no licence fee | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, 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 Stellarium
- Photorealistic sky rendering
- Large object catalogue
- Telescope control
- Scripting engine
- Free and open source
- Plugin ecosystem
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.
Stellarium
- A student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line itemnot Veracross
- An amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modifynot Veracross
- Someone running a planetarium display or public astronomy event on a scripted shownot Veracross
- A hobbyist who wants a large object catalogue without paying a subscription, and does not need a phone appnot Veracross
Veracross
- An independent school reconciling a student information system, a billing platform and a fundraising database by hand every termnot Stellarium
- A school where the advancement office needs alumni giving history joined to the original family and pupil recordnot Stellarium
- International schools that need one system across admissions, academics and fee collection in multiple currenciesnot Stellarium
- Schools whose board asks for a single report joining enrolment yield, financial aid spend and net tuition revenuenot Stellarium
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
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
Stellarium
Free- Stellarium DesktopFree
- Full software, GPL licensed
- No account, ads or subscription
- Community-developed plugins
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 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.
Choose Veracross if
- You need single relational database.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want admissions and enrolment.
Questions people ask
- Is Stellarium or Veracross better?
- Neither clearly leads. Stellarium 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, Stellarium or Veracross?
- Stellarium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Stellarium and On request for Veracross.
- Does Stellarium or Veracross run on more platforms?
- Stellarium runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Veracross runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Stellarium for free?
- Yes. Stellarium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Veracross starts at On request.
- What is Stellarium best used for?
- Stellarium is most often used for a student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line item, an amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modify, someone running a planetarium display or public astronomy event on a scripted show, a hobbyist who wants a large object catalogue without paying a subscription, and does not need a phone app. Of those, a student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line item and an amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modify are not what Veracross is typically brought in for.
- What can Stellarium do that Veracross cannot?
- Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering, Large object catalogue, Telescope control, Scripting engine. Veracross covers Single relational database, Admissions and enrolment, Tuition billing, Development and alumni.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stellarium: What platforms does the free version run on?
Windows, macOS and Linux desktop.
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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