Star Walk 2vs
SkySafari
SkySafari: If you want telescope control and a much larger deep-sky object catalogue
Star Walk 2
Freemium stargazing app with a low-cost ad-free upgrade, aimed at casual sky watchers
As of 1 September 2026, Star Walk 2 is free to use. A stargazing app from Vito Technology with a usable free core and a cheap monthly or annual upgrade that removes ads and unlocks extra content. Softwr lists it under Education. Star Walk 2 is made by Vito Technology, available on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Overview
What Star Walk 2 does
Star Walk 2 points a phone at the sky and overlays labels for stars, planets, constellations and satellites in augmented reality, alongside a time-travel mode to see the sky at any past or future date. The free version carries ads and a smaller feature set; Star Walk 2 Plus removes ads and adds extra content for a low subscription fee. The distinguishing fact against SkySafari and Sky Guide is price positioning. Star Walk 2 Plus runs to roughly a dollar a month or under six dollars a year, a fraction of SkySafari Plus or Pro, and far below Sky Guide Pro. That makes it the accessible entry point in this cluster, but the trade-off is catalogue depth: it covers far fewer stars and deep-sky objects than SkySafari Pro, and has no telescope control, so it suits a casual user pointing a phone at the sky rather than someone planning a serious observing session. Buyers are casual stargazers, travellers and parents introducing children to astronomy who want something cheap and simple. The trade-off against the free option is minor since the paid tier is inexpensive, but anyone who outgrows it and wants telescope control or a large deep-sky catalogue will need to move to SkySafari.
What people use it 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
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Star Walk 2
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- Star Walk 2vsSky Guide
Sky Guide: If you want a bigger star catalogue with light pollution and meteor forecasting on iOS
- Star Walk 2vsStellarium
Stellarium: If you want a free, open source desktop planetarium instead of a phone app
Pricing
What Star Walk 2 costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Star Walk 2
Free
- Core sky map and AR view
- Ad-supported
Star Walk 2 Plus
$5.99 /yr
- Ads removed
- Additional sky content
Capabilities
Features
Augmented reality sky view
Points the camera at the sky to label stars, planets and constellations in real time
Time travel mode
Shows the sky as it appeared or will appear at any chosen date and time
Satellite tracking
Tracks visible satellites including the ISS
Night mode
Red-tinted display to preserve night vision while stargazing
Meteor shower and event alerts
Notifications for upcoming astronomical events
Ad-free Plus tier
Low-cost subscription removes ads and adds extra sky content
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
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.
Does it support telescope control?
No. For telescope control, SkySafari Plus or Pro is the better choice.
How does it compare to SkySafari on price?
It is substantially cheaper, but with a much smaller star and deep-sky object catalogue.
Keep looking
Where to go from Star Walk 2
- Star Walk 2 alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Star Walk 2 pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Star Walk 2 badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Education softwareThe full category
- Best Education softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
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Compare Star Walk 2 with
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Star Walk 2, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
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