Gaia Sky vs KStars: catalog facts
 Gaia Sky |  KStars |
|---|
|
Free Free and open source under the MPL-2.0. |
Free Free and open source from the KDE community. |
|
Windows, macOS, Linux |
Windows, macOS, Linux |
- Uses real scientific catalogs including Gaia star data
- Handles around a billion objects in real time
|
- Sky simulation with up to 100 million stars, plus comets and asteroids
- Observation planner and calculation tools such as conjunction prediction
|
- Large datasets need significant download space and capable hardware
- Aimed at scientific exploration rather than a guided planetarium experience
|
- The large feature set takes time to learn
- Some information and imagery features rely on internet resources
|
|
Downloadable app |
Downloadable app |
|
Open source |
Open source |
|
License: MPL-2.0 |
License not stated |
|
No account needed |
No account needed |
|
Not stated if it works offline |
Not stated if it works offline |
Checked October 1, 2026 | Checked September 23, 2026 |
Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.
Copy comparison link
