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Stellarium vs KStars: catalog facts
Stellarium	KStars
Free Free and open source under the GPL 2.0, funded by donations and sponsorship.	Free Free and open source from the KDE community.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Accurate sky for any location, date and time Simulates the view through binoculars, telescopes and specific eyepieces	Sky simulation with up to 100 million stars, plus comets and asteroids Observation planner and calculation tools such as conjunction prediction
The three-dimensional rendering needs a reasonable graphics card Default catalogues are limited until you download the extra ones	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: GPL-2.0	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.