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A SpaceEngine alternative for the Mac
SpaceEngine is a Windows program: its Steam page lists Windows only. Space Radar is a free 3D map of space that opens in a browser on a Mac, from the satellites overhead to the nearest galaxies. They do different things, and this page says which.
Open Space Radar
Free, in the browser, no account.
Side by side
| SpaceEngine | Space Radar | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows, with a GTX 1050 Ti graphics card or faster and up to 50 GB on disk | Any current browser: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Price | $29.99, and $69.99 for PRO | Free; no account, no advertising |
| What it shows | A universe sandbox: real catalogues plus procedural planets and stars | Real objects only: satellites, planets, moons, stars, galaxies |
| Live data | None built in (users add satellites with mods) | 16 public sources, read live |
| Source code | Closed | Open source (GitHub, MIT) |
What SpaceEngine does that Space Radar does not, or does more deeply
- Landing anywhere on procedural worlds, across a whole universe filled in where the catalogues end.
- Newtonian spaceship flight, with docking.
- VR through SteamVR, drawn by a PC's graphics card.
- Ray-traced black holes with volumetric disks; Space Radar's spinning holes are an approximation, labelled modelled.
- 18 languages, and a large community: about 16,000 Steam reviews and a Discord of about 13,400.
- The other side of it: SpaceEngine draws all this on a Windows PC with a dedicated graphics card; Space Radar does less, in a browser, on whatever device is to hand.
What Space Radar does that SpaceEngine does not
- Live satellites: about 17,000 active satellites placed from their orbital elements for the moment on the clock. SpaceEngine has none built in.
- Sky events from where you stand: eclipses with their shadow paths, meteor showers, conjunctions, rise and set times.
- 33 narrated guided trips (248 stops) with captions.
- No invented worlds: everything drawn is a real object, labelled measured, modelled or illustrative, with its source.
- Free and open source, in a browser on a Mac, a phone or a Chromebook, with nothing to install.
How this page was checked
What it says about SpaceEngine was read on 7 November 2026 from SpaceEngine's FAQ, its Steam page, SpaceEngine PRO's Steam page, in the project's competitor review. Products change: if something here is out of date, tell us on GitHub (it needs a free GitHub account) and it will be corrected. Space Radar is not connected with SpaceEngine, and the names are their makers' trademarks.