Stellarium
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersToulouse, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Stellarium does
Stellarium is a free, open-source planetarium software project initiated in 2006 by Fabien Chéreau and maintained by a distributed team of volunteer developers, loosely tied to Toulouse, France. The core application renders a realistic 3D night sky using Qt5/Qt6 with OpenGL 2.1/3.3 and GLSL shaders, drawing on default catalogs of 600,000+ stars and 80,000+ deep-sky objects, with extended Gaia DR3 catalogs providing 220+ million stars with full 6D astrometry. The product ships across Windows (x86_64 and ARM64), macOS, Linux, Android, and a browser-based Stellarium Web, and is augmented by roughly 25 plugins spanning telescope control (ASCOM, INDI, RTS2), ocular simulation, satellite tracking via CelesTrak, exoplanets, pulsars, quasars, meteors, scripting via an ECMAScript engine, and an HTTP Remote Control API. The software supports 40+ cultural sky traditions and 35+ calendar systems, positioning it as the de-facto reference tool for cultural astronomy research and a widely adopted teaching aid for astronomy educators and amateur stargazers.
Stellarium firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stellarium
- Website
- https://stellarium.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Stellarium is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toulouse
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stellarium business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Sponsorships: Free open source software funded entirely by donations from individuals and organizations. Major donors ($250+) include BairesDev, Litslink, and individual contributors listed on Open Collective. No direct revenue from software distribution.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Open Source |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Stellarium product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stellarium develops and distributes a free, open-source 3D planetarium application for desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and web that renders a realistic sky for any time, date, and location using star catalogs (600,000+ default stars; 220M+ with Gaia DR3 extras), deep-sky object catalogs, atmospheric simulation, and 40+ cultural sky traditions. The software is extensible through plugins (telescope control, satellites, exoplanets, scripting, etc.) and is funded entirely via donations and sponsorships.
Product overview
Stellarium is a free open-source planetarium software suite consisting of a core desktop application and approximately 25+ plugin modules. The core Stellarium application provides a realistic 3D sky simulation with star catalogs, deep-sky objects, constellation visualization, and atmospheric effects across Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. The product ecosystem includes Stellarium Web for browser-based access, with plugins organized into categories: object catalog plugins (Exoplanets, Pulsars, Quasars, Satellites, Novae, Supernovae), telescope interface plugins (Oculars, Telescope Control with ASCOM/INDI/RTS2 support), visualization plugins (Mosaic Camera, Scenery3d, Custom Nebula Textures), astronomical tools (AstroCalc suite, Calendars, Equation of Time, ArchaeoLines), interface plugins (Remote Control HTTP API, Remote Sync, TUI), and sky culture plugins (Sky Culture Maker). The scripting engine based on ECMAScript enables automation and external integration while the Remote Control Plugin exposes an HTTP-based API for programmatic control.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Stellarium Web: Web-based version of the planetarium software accessible through browsers
- Stellarium Mobile
Products and services
- Stellarium Free open-source desktop planetarium application that renders a realistic 3D sky as seen with the naked eye, binoculars, or telescope. Includes default catalogs of 600,000+ stars and 80,000+ deep-sky objects (extendable to 220M+ stars and 1M+ DSOs), 40+ constellation cultures, atmospheric and Milky Way rendering, telescope control, scripting, and dome projection. Available on Windows (x86_64, ARM64), macOS, and Linux.
- Stellarium Web Free browser-based version of the Stellarium planetarium that runs in modern web browsers without installation, providing access to the core sky-simulation experience for casual users and educational contexts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 600,000+ default stars, 220+ million with extra catalogs
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Stellarium
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Stellarium technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
Feature8 records
Stellarium partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- MicrosoftminorMicrosoft donated a laptop for ARM64 development, enabling the Stellarium team to finalize Windows ARM64 platform support. This partnership facilitated ASCOM7 telescope support compatibility.
- Open CollectivecoreFiscal host platform enabling donations and financial transparency for Stellarium's open source development. Handles incoming donations and sponsor management.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Stellarium competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Celestia: Free, open-source 3D space simulation software. Directly comparable to Stellarium as a community-developed, GPL-licensed astronomy visualization tool, though Celestia emphasizes deep-space travel over realistic ground-based sky rendering.
- KStars: KDE desktop planetarium offering similar star catalogs, telescope control (INDI), and sky simulation. Comparable as a free, open-source planetarium aimed at Linux/astronomy enthusiasts with strong community contributions.
- Cartes du Ciel: Free, open-source sky-charting planetarium with extensive catalogs and telescope control. Directly competes with Stellarium in the amateur-astronomy planning use case, particularly among advanced users.
- Space Engine: Procedural 3D universe simulator with both free and paid tiers. Overlaps with Stellarium in real-sky visualization but extends to procedural exoplanet and galaxy exploration, representing a commercialized version of Stellarium's scope.
- SkySafari: Commercial mobile planetarium app (Simulation Curriculum) for iOS/Android with extensive catalogs and telescope control. The most direct commercial competitor to Stellarium Mobile, demonstrating a proven monetization model for the same core use case.
- Star Walk: Vito Technology's commercial mobile planetarium app with AR sky overlay and subscription revenue. Comparable target audience (amateur astronomers and casual stargazers) but with a polished commercial UX and recurring revenue model.
- Starry Night / Simulation Curriculum: Long-standing commercial desktop planetarium software used widely in education and amateur astronomy. The classic paid alternative to Stellarium, with similar catalogs and telescope control, but priced per license.
- Microsoft WorldWide Telescope: Microsoft Research's (now open-sourced) virtual telescope for exploring terabytes of astronomical imagery. Comparable as a free, visually rich sky-survey and planetarium tool, backed by major institutional imagery datasets.
Emerging players
- Universe Sandbox: Commercial space-physics simulator allowing interactive gravitational and astronomical experimentation. Adjacent to Stellarium but focused on simulation/education rather than realistic sky rendering, popular in classrooms.
- Google Sky Map: Free mobile planetarium app for Android with point-and-look AR sky identification. Comparable amateur-astronomer use case at a much simpler feature scope, demonstrating the consumer-mobile funnel Stellarium could pursue.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Stellarium social profiles
Digital presenceStellarium financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stellarium leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Stellarium funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stellarium M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stellarium
What does Stellarium do?
Stellarium develops and distributes a free, open-source 3D planetarium application for desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and web that renders a realistic sky for any time, date, and location using star catalogs (600,000+ default stars; 220M+ with Gaia DR3 extras), deep-sky object catalogs, atmospheric simulation, and 40+ cultural sky traditions. The software is extensible through plugins (telescope control, satellites, exoplanets, scripting, etc.) and is funded entirely via donations and sponsorships.
Is Stellarium a public or private company?
Stellarium is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Stellarium founded?
Stellarium was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Stellarium based?
Stellarium is headquartered in Toulouse, France, in the Europe region.
How does Stellarium make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Sponsorships.
Who are Stellarium's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Celestia, KStars, Cartes du Ciel, Space Engine, SkySafari, Star Walk, Starry Night / Simulation Curriculum and Microsoft WorldWide Telescope. Emerging players are Universe Sandbox and Google Sky Map.
Does Stellarium have an API?
Yes. Stellarium offers a Qt Scripting Engine based on ECMAScript for scripting automation and customization. The Remote Control Plugin provides an HTTP interface (web-based control, remote control API) that allows external applications to interact with and control Stellarium programmatically. The scripting API exposes public slots of core classes including StelMainScriptAPI (via 'core' object), AsterismMgr, ConstellationMgr, GridLinesMgr, LabelMgr, LandscapeMgr, SolarSystem, StarMgr, StelMovementMgr, and others. Plugin classes are also available via script including Oculars, Satellites, Exoplanets, Pulsars, Quasars, and more. Developer documentation is at stellarium.org/en/docs.html.