Comparison

Classic Sky Map 2 vs Armillary Sphere

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Classic Sky Map 2

Explore the cosmos with an intuitive and beautiful sky map. Easily identify stars, planets, and constellations by simply pointing your device at the sky. Track celestial events and understand astronomical movements with time-lapse features.

Highlights
  • Live sky tracking
  • Interactive earth map
  • Time-lapse sky simulation
  • Beautiful constellation art
  • Celestial object search
  • Night vision mode
Features
Read full description

Ever wonder why so many astronomy apps are so hard to use? We do. So we made Classic Sky Map simple and intuitive enough for anyone to enjoy. The user interface is beautiful and straightforward, the controls are easy to use and most settings are just a tap or two away. Classic Sky Map shows you thousands of the brightest stars, the Moon, planets, constellations, meteor showers and more. And it's painless. Free Features: - Live Tracking. Simply point your device toward the stars and the sky map aligns itself automatically, showing you the portion of the sky at which you are looking. If your device has a compass, Classic Sky Map uses it automatically. If not, you can tell Classic Sky Map where the North is, and it aligns the sky map accordingly. - Live Earth Map. Quickly jump from one city to another by tapping on a map that shows the Earth's day and night boundary in real-time. If you allow it, Classic Sky Map can detect your current location automatically. You can also create custom viewing locations in seconds. - Fast Forward and Rewind. Accelerate or reverse time to understand how stars and planets appear to move in the sky over a longer period of time. - Beautiful Constellation Images. We put a tremendous amount of work into creating beautiful constellation images inspired by antique engravings and aligning them precisely with the stars. - Sharing. Share snapshots of the sky map with your friends at the tap of a button. - Quick Help. Should you have any questions while using Classic Sky Map, a concise, illustrated user guide will help answer them quickly. Full Version Features (In-App Purchase): - Interactive Search. Simply type in a search field, pick an object from a list of matches, then point your device toward the sky. An arrow appears and guides you until you are pointing your device toward the object you selected. If the object is not yet visible in the sky, its next rise time is displayed. - Sky Events. Classic Sky Map shows a list of current sky events such as meteor showers, eclipses and more and helps you quickly locate them in the sky. - Night Vision. Classic Sky Map's night vision mode helps minimize loss of dark adaptation. And we went the extra mile to make it look great in cyan, orange or red. - Extra Information. Tooltips and an information panel show details about stars, planets, the Moon, meteor showers and more. - Personalization Options. Personalize your sky map by turning various guides and display options on or off. Have fun!

About

Armillary Sphere

Explore the cosmos with this 3D astronomical tool. Measure and record the positions and movements of celestial bodies, and determine sunrise/sunset times and day length. Reconstructs an ancient scientific instrument using modern technology.

Highlights
  • 3D astronomical model
  • Measure celestial positions
  • Record Sun and star movements
  • Determine sunrise/sunset times
  • Calculate day length
  • Adjustable Meridian, Equator, Horizon, Ecliptic, Altitude
Features
Read full description

Armillary is a handy astronomical application for measurement and recording specific times, locations and movement of the Sun and the stars, based on a Ptolemaic model. With this app, we can easily determine the time and position of sunrise and sunset, the length of a day, the altitude of the sun at different times of the year and the position of celestial objects. This 3-dimensional Armillary app reconstructs the ancient armillary sphere with the help of modern technology. The ancient device, believed to be first invented around 200 B.C., had been in use for over 2,000 years in history. FEATURES • This modern-day counterpart can be displayed in any scale and rotated by any angle. • You can make desired measurements by making relevant adjustment of the “Meridian”, “Equator”, “Horizon”, “Ecliptic” and “Altitude” on the app. USER CONTROLS • Touch-screen rotation – Gently swipe or slide fingers for desired rotation of armillary sphere rings • Swipe-touch panel – Swipe fingers on the display panel for desired movement of armillary sphere rings • Pinch-to-zoom – Use index finger and the thumb in a pinch motion to enlarge or shrink the screen as desired.

Screenshots

Classic Sky Map 24 screens
Armillary Sphere2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Classic Sky Map 2 at 4.7 against Armillary Sphere's 4.0. Classic Sky Map 2 also leads on ratings volume (9.8K vs 6). Armillary Sphere's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 16 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Classic Sky Map 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Armillary Sphere asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Classic Sky Map 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Classic Sky Map 2 has 9.8K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Classic Sky Map 2's written reviews are positive against 86% of Armillary Sphere's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Classic Sky Map 2 ships an update every 16 months, Armillary Sphere every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Classic Sky Map 2 versus Armillary Sphere: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClassic Sky Map 2Armillary Sphere
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.8K ratings) — better4.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.8K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB275 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperX04 Studios Inc.HKU TELI

Customer experience

Classic Sky Map 2

All ratings8,890 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews170 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral4.1%
Negative20.0%

Armillary Sphere

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

Bugs and requests

Classic Sky Map 2

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compass bearing is inaccurate
  • Active tracking no longer works
  • App becomes unusable after certain updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add information on comets, meteor showers, and other space events
  • Provide an option to only show visible stars
  • Improve search functionality to find planets, moons, and other objects not currently in the sky
  • Offer a live tracking mode that updates in real-time

Armillary Sphere

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Classic Sky Map 2

One-time1
  • Full Version$2.99
None

Armillary Sphere

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Classic Sky Map 2 free?
Classic Sky Map 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Armillary Sphere free?
Armillary Sphere is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Classic Sky Map 2 or Armillary Sphere?
Classic Sky Map 2 is rated higher. Classic Sky Map 2 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.8K ratings, while Armillary Sphere averages 4.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Classic Sky Map 2 or Armillary Sphere have ads?
Neither Classic Sky Map 2 nor Armillary Sphere shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Classic Sky Map 2 or Armillary Sphere?
Classic Sky Map 2 ships an update every 16 months, and Armillary Sphere every 5 months. Most recently, Classic Sky Map 2 was updated on October 24, 2026 and Armillary Sphere on October 24, 2026.

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