Astrospheric vs Good To Stargaze
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Astrospheric
This app offers advanced weather forecasting and astronomical data for stargazers and astrophotographers. It provides detailed hourly forecasts, cloud and sky transparency reports, and alerts for celestial events. It also includes tools for astronomical societies and offline site setup.
- 84-hour hourly weather forecast
- Ensemble cloud forecast
- Kp index for Aurora
- ISS flyover paths
- Integrated smoke forecast
- Sky and ground data
- Rise and set times
- Solar and Lunar eclipse data
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Astrospheric provides advanced weather tools for professional astronomers and astrophotographers, and supports hundreds of astronomical societies with tools that help members stay connected. Are you using what the pros use? Features • 84 hour, hour-by-hour forecast • Free notification reminders for major astronomical events, customized for your location • Ensemble cloud forecast lets you quickly compare the major forecast models with hourly updates (Astrospheric Pro) • Extended cloud forecast • Kp index for Aurora viewing (and alerts with Pro) • International Space Station (ISS) flyover paths and times • Astrospheric is the only astronomy service that integrates the smoke forecast into the transparency report • Sky data: cloud, sky transparency, seeing • Ground data: wind, temperature, and humidity • Precise rise and set times for both the sun and moon • Get weather alerts when conditions meeting your requirements are met (Astrospheric Pro) • Details Solar and Lunar eclipse data Astronomical Societies • Stay connected with chat, image sharing, and event planning with all of your members. • Qualifying astronomical societies can get Pro features for all of their members Site Mode • Information necessary to quickly set up your GOTO tracking mount • Available even if you don’t have a network connection Astrospheric Professional is now available to enable Weather Alerts, Ensemble cloud forecast, and more! • Astrospheric Professional is billed monthly or yearly and will auto-renew unless turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. The renewal cost will be the same as the initial sign-up cost of the subscription. Any changes in cost will be communicated before renewal takes place. • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the your Account Settings after purchase. A link to these settings is made available within Astrospheric "My Profile" for easy access. • The terms of use and privacy policy may be found at https://www.astrospheric.com/privacypolicy.php, purchasing a subscription shows agreement to these terms. PLEASE NOTE: Weather data is not available for Hawaii due to the domain area covered by the Canadian Meteorological Center. However, satellite and light pollution map layers, as well as other features will work in Hawaii. More information on Astrospherics forecast domain can be found here: https://www.astrospheric.com/dynamiccontent/datadomain.html
Good To Stargaze
This app provides a comprehensive tool to determine the best times for stargazing. It offers detailed forecasts for weather, seeing conditions, transparency, and light pollution. Ideal for both amateur and professional astronomers using any viewing equipment.
- Weather forecast
- Seeing conditions
- Transparency forecast
- Light pollution data
- Hourly forecasts
- Long-term forecasts
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When will it be good to stargaze? See the weather forecast, seeing, transparency, and light pollution, all in one convenient tool. Perfect for amateur and professional astronomers alike, for naked eye viewing, binoculars, or telescopes. Become a subscriber for 24-hour, 7-day, or 15-day hourly forecast and many other features. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the same price you originally paid. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Terms: https://www.goodtostargaze.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Astrospheric at 87% against Good To Stargaze's 29%. Astrospheric also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Astrospheric sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Good To Stargaze sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Astrospheric holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 487 and 226 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Astrospheric's written reviews are positive against 29% of Good To Stargaze's.
Astrospheric ships an update every 2 weeks, Good To Stargaze every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Astrospheric | Good To Stargaze |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (487 ratings) — better | 4.4 (226 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.8% of reviews — better | 28.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 487 — better | 226 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #94 — better | #152 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Fiordalis | Matthew LLOYD |
Customer experience
Astrospheric
Good To Stargaze
User reviews
Astrospheric
From 487 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Precision tool for astrophotography
- 🔍 Detailed weather forecasts
- ⭐ Accurate and reliable
- 💻 Comprehensive data and features
- 📊 Helpful for planning observing sessions
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional inaccurate forecasts
- 🔍 Missing some weather data (e.g. wind)
- 💰 Subscription required for full functionality
- 🔌 Compatibility issues on some devices
Good To Stargaze
From 226 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Accurate for planning viewing nights
- 👍 Useful for astronomers
- 👍 Good for finding right conditions
- 👍 Reliable forecast
- 👍 Clean, organized interface
Room to improve
- 😞 Expensive subscription model
- 😞 Pessimistic predictions
- 😞 Free features removed
- 😞 Unusable without payment
- 😞 Inaccurate forecasts
Bugs and requests
Astrospheric
Reported bugs
2 issues- App crashing or not loading on some devices
- Inconsistent temperature and wind data
Requested features
4 requests- Notification system for clear skies
- Widgets for quick access to data
- More detailed transparency and seeing data
- Ability to flip east and west in the app
Good To Stargaze
Reported bugs
6 issues- App is a buggy site wrapper
- App not working for current location
- App shows previous 24 hours, not upcoming
- App shows rain when it's clear
- App doesn't work or is SUPER slow to load after Apple update
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Light pollution map not up to date
Requested features
9 requests- Grandfathering in initial users
- Unique payment option instead of subscription
- More precise geolocation feature
- Map key for chart colors
- Include light pollution map
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Update light pollution map data
- Widget for the app
- Fix app for Apple update
- Add moon phases back to condition page
In-app purchases
Astrospheric
- Astrospheric Pro Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Astrospheric Pro Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Good To Stargaze
- Value Subscription - Weekly$0.497 Days
- Value Subscription - Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Hobbyist Subscription - Weekly$1.997 Days
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Professional - Weekly$3.497 Days
- Hobbyist - Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Professional - Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Value Subscription - Annual7 Days trial$6.991 Year
- Elite Subscription - Monthly$13.991 Month
- Hobbyist Subscription - Annual7 Days trial$25.991 Year
- Professional - Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Astrospheric free?
Is Good To Stargaze free?
Which has better reviews, Astrospheric or Good To Stargaze?
Do Astrospheric or Good To Stargaze have ads?
Which is updated more often, Astrospheric or Good To Stargaze?
Which is more popular, Astrospheric or Good To Stargaze?
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