# Astrospheric vs Aurora Buddy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Aurora Buddy at none against Astrospheric's 2. Aurora Buddy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 88%). Astrospheric's advantage is ratings volume (453 vs 8) and chart position (#64 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Astrospheric sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Aurora Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

Aurora Buddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Astrospheric has 453 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Astrospheric's written reviews are positive against 100% of Aurora Buddy's.

Astrospheric ships an update every 3 weeks, Aurora Buddy every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Astrospheric | Aurora Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (453 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrospheric/id1166046863/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-buddy/id6757205504/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **453** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 87.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#64** | — |
| Size | 47 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.1** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Daniel Fiordalis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1166046862) | [Harsh Patel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1865290844) |

## What reviewers say

### Astrospheric

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrospheric/id1166046863)

**Currently charting:** #64 Top Grossing · Weather, #141 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Astrospheric Pro Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Astrospheric Pro Subscription | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Precision tool for astrophotography
- 🔍 Detailed weather forecasts
- ⭐ Accurate and reliable
- 💻 Comprehensive data and features
- 📊 Helpful for planning observing sessions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional inaccurate forecasts
- 🔍 Missing some weather data (e.g. wind)
- 💰 Subscription required for full functionality
- 🔌 Compatibility issues on some devices

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing or not loading on some devices
- Inconsistent temperature and wind data

**Requested features**

- 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


### Aurora Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-buddy/id6757205504)

This app provides hyper-local aurora borealis predictions and alerts based on solar wind data and local weather. It helps users find the best viewing conditions with cloud cover and light pollution maps, and offers long-range forecasts for planning.

**Highlights:** Hyper-local aurora probability, Flight aurora viewing planner, Smart background location alerts, Interactive cloud cover maps, Light pollution data overlay, 5-day long-range forecasts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Astrospheric free?

Astrospheric is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Aurora Buddy free?

Aurora Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Astrospheric or Aurora Buddy?

Aurora Buddy is rated higher. Astrospheric averages 4.8 out of 5 from 453 ratings, while Aurora Buddy averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do Astrospheric or Aurora Buddy have ads?

Neither Astrospheric nor Aurora Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Astrospheric or Aurora Buddy?

Astrospheric ships an update every 3 weeks, and Aurora Buddy every 10 days. Most recently, Astrospheric was updated on October 14, 2026 and Aurora Buddy on October 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*