Comparison

Astrospheric vs Sky Planner

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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

About

Sky Planner

Plan your astrophotography sessions with real-time sky quality forecasts and astronomy signals. Compare observing spots and find the best windows for capturing the night sky.

Highlights
  • Sky quality tracking
  • Observing spot comparison
  • Best observing window identification
  • Milky Way visibility and direction
  • Offline forecast fallback
  • Home screen widget
Features
Read full description

DarkScout is completely free, with no paywalls, trials, or subscription required. Know whether tonight is worth heading outside. DarkScout brings weather and astronomy together for astrophotographers and night-sky observers. • Use the full Tonight screen, Planner, Map and Spots, including visible targets and monthly recommendations. • Save unlimited observing locations, compare spots and plan up to 14 nights ahead. • Explore the full object catalog, 72-hour cloud-cover maps, horizon profiles, multi-spot alerts, custom thresholds and Red Night Mode. • Browse and share original-quality astrophotos, save favorites, and join or host observing events with participant chat. • Use recurring sessions, templates, co-hosts, weather backup plans, custom reminder timing and scheduled announcements. • Control location privacy, report content and block accounts. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Astrospheric4 screens
Sky Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Astrospheric at 481 against Sky Planner's 4. Astrospheric also leads on chart position (#75 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). Sky Planner's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 87%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Astrospheric sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Sky Planner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Astrospheric against 4.8 for Sky Planner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Astrospheric has 481 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Astrospheric's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sky Planner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astrospheric ships an update every 3 weeks, Sky Planner every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Astrospheric versus Sky Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstrosphericSky Planner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (481 ratings)4.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews87.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings481 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
Best chart rank#75 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel FiordalisSebastian Mraz

Customer experience

Astrospheric

All ratings481 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive87.1%
Neutral5.4%
Negative7.5%

Sky Planner

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Sky Planner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Astrospheric

Subscriptions2
  • Astrospheric Pro Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Astrospheric Pro Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
2 purchases

Sky Planner

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly PRO$2.491 Month
  • Yearly PRO$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Astrospheric free?
Astrospheric is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sky Planner free?
Sky Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Astrospheric or Sky Planner?
Astrospheric and Sky Planner are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 481 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Astrospheric or Sky Planner have ads?
Neither Astrospheric nor Sky Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Astrospheric or Sky Planner?
Astrospheric ships an update every 3 weeks, and Sky Planner every 2 weeks. Most recently, Astrospheric was updated on October 19, 2026 and Sky Planner on October 14, 2026.

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