Comparison

Astrospheric vs SpaceWeatherX

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

SpaceWeatherX

Features
Read full description

SpaceWeatherX brings solar activity, geomagnetic conditions and aurora information together in a clear, multilingual app. Start on Now for an overview of current conditions. Explore solar activity, follow NOAA space-weather alerts, and check aurora conditions for your selected city. Data freshness and unavailable feeds are clearly marked. CME event details include available NASA DONKI analysis, speed, angular width and reported Earth-impact information. Animated Sun–Earth and eruption-site views are illustrative reconstructions, not observations or forecast models. When available, open the original NASA CCMC model separately with its legend and timestamps preserved. SpaceWeatherX Plus is an optional auto-renewable annual subscription that removes ads. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. The subscription renews each year unless cancelled before renewal in your App Store account settings. Prices are shown in your local currency before purchase. Restore purchases and manage your subscription in the app. Alerts and data remain available without a subscription. SpaceWeatherX is an informational app, not an emergency or safety-critical warning system. NOAA SWPC remains the operational source for official space-weather alerts. Data availability and forecasts may change. Languages: English, Croatian, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. Terms of Use (Apple EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://spaceweatherx.com/en/privacy.html Earth imagery: NASA/GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio. Blue Marble Next Generation data: Reto Stockli (NASA/GSFC) and NASA Earth Observatory. City Lights: NASA/GSFC. Sources: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3615/ and https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30003/

Screenshots

Astrospheric4 screens
SpaceWeatherX3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Astrospheric at none against SpaceWeatherX's shown. Astrospheric also leads on chart position (#71 vs unranked). SpaceWeatherX's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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 SpaceWeatherX sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astrospheric ships an update every 3 weeks, SpaceWeatherX every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Astrospheric versus SpaceWeatherX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstrosphericSpaceWeatherX
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (481 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings481 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#71 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel FiordalisIvan Tokic

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

SpaceWeatherX

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
1 purchases

SpaceWeatherX

Subscriptions1
  • SpaceWeatherX Plus Annual$8.991 Year

Questions

Is Astrospheric free?
Astrospheric is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SpaceWeatherX free?
SpaceWeatherX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Astrospheric or SpaceWeatherX have ads?
SpaceWeatherX shows ads; Astrospheric does not.
Which is updated more often, Astrospheric or SpaceWeatherX?
Astrospheric ships an update every 3 weeks, and SpaceWeatherX every 4 days. Most recently, Astrospheric was updated on October 19, 2026 and SpaceWeatherX on October 3, 2026.

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