Comparison

Star Map Tracker vs Bright Comets

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

Head to head
About

Star Map Tracker

Explore the night sky with this augmented reality stargazing app. Identify stars, constellations, planets, and galaxies in real-time. It provides detailed information and helps you locate celestial objects.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality celestial body view
  • Identification of over 3,000 stars
  • Depiction of 88 constellations
  • Real-time celestial object tracking
  • Solar system object identification
  • Compass calibration
Features
Read full description

Star Map Tracker is an impressive stargazing augmented reality app boasting a database of over 3,000 stars and constellations. This app not only provides guidance through the vast majority of known stars but also furnishes essential information such as right ascension, declination, azimuth, elevation, and more. Whether you aim to align your telescope or simply desire to point your device at the sky for star, constellation, nebula, galaxy, and solar system object identification, this app caters to your needs, functioning as a proficient star finder and augmented reality map of celestial bodies, offering real-time information about them. Immerse yourself in a captivating night stars safari by finding an open space, taking a stroll, and lifting your device to behold the mesmerizing night sky view. The Star Map app serves as an exceptional tracker for all celestial objects, essentially placing a sky object seeker right in your pocket. Key Features: - Augmented reality view of celestial bodies - 88 constellations depicted with their shapes - Over 3,000 actual stars accompanied by detailed descriptions - Ability to search by star/constellation name, HD, HR, HIP - Real-time position of stars/constellations in the sky - Inclusion of the entire solar system (consisting of 9 planets, Sun, and Moon) - Realistic lighting, shadows, and planet textures - Milky Way galaxy background enriched with precise spatial positioning - Compass calibration facilitated using the moon, sun, or cardinal points In-App Purchase: - Enhanced access to names and information of over 3,000 stars (by default, only star information for zodiac constellations is available) - Expanded access to 74 constellations (only 14 are available by default: 12 Zodiac constellations, Ursa Minor, and Ursa Major) - Detailed inclusions of the solar system (encompassing 9 planets; Moon and Sun are available by default)

About

Bright Comets

Discover visible comets in the night sky with this astronomy tool. Simply point your device upwards, and a red marker will guide you to the comet's location using real-time data.

Highlights
  • Locate visible comets
  • Real-time sky pointing
  • Red target marker guidance
  • Uses device location
  • NASA JPL ephemerides data
Features
Read full description

This app helps you locate all bright comets currently visible in the night sky. Just hold your device up to the sky and find the red target marker on the screen. That's where the comet is! The app uses your location and up-to-date ephemerides from the NASA JPL's Horizons database to calculate the comet's position.

Screenshots

Star Map Tracker4 screens
Bright Comets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bright Comets at 75% against Star Map Tracker's 29%. Bright Comets also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (153 vs 1). Star Map Tracker's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Star Map Tracker sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Bright Comets sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Star Map Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bright Comets has 153 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of Star Map Tracker's written reviews are positive against 75% of Bright Comets's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Map Tracker ships an update every 5 months, Bright Comets every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Star Map Tracker versus Bright Comets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar Map TrackerBright Comets
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.3 (153 ratings)
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews74.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1153 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuriy KvashaHanno Rein

Customer experience

Star Map Tracker

Written reviews91 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative57.1%

Bright Comets

All ratings153 ratings
Positive83.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive74.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative22.9%

Bugs and requests

Star Map Tracker

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Map is disoriented
  • Stars and planets do not track movement
  • Calibration does not stick
  • App freezes
  • App always points north
Show 6 more
  • Compass is off by degrees
  • Stars constantly shifting
  • App shows incorrect directions
  • GPS is way off
  • App doesn't work on iPhone X
  • AR is useless as camera can't see stars

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add search functionality for stars
  • Include planets in the free version
  • Improve compass synchronization
  • Add language options
  • Show horizon line
Show 2 more
  • Display star sizes/visibility
  • Provide more detailed information on planets

Bright Comets

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Star Map Tracker

One-time3
  • Stars & Constellations$1.99
  • Planets$1.99
  • Premium$2.99
1 purchases

Bright Comets

One-time1
  • Coffee$1.99

Questions

Is Star Map Tracker free?
Star Map Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bright Comets free?
Bright Comets is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Star Map Tracker or Bright Comets?
Star Map Tracker is rated higher. Star Map Tracker averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Bright Comets averages 4.3 from 153 ratings.
Do Star Map Tracker or Bright Comets have ads?
Neither Star Map Tracker nor Bright Comets shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Map Tracker or Bright Comets?
Star Map Tracker ships an update every 5 months, and Bright Comets every 5 days. Most recently, Star Map Tracker was updated on October 24, 2026 and Bright Comets on October 22, 2026.

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