# SynScan vs SynScan Photo

The clearest difference is rating: SynScan at 3.3 against SynScan Photo's 2.0. SynScan also leads on ratings volume (8 vs 2). SynScan Photo's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 22%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SynScan holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of SynScan's written reviews are positive against 50% of SynScan Photo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

SynScan ships an update every 2 months, SynScan Photo every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SynScan | SynScan Photo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.3 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synscan/id1243086631/reviews)** | [2.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synscan-photo/id1475652739/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 46 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Astropower Technology Co. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1787940478) | [SynUe Tech. Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1475652738) |

## What reviewers say

### SynScan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synscan/id1243086631)

Control motorized telescope mounts for celestial object tracking and exploration. Features include GOTO functionality, object catalogs, and gamepad navigation. Ideal for novice users with alt-azimuth mounts.

**Highlights:** Control telescope mount slew, align, GOTO, and track, Point and Track celestial objects, Support gamepad navigation, Browse and save celestial object catalogs, Third-party app integration (ASCOM, SkySafari, Stellarium), Emulator mount for testing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### SynScan Photo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synscan-photo/id1475652739)

Control Skywatcher AZ-Mounts for astrophotography tasks like panoramas and time-lapses. Requires a mount with a Wi-Fi module and specific firmware version.

**Highlights:** Control Skywatcher AZ-Mounts, Perform panoramic photography, Create time-lapse sequences, Execute multiple-point scans, Wi-Fi module required, Firmware version 3.20+ needed

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SynScan free?

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

### Is SynScan Photo free?

SynScan Photo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SynScan or SynScan Photo?

SynScan is rated higher. SynScan averages 3.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while SynScan Photo averages 2.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do SynScan or SynScan Photo have ads?

Neither SynScan nor SynScan Photo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SynScan or SynScan Photo?

SynScan ships an update every 2 months, and SynScan Photo every 3 months. Most recently, SynScan was updated on June 1, 2026 and SynScan Photo on September 16, 2026.

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