Comparison

SynScan vs Photographers Light Table

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

Head to head
About

SynScan

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
Read full description

Use the SynScan app to control Sky-Watcher telescope mounts via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth LE. Mounts without built-in Wi-Fi can be supported via a SynScan Wi-Fi adapter. This version of the SynScan app is suited for novice users using alt-azimuth mounts. Features - Control telescope mount to slew, align, GOTO and track. - Point And Track: track celestial objects (including the Sun and planets) without aligning. - Support gamepad navigation. - Browse a catalog of stars, comets, and deep sky objects. Or, save your own objects. - Provide access to mount for use by third-party apps, including ASCOM clients, SkySafari, Luminos, Stellarium Mobile Plus, Stellarium Desktop or customer-developed apps. Also set up mount alignment for Luminos, Skysafari. - Support access to the mount and the SynScan app from any platform that supports TCP/UDP connections. - Provide emulator mount for testing and practicing. - Track fast-moving earth satellites by working with the PreviSat app on Windows PC or the Lumios app on iOS devices.

About

Photographers Light Table

Transform your mobile device into a portable light table for viewing film negatives, prints, and creating astrophotography calibration flats. Offers adjustable brightness, white balance, and an optional grid overlay for precise alignment and accurate color work.

Highlights
  • Device to light table transformation
  • Adjustable brightness control
  • Adjustable white balance
  • Optional grid overlay
  • User-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

Photographers Light Table turns your iPhone or iPad into a clean, evenly lit surface for viewing film negatives and slides, checking prints, and shooting astrophotography calibration flats. Precise, portable, and ready whenever you are. VIEW FILM AND SLIDES Backlight negatives, transparencies, and contact sheets for inspection, DSLR scanning, or digitising — no bulky light box required. PRECISE LIGHT CONTROL Dial in brightness and colour temperature with full-width sliders and live readouts, from warm tungsten to daylight. Pick any custom colour, and keep the ones you use most one tap away. GRID OVERLAY Turn on an adjustable grid for alignment, framing, and repeatable setups. REMOTE CONTROL Adjust your light table from another device without touching it — handy when it's under a camera or telescope. Use any web browser on your WiFi, or a nearby iPhone or iPad directly, with no shared network needed. Group several tables and drive them together, or focus any single one. An optional PIN keeps your table private. SAVED SCENES Store your setups by name and recall them instantly. Apply, rename, and export scenes right from the remote, and back them up or move them between devices. LIGHT EFFECTS Gentle, photosensitivity-safe effects — Breathe, Colour Cycle, and Candle — plus your own programmable colour sequences. ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY FLATS Produce an even, stable illuminated field for flat frames, with fine brightness control and steady output. Photographers Light Table is free and supported by ads. A one-time Premium purchase removes them.

Screenshots

SynScan3 screens
Photographers Light Table4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SynScan at 3.3 against Photographers Light Table's 2.3. SynScan also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). Photographers Light Table's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 22%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume and device support 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. Photographers Light Table sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SynScan asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SynScan holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of SynScan's written reviews are positive against 50% of Photographers Light Table's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SynScan ships an update every 2 months, Photographers Light Table every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SynScan versus Photographers Light Table: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynScanPhotographers Light Table
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (8 ratings) — better2.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAstropower Technology Co. Ltd.William Termini

Customer experience

SynScan

All ratings8 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral37.5%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral16.7%
Negative61.1%

Photographers Light Table

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

SynScan

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Photographers Light Table

One-time1
  • Premium (Ad-Free)$1.99

Questions

Is SynScan free?
SynScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Photographers Light Table free?
Photographers Light Table is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SynScan or Photographers Light Table?
SynScan is rated higher. SynScan averages 3.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Photographers Light Table averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.
Do SynScan or Photographers Light Table have ads?
Photographers Light Table shows ads; SynScan does not.
Which is updated more often, SynScan or Photographers Light Table?
SynScan ships an update every 2 months, and Photographers Light Table every 3 weeks. Most recently, SynScan was updated on October 20, 2026 and Photographers Light Table on October 16, 2026.

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