Local Sidereal Time vs Desktop Astro Clock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Local Sidereal Time
This app calculates local sidereal time, a system astronomers use to locate celestial objects. It can also be used for personal development, with studies suggesting increased psychic abilities during specific sidereal times. The pro version offers advanced features like notifications and map-based calculations.
- Calculate local sidereal time
- Astronomy celestial object location
- Potential psychic ability enhancement
- Pro version notifications
- Pro version map-based calculation
- Pro version date/time conversion
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Sidereal helps you track local sidereal time from your current location or any place you want to check. It is designed for people interested in the 13:30 LST window discussed in remote-viewing literature, while also supporting any custom sidereal target you want to follow. Use Sidereal to: View a live local sidereal clock based on your current location Calculate local sidereal time manually from longitude, date, and time Search for a city or address and see the result with map support Generate the next 31 upcoming hits for your selected sidereal target Schedule the next 30 days of on-device alerts Export future times to CSV and export events to your calendar Customize your target LST, alert timing, full-window notifications, night viewing, and map visibility Sidereal starts with 13:30 LST as the default target, but you can change it in Settings to track any local sidereal time. The app includes a trial, with Pro unlocking continued access to advanced tools and planning features.
Desktop Astro Clock
This utility app displays time in various formats, including Julian, Sidereal, and GMT. It offers always-on display options, moon and meteor shower information, and customizable clock configurations. Widgets and a watchOS app are also supported for enhanced functionality.
- Multiple time formats (Julian, Sidereal, GMT)
- Always-on display with battery threshold
- Moon phase and meteor shower information
- Customizable display configurations
- Widget support
- WatchOS app with specialized displays
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Desktop Astro Clock (formally known as: yabc - Yet Another Bedside Clock). This is a clock app that is designed to be run at the desktop, bedside or near a star map. It will display the time without turning off until the battery percentage drops below a user specified value. There are ten predefined, and one user defined display configurations. A single tap of the moon and star icon will bring up a red tinted clock showing the local sidereal time. In settings, you can add a moon display, meteor showers display, change colors, and configure the user defined clock display. Widgets are now supported and can be configured via Widget editing. A watchOS app is now included that displays a red tinted Modified Julian date, GMT Sidereal time, Moon, Moon name, and moon age in days. No ads, ever. Lock screen widgets include rectangular (two clock values look good here) and circular (for the current moon) Features: - Time display in various fixed formats - Time display in a user defined format + color - Always on display until a user specified battery level is reached (iOS) - Moon display with moon transit details and full moon names *(4)* - Meteor Shower information (when visible) with star chart locator - Blue moons are known by the tag [blue moon] added to the full moon name and a blue tint to the full moon image - Super moons are known by the tag [super] added to the full moon name Clock Times: - GMT - Greenwich Mean Time - GMST - Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time - Julian Date - Seconds since noon 1st January 4713 B.C. - LMST - Local Mean Sidereal Time *(3)* - Modified Julian Date - Julian Date - 2400000.5 Predefined displays: - Desk Clock - Day, Time, Date - ISO 8901 - yyyy-mm-ssThh:mm:ss+tz - ISO 8901 GMT - yyyy-mm-ssThh:mm:ssZ - Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time - 'HH'h 'mm's 'ss' - Julian - day.time in seconds since noon 1st January 4713 B.C. - Local Mean Sidereal Time - 'HH'h 'mm'h *(3)* - System Default - based on your iOS settings - Time HH:MM:SS, Month, Day - Time HH:MM - Time HH:MM:SS, Day, Month, Year - User Defined - you pick the format! Widgets (One or more): - Meteor Showers *(1)* - Moon - Moon with details - Moon Names *(4)* - Julian Date *(2)* - Sidereal Date *(2)* - User Defined Clock *(2)* WatchOS App: - Black background, Red tint, brightness adjustable with crown, shows Mofidied Julian Date, GMT Sideral Time, Moon face, Moon name, and Moon age *(3)* *(4)* - Corner complication shows Moon, Modified Julian and Local Sidereal time Lock screen Widgets: - Rectangular for clock values (i.e.: Julian date and Sidereal time) - Circular for the current moon *(1) If no Meteor shower is in progress, just an image is shown* *(2) Widgets do not support real time non-system clocks well. Updates will typically be between 15-60 minutes* *(3) If you select Local Sidereal Mean Time display, you'll also need to enable the setting to allow access to your location information (only needs your longitude for the calculations). Default will be Greenwich England* *(4) If you select Moon names, you'll also need to enable the settings to allow access to your location information (only need to check latitude > 0 for Northeren/Southeren hemishpere). Default will be at the equator*
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Local Sidereal Time at 4.7 against Desktop Astro Clock's 3.7. Local Sidereal Time also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 3) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 9 months). Desktop Astro Clock's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Local Sidereal Time sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Desktop Astro Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.
Local Sidereal Time holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Local Sidereal Time has 1.1K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Local Sidereal Time ships an update every 4 months, Desktop Astro Clock every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Local Sidereal Time | Desktop Astro Clock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.1K ratings) — better | 3.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 416 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scott Spiller | BEHR Consulting International |
Customer experience
Local Sidereal Time
Desktop Astro Clock
Bugs and requests
Local Sidereal Time
Reported bugs
4 issues- Alarm doesn't work
- Crashes when loading
- Notification issues
- Pro purchase restoration not working
Requested features
4 requests- Add alarm feature
- Allow setting location manually
- Improve notification handling
- Automatically adjust for daylight saving time
Desktop Astro Clock
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Local Sidereal Time
- Pro$4.99
Desktop Astro Clock
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Local Sidereal Time free?
Is Desktop Astro Clock free?
Which has better reviews, Local Sidereal Time or Desktop Astro Clock?
Do Local Sidereal Time or Desktop Astro Clock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Local Sidereal Time or Desktop Astro Clock?
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