Comparison

SkyCandy vs Clear Outside

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

Head to head
About

SkyCandy

Predicts the visual quality of sunrises and sunsets using local weather data. Offers tools for photographers to plan shoots, including sun direction and daylight phase timings. Provides tips, a community gallery, and countdown timers.

Highlights
  • Sunrise/Sunset Forecast
  • Sun Direction Tool
  • Daylight Phases & Times
  • Multiple Location Forecasts (Premium)
  • Today Widget
  • Alerts & Notifications (Premium)
  • Photography Tips & Tricks
Features
Read full description

Your sunset adventure starts here. Use SkyCandy to know if the sky will be vivid and colorful at sunrise or sunset, and skip the boring, gray sky. SkyCandy is great for photographers, or anyone at all that enjoys a beautiful sunset! There are no annoying ads and it's completely free, but you can unlock some extra tools and features for a very low-cost subscription fee to help support us and keep the app running. A full list of features can be found below: ► Sunrise + Sunset Forecast Using your local weather data, we can determine if the next sunrise or sunset at your location will be vivid and colorful, or drab and dreary. With the premium subscription, you can also see forecasts for up to 5 days, for any location. ► Sun Direction Tool Drop a pin anywhere on the map to know exactly which direction the Sun will be at any time, any date, and any location. Great for photographers that are scouting a photo shoot location and want to know what direction the Sun will be in when they are taking photos. ► Daylight Phases and Times Get the exact times for Sunrise, Sunset, Golden Hour, Blue Hour, and more! ► Multiple Locations* With the premium subscription, you can save near infinite amounts of custom locations for the forecast, and get a five day forecast! (free users are limited to 1 location and daily forecast) ► Today Widget* Enable a today widget that shows your quality score, time of sunset, and live countdown timer until sunset. ► Alerts & Notifications* Configure automatic alerts and notifications for when the sunrise and sunset is going to be high quality at your location. ► More than 50 tips, tricks, and facts SkyCandy comes with more than 50 tips, tricks, and facts that will help you take your Sunset photography to the next level. ► Community Gallery See real sunset photos posted by other users of SkyCandy. ► Sun Countdown Timers Know exactly how much time is left until your next sunrise or sunset occurs, great for photographers who want to know when they will run out of light. ► Ad-Free Experience We don't believe in putting annoying advertisements in SkyCandy. Instead, we rely on the optional subscription from our users to help support it and keep it running. ► In-app Support Having issues using the app, or can't seem to find something? Just check out the in-app FAQ and knowledge base, or contact us in-app for tech support. ► And Many More Tools! Many more useful weather, Sunrise, and Sunset tools are also included. Some of the tools and features listed above require a premium subscription. Premium subscription is $2.99 monthly or $29.99 annually ($5+ savings for annual) and can be purchased in-app. Each subscription helps us to continue development and make the app better. The premium subscription includes a free 7 day trial, and is billed on a monthly or annual basis unless you cancel the subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of your current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. If you do not wish to continue your subscription after the free 7 day trial period, it is your responsibility to cancel your subscription before the billing cycle begins. Subscriptions may be managed by you in your iTunes account and auto-renewal may be turned off by going into your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use:
https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ https://www.photographersarsenal.com/mobile-app-terms-of-use/ Got an idea to make the app even better, or is the app missing a tool that you would like to see implemented? Just contact us using the in-app support and we can add it! APIs used: Sunburst by SunsetWx * Indicates that premium subscription is required for this feature.

About

Clear Outside

Get detailed, reliable weather forecasts specifically for astronomers, focusing on cloud cover. Track astronomical events like moon and sun times, darkness periods, and ISS passes. Save multiple locations for quick access to crucial data.

Highlights
  • Seven-day hourly cloud cover forecasts
  • Regular weather data (wind, rain, temperature)
  • Moon and sun rise/set times
  • Civil/nautical/astronomical darkness periods
  • ISS pass-over information
  • Save and manage multiple locations
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Reliable weather forecasts for astronomers with an emphasis on cloud cover. Key Features Weather Forecasts • Seven day hourly forecasts, updated hourly • Low, medium, high and total cloud cover • Regular weather data (wind, rain, frost, temperature, dew point, etc) • Covers daytime too - ideal for solar observers and imagers Astronomical Information • Moon rise/set times and phase • Sun rise/set and transit times • Civil/nautical/astronomical darkness periods • International Space Station (ISS) pass-over information with precise timing for your location Location Management • Set and save your home location for quick access • Add locations manually or use location services for automatic positioning • Search for locations worldwide • Save multiple favourite locations for easy switching • All location data stored locally on your device Why Clearoutside? Updated hourly, because frequent updates matter! Often the clear spell between showers provides excellent seeing, and 30 minutes under a clear sky with a grab-and-go telescope is pure gold. Our favourite feature? The ISS pass-over information is precisely calculated for your location and displayed alongside cloud forecasts, making it easier than ever to catch the station overhead. No cutesy graphics - just detailed, reliable weather data presented clearly for serious observers. We've had a lot of fun building and testing Clear Outside and are keen to develop it further. If you find it useful or have suggestions, please let us know!

Screenshots

SkyCandy4 screens
Clear Outside3 screens

Verdict

The call

SkyCandy and Clear Outside both sit at 4.2 stars, but that hides the real split: 71% of Clear Outside's written reviews are positive against 16% of SkyCandy's. Clear Outside also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#201 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. SkyCandy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Clear Outside asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for SkyCandy against 4.2 for Clear Outside. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 10 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 16% of SkyCandy's written reviews are positive against 71% of Clear Outside's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SkyCandy ships an update monthly, Clear Outside every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SkyCandy versus Clear Outside: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkyCandyClear Outside
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings)4.2 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews15.6% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings510 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank—#201 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDunbar Technology, LLCFirst Light Optics

Customer experience

SkyCandy

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews135 reviews
Positive15.6%
Neutral8.1%
Negative76.3%

Clear Outside

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

Bugs and requests

SkyCandy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App stuck on loading screen
  • Incompatible with latest iOS updates
  • Inconsistent performance across devices

Requested features

2 requests
  • Ability to view forecasts for multiple locations
  • Improved prediction accuracy

Clear Outside

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SkyCandy

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Subscription7 Days trial$23.991 Year
None

Clear Outside

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SkyCandy free?
SkyCandy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Clear Outside free?
Clear Outside is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SkyCandy or Clear Outside?
SkyCandy and Clear Outside are both rated 4.2 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 10 ratings respectively.
Do SkyCandy or Clear Outside have ads?
Neither SkyCandy nor Clear Outside shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SkyCandy or Clear Outside?
SkyCandy ships an update monthly, and Clear Outside every 2 weeks. Most recently, SkyCandy was updated on October 29, 2026 and Clear Outside on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons