BCTO vs QUARCS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BCTO
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BCTO是一款由博通光电有限公司开发的用于智能终端的天文软件。 BCTO分为两部分： 1. 电子星图部分。电子星图模拟一个实时3D的星空环境，调用智能终端内部传感器计算出用户当前的手机视角所能看到的星空天象。电子星图内置多达30000颗天体数据，包括太阳系数据，88个星座数据，IC数据，Messier数据，NGC数据等等。 2. 控制部分。可以蓝牙空中接口链接到博通公司生产的无线版本的天文望远镜，实现对望远镜的无线操作。用户可以在BCTO上对望远镜执行星体校准，转动控制，搜索和跟踪天体等多种操控功能。 另外可以配合电子星图，通过可视化选择星体后实时搜索跟踪天体目标。
QUARCS
This open-source software kit enables remote astrophotography capture via Wi-Fi and computer. It offers comprehensive control over telescope mounts, cameras, autoguiding, and electric focusers, integrating with Stellarium for sky mapping.
- Remote capture via Wi-Fi
- Computer remote capture via LAN
- Mount control
- Camera control
- Autoguiding
- Electric focuser control
- Stellarium skymap integration
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Q.U.A.R.C.S (QHYCCD Universal Astrophotographic Remote Capture System) is an open-source software kit that supports the full function of mobile remote capture via WIFI and computer remote capture via LAN. It includes the mount control, camera control, autoguiding, electric focuser control, and Stellarium skymap function.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: QUARCS at every 6 months against BCTO's every 28 months. BCTO's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BCTO ships an update every 28 months, QUARCS every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BCTO | QUARCS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 3.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 28 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 佛山市顺德区博通光电有限公司 | Light Speed Vision(Beijing) Co., Ltd |
In-app purchases
BCTO
No in-app purchases
QUARCS
No in-app purchases
