Comparison

Photon EDU vs Sideris

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

Head to head
About

Photon EDU

This educational app teaches children programming fundamentals through interactive lessons with a Photon robot. It's designed for teachers and schools, requiring a Photon robot and a Bluetooth 4.0 compatible device to operate.

Highlights
  • Learn programming basics
  • Interactive robot lessons
  • Designed for teachers and schools
  • Requires Photon robot and Bluetooth 4.0
  • Educational content
Features
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Educational application for Photon. Use this application together with a Photon educational scripts to teach children the basics of programming using a Photon robot. This application is intended for Teachers and Schools. NOTE: This app requires a Photon educational script, a Photon robot and a Bluetooth 4.0 device to play.

About

Sideris

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Sideris is a plate solver for astrophotography with simple gear: a camera, a lens or a telescope, and a star tracker without go-to functionality. You aim at a galaxy and take a test shot, but the camera's screen only shows stars. Is your target in the frame, or just outside it? Take a photo of the screen with your phone (or tablet), and Sideris tells you exactly where your camera is pointing. Your shot appears on the interactive sky map, next to the target you are aiming for, so you know which way to move. No go-to mount, no laptop and no internet needed at your dark site. HOW IT WORKS 1. Take a test shot with your camera. 2. Photograph the camera's screen with your phone, or import the photo itself. 3. Crop it, and Sideris solves it in seconds, right on your device. 4. See your photo on the sky map, and how far you are from your target. PLATE SOLVING, FULLY OFFLINE • Solving runs on your phone, so it works where there is no signal. • Most photos solve with nothing but the picture. If one struggles, add your sensor size, focal length or target to help it. • From camera lenses to telescopes of about 1,200 mm on a full-frame camera. • A solve that fails does not use up a free solve. FRAME YOUR SHOT Add your cameras and your lenses or telescopes, and the framing tool shows your exact field of view on the sky map. Turn the frame to match your camera and plan the composition before you shoot. MORE THAN 21,000 DEEP-SKY OBJECTS • Messier, Caldwell, Herschel 400, NGC and IC, plus Sharpless, Barnard and Lynds nebulae, planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, star clusters and galaxy groups. • Show the 500 best known, the 2,500 within reach of a camera lens, or all of them. • Search any object by name or number, filter by type, catalog, magnitude, size or altitude, and sort the list by what matters tonight. • Every object has an altitude curve for the night, and the 110 Messier objects have NASA and ESA photographs. AN INTERACTIVE SKY MAP • 364,000 stars, the planets, and the Moon in its real phase. • Point your phone at the sky and the map follows. Select an object, and arrows guide you to it. • Constellation lines, an equatorial or azimuthal grid, and the sky at any date and time. TOOLS FOR THE FIELD • Polar scope: a Polaris reticle for the polar alignment of your star tracker. • Night mode: turns on at sunset to protect your night vision, with an all-red option for the darkest sites. • Moon phase calendar: phase, illumination, moonrise and moonset for every night. • White screen: a dimmable panel for flat frames. • Location from the GPS, or chosen on an offline world map. LEARN IT ON REAL PHOTOS A guided tutorial walks you through two real solves on example photos, with an animation of the whole process. ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION Your first 10 solves are free. After that, a single one-time purchase unlocks unlimited plate solving on all your devices. No subscription, no ads, no account. I built Sideris for my own nights under the stars, after spending too many hours trying to find my targets. I hope it can help you take beautiful photos as well. Clear skies!

Screenshots

Photon EDU4 screens
Sideris4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Photon EDU at none against Sideris's 1. Sideris's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Sideris sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Photon EDU asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Photon EDU ships an update every 2 months, Sideris every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Photon EDU versus Sideris: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhoton EDUSideris
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size151 MB137 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhoton Entertainment sp. z o.o.Loris BERT

In-app purchases

None

Photon EDU

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Sideris

One-time1
  • Unlimited Plate Solving$9.99

Questions

Is Photon EDU free?
Photon EDU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sideris free?
Sideris is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Photon EDU or Sideris have ads?
Neither Photon EDU nor Sideris shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photon EDU or Sideris?
Photon EDU ships an update every 2 months, and Sideris every 2 weeks. Most recently, Photon EDU was updated on October 24, 2026 and Sideris on October 24, 2026.

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