SynScan Pro vs Planetary Compass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SynScan Pro
Control motorized telescope mounts for celestial observation and astrophotography. Features include precise slewing, alignment, GOTO, and tracking of stars, planets, and deep-sky objects. Supports advanced functions like polar alignment and camera triggering.
- Control telescope mount (slew, align, GOTO, track)
- Point and Track celestial objects
- Gamepad navigation support
- Catalog of celestial objects
- Third-party app integration (ASCOM, SkySafari)
- Polar alignment (with or without polar scope)
- Camera shutter release control
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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 is the Pro version of the SynScan app and contains features suited for expert users using equatorial 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. - Perform polar alignment with or without a polar scope. - Control shutter release (SNAP) port to trigger an attached camera. (Requires mount with SNAP port and adapter cable that matches camera.) - Use ASCOM to perform autoguiding on mounts that do not have autoguider (ST-4) port. - Other mount controls: auto home, PPEC, park.
Planetary Compass
Discover the location of planets in the night sky. This app helps you identify celestial bodies like Mars and Jupiter, indicating their position, altitude, and magnitude. It also informs you if a planet is visible without optical aid.
- Indicates Azimuth, Altitude, and Magnitude
- Helps locate planets by rotating phone
- Indicates naked-eye visibility
- Identifies planets like Mars and Jupiter
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Find out where the planets are in the sky with this simple app! What is that red spot in the sky? Is it Mars? Where is Jupiter? Is Saturn visible tonight? Answer these questions with Planetary Compass. Features: - It indicates the Azimuth, Altitude, and Magnitude of each planet. - It helps you find the planet in the sky while rotating your phone. - Tells you whether a planet is visible to the naked eye. ---------------------------------------- Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com Icons by Icons8
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planetary Compass at 100% against SynScan Pro's 22%. Planetary Compass also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and monetization model (ad-supported vs paid). SynScan Pro's advantage is rating (2.6 vs 1.8) and ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SynScan Pro holds the better App Store score, 2.6 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SynScan Pro has 51 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of SynScan Pro's written reviews are positive against 100% of Planetary Compass's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SynScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, Planetary Compass every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SynScan Pro | Planetary Compass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (51 ratings) — better | 1.8 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 21.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 51 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Astropower Technology Co. Ltd. | Gaston Sobrevilla |
Customer experience
SynScan Pro
Planetary Compass
In-app purchases
SynScan Pro
No in-app purchases
Planetary Compass
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SynScan Pro free?
Is Planetary Compass free?
Which has better reviews, SynScan Pro or Planetary Compass?
Do SynScan Pro or Planetary Compass have ads?
Which is updated more often, SynScan Pro or Planetary Compass?
Other comparisons
