Comparison

SynScan Pro vs SkyPilot Astro

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

SkyPilot Astro

Effortlessly explore the cosmos with automatic star-seeking and calibration. Plan your stargazing sessions with real-time weather and light pollution data. Control your telescope, capture stunning images, and process them for incredible detail.

Highlights
  • Automatic star-seeking
  • One-step automatic calibration
  • Real-time weather and light pollution data
  • Direct telescope control
  • One-click GOTO celestial bodies
  • Intelligent image processing and stacking
  • High-definition photo capture
Features
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Automatic Star - Seeking, Effortless Start:Whether you're a novice or a seasoned astronomy enthusiast, simply operate on the APP. The telescope, with its automatic star - seeking function, can instantly lock onto the target celestial body, making stargazing accessible to everyone. Automatic Calibration, One - Step Completion:Bid farewell to the cumbersome manual calibration process of traditional telescopes. With the EDUSNAP APP, automatic and precise calibration is achieved the moment you power on, allowing you to start your stargazing journey quickly. Weather and Light Pollution, Under Control:The APP provides real - time weather information and light pollution data of the observation site. This enables you to plan the best observation time and location in advance, ensuring ideal conditions for every stargazing session. Direct Control, at Your Command:Via the APP, you can directly control the telescope's direction, freely adjusting the viewing angle. Moreover, you can effortlessly set shooting parameters and capture high - definition photos, ensuring no amazing moment slips by. One - Click GOTO, Direct to Target:Enter the celestial body you wish to observe on the APP, and the one - click GOTO function will swiftly turn the telescope towards the target, accurately pinpointing mysterious celestial bodies in the vast starry sky. Intelligent Image Processing, Stunning Results:Upon shooting, the APP automatically processes and stacks the images, enhancing the picture quality. This makes the details of nebulae, galaxies, and other celestial bodies clearly visible. You can save the exquisite photos with one click, convenient for sharing and preserving memories.

Screenshots

SynScan Pro4 screens
SkyPilot Astro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SkyPilot Astro at 4.6 against SynScan Pro's 2.6. SkyPilot Astro also leads on monetization model (free vs paid). SynScan Pro's advantage is review sentiment (22% vs 0%) and ratings volume (51 vs 7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SkyPilot Astro holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SynScan Pro has 51 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of SynScan Pro's written reviews are positive against 0% of SkyPilot Astro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SynScan Pro versus SkyPilot Astro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynScan ProSkyPilot Astro
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (51 ratings)4.6 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews21.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings51 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAstropower Technology Co. Ltd.EDUSNAP TECHNOLOGY LIMITED

Customer experience

SynScan Pro

All ratings51 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral13.7%
Negative52.9%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive21.5%
Neutral20.4%
Negative58.1%

SkyPilot Astro

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

SynScan Pro

No in-app purchases

None

SkyPilot Astro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SynScan Pro free?
SynScan Pro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SkyPilot Astro free?
SkyPilot Astro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SynScan Pro or SkyPilot Astro?
SkyPilot Astro is rated higher. SynScan Pro averages 2.6 out of 5 from 51 ratings, while SkyPilot Astro averages 4.6 from 7 ratings.
Do SynScan Pro or SkyPilot Astro have ads?
Neither SynScan Pro nor SkyPilot Astro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SynScan Pro or SkyPilot Astro?
SynScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, and SkyPilot Astro every 2 months. Most recently, SynScan Pro was updated on October 14, 2026 and SkyPilot Astro on October 7, 2026.

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