SynScan Pro vs Touch
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.
Touch
Control your astrophotography sessions remotely from your mobile device or Mac. Manage imaging, focus, guiding, and polar alignment. This open-source tool enhances your workflow without ads or in-app purchases.
- Remote imaging session launch
- Focus control
- Guiding performance monitoring
- Three Point Polar Alignment
- Connected device control
- Open source
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Touch-N-Stars brings the core features of the popular astrophotography software N.I.N.A. right to your phone, tablet, or Apple Silicon Mac. Start imaging sessions, adjust focus, monitor guiding, or perform a Three Point Polar Alignment – all from the palm of your hand. Key Features: - Launch imaging sessions and control focus remotely - Monitor guiding performance in real time - Perform Three Point Polar Alignment (requires N.I.N.A. v2.2.2.0+) - Control all connected devices such as the dome or flat panel - 100% open source. No ads. No in-app purchases. Requirements: - A running N.I.N.A. instance on your imaging PC - Advanced API Plugin enabled (Port 1888, API v2) - Touch'N'Stars Plugin Touch-N-Stars is a companion tool – not a full replacement for the desktop experience. Enhance your astrophotography workflow and stay flexible – wherever you are.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Touch at 75% against SynScan Pro's 22%. Touch also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.7) and monetization model (free vs paid). SynScan Pro's advantage is ratings volume (56 vs 7) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). 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.
Touch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SynScan Pro has 56 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of SynScan Pro's written reviews are positive against 75% of Touch's.
SynScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, Touch fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | SynScan Pro | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.7 (56 ratings) | 4.7 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 21.5% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 56 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Astropower Technology Co. Ltd. | Johannes Maier |
Customer experience
SynScan Pro
Touch
In-app purchases
SynScan Pro
No in-app purchases
Touch
No in-app purchases
