SynScan Pro vs Cygnus Astro
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.
Cygnus Astro
Control your astrophotography equipment remotely from your mobile device. This app provides a touch-friendly interface to connect, monitor, and manage your N.I.N.A. software and connected gear, simplifying your setup in the field.
- Remote equipment control
- N.I.N.A. software integration
- Mobile touch interface
- Real-time exposure preview
- Open-source and free
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Cygnus Astro Get ready to do astrophotography from your mobile phone! Cygnus Astro enables astrophotographers to use a mobile touch-friendly interface to control their equipment from N.I.N.A. software. No matter if you have a laptop, or a mini PC, you can replace that complex UI with a mobile app. When in the field, you're able to connect, monitor, and control all your astrophotography equipment without worrying about a desktop interface. Turn your PC on, and forget about it! Key features: - Connect your equipment (mount, camera, electronic focuser, etc.) using a simple button - Launch and monitor your advance sequence - Perform your Three-Point Polar Alignment without having to hold your laptop - Preview your exposures in real-time - Fully open-source. This app is, and will aways be free Cygnus Astro uses N.I.N.A. PC software and the N.I.N.A. Advanced API plugin to communicate with your PC. This app is not a replacement for N.I.N.A. or your PC.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cygnus Astro at 67% against SynScan Pro's 22%. Cygnus Astro also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.6) and monetization model (free vs paid). SynScan Pro's advantage is ratings volume (51 vs 2). 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.
Cygnus Astro holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SynScan Pro has 51 ratings behind it against 2, 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 67% of Cygnus Astro's.
SynScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, Cygnus Astro every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SynScan Pro | Cygnus Astro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (51 ratings) | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 21.5% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 51 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Astropower Technology Co. Ltd. | Christopher Ventura |
Customer experience
SynScan Pro
Cygnus Astro
In-app purchases
SynScan Pro
No in-app purchases
Cygnus Astro
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SynScan Pro free?
Is Cygnus Astro free?
Which has better reviews, SynScan Pro or Cygnus Astro?
Do SynScan Pro or Cygnus Astro have ads?
Which is updated more often, SynScan Pro or Cygnus Astro?
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