SynScan Pro vs norlys
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.
norlys
This app provides a real-time world map and data to assist in tracking and chasing the northern lights. It simplifies the process of finding optimal viewing conditions for aurora displays.
- Real-time world map
- Aurora data products
- Northern lights tracking
- Optimized viewing conditions
- Chasing assistance
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Aurora real-time world map and various data products to help you chasing the northern lights.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: norlys at 5.0 against SynScan Pro's 2.6. norlys also leads on monetization model (free vs paid). SynScan Pro's advantage is ratings volume (51 vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
norlys holds the better App Store score, 5.0 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.
SynScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, norlys every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SynScan Pro | norlys |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (51 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 21.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 51 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Astropower Technology Co. Ltd. | Hugo Lageneste |
Customer experience
SynScan Pro
norlys
In-app purchases
SynScan Pro
No in-app purchases
norlys
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SynScan Pro free?
Is norlys free?
Which has better reviews, SynScan Pro or norlys?
Do SynScan Pro or norlys have ads?
Which is updated more often, SynScan Pro or norlys?
Other comparisons
