Comparison

Luminos Pro vs The Sky by Redshift

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

Head to head
About

Luminos Pro

Explore the cosmos with an all-in-one astronomy companion. Discover stars, planets, galaxies, and celestial events with extensive databases and interactive 3D models. Enhance your stargazing with augmented reality, virtual reality, and personalized viewing recommendations.

Highlights
  • Star gazing and 3D galaxy exploration
  • Extensive databases of celestial objects
  • On-device and custom recommendations
  • Motion tracking with AR and VR modes
  • 3D flight to satellites and spacecraft
  • Weather forecasts for stargazing
  • Telescope control and observation lists
Features
Read full description

Discover the Universe in High Definition Luminos Pro is a massive, all-in-one astronomy suite that brings the entire cosmos to your mobile device. Built around the largest offline databases available in any mobile astronomy app, Luminos Pro combines professional-grade data with stunning 3D graphics to deliver a fully customized stargazing experience—no internet connection required. Whether you are pointing your device at the sky using real-time AR motion tracking or flying across the galaxy in 3D, Luminos Pro makes the mysteries of the universe accessible to newcomers and seasoned astronomers alike. EXPLORE FOR FREE: * Massive Base Catalog: Over 5 million stars, deep-sky Messier objects, constellations, and meteor showers. * Our Solar System: Track all planets, moons, active comets, and bright satellites. * Time Travel: Explore 5,000 years of solar and lunar eclipses. * Immersive AR/VR: Seamless motion-tracking modes to identify objects overhead instantly. * Ecosystem Support: Includes an Apple Watch companion app and iOS Desktop Widgets. UNLOCK THE COSMOS (Subscription or All-Access Pass): Go beyond the backyard with deep-space navigation, professional catalogs, and advanced hardware integration. * 3D Space Flight: Leave Earth behind. Ride along with spacecraft, orbit exoplanets, or fly directly to distant stars and star clusters. * Professional Space Catalogs: Access over 250 million Gaia DR3 stars, the Washington Double Star Catalog, the GCVS, and every asteroid tracked by the Minor Planet Center. * Equipment & Telescope Control: Seamlessly connect to and control your telescope rig directly from the app. * Advanced Planning Tools: Get hyper-local weather forecasts, custom observation lists, and comprehensive nightly viewing recommendations on-demand. From casual stargazing to advanced astrophotography planning, Luminos Pro combines unmatched data depth with a beautiful, intuitive design. Unlock the universe today! End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

The Sky by Redshift

This app is a powerful yet easy-to-use planetarium that acts as your daily astronomy companion. Simply point your device at the sky to identify planets, stars, and constellations, and explore celestial objects with detailed views and informative explanations.

Highlights
  • Identify stars, planets, and constellations
  • Track celestial object paths
  • Simulate astronomical events
  • Explore deep-space objects
  • Learn about astronomical phenomena
  • Eclipse timetable and simulation
Features
Read full description

Developed in collaboration with THAMES & KOSMOS: The Sky – Astronomy, a powerful and easy-to-use planetarium – your daily companion for observing the sky! Which star is this? Where do I find Mars? Is it the ISS up there? Hold your smartphone or tablet up to the sky and see which planets, stars, or constellations are above you. Where is Jupiter and how can I find my zodiac in the sky? The Sky shows you the position of celestial objects in the sky with just a few taps. Get close-up views not only of near-Earth planets and moons, but also experience deep-space objects in stunning detail. What do the Saturnian moons look like? The Sky takes you on a breath-taking journey into the infinite realms of outer space. Fly to planets, stars, and other celestial bodies and let the app tell you about our Universe. What is a solar eclipse and what does an opposition of Mars mean? The Sky answers your questions with stunning animations and insightful explanations. Thus, even beginners will be able to understand the mechanics and to visually imagine the most important celestial events. No matter if you are a beginner or amateur astronomer, child or adult - with the intuitive app The Sky, everyone will immediately understand the sky - without much prior knowledge and long training. Shine with your knowledge of the sky, around the campfire or on night walks: with The Sky, astronomy will always be a pleasure! Discover the joy of watching the skies and the age-old fascination with space that has inspired mankind for millennia – and become part of the worldwide Redshift community. The app contains more than 9,000 stars, 88 constellations, hundreds of moons, asteroids and comets, as well as 200 spectacular deep-sky objects - all with accurate position calculation and motion tracking in real time. At a glance: • Recognize the stars and constellations of the night sky • Identify planets, moons, comets, and satellites and track their paths • Take breath-taking flights through space to distant stars and colorful nebulae • See what’s going on in the sky tonight with a direct simulation of the events • Learn to understand astronomical phenomena and events New in version 2.0: • Eclipse Timetable • Orbits of celestial objects • Expanded database with 6500 cities worldwide, including 2500 cities in the United States Were you able to witness the total solar eclipse in North America on April 8, 2024? This app contains everything you need know about this magical event: • Detailed description of the path of the eclipse in Mexico, the USA and Canada • Information on how to safely observe a solar eclipse • Eclipse timetable with the exact times for your location or best viewing position • Direct simulation of the eclipse in exciting animations • Sky map with the planets and stars that could be seen during the totality phase • Illustrated explanations of how a solar eclipse occurs • Everything about solar eclipses: Explanations and facts, illustrated with pictures and videos • Location selection via map, location search or GPS or selection of the "best position" for observation Your thirst for knowledge is not yet satisfied? With the premium subscription, you can activate many additional spaceflights and orbits as well as additional knowledge sections of "Discover astronomy". Here you can find more spectacular images and videos of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. There is also an eclipse calendar with all solar and lunar eclipses between 1900 and 2100 and a guided tour of the U.S. MARS 2020 mission. This tour includes images and animations of the landing on Mars, as well as of the environment at the landing site of the Mars rover Perseverance. ***** Questions or suggestions for improvements: Mail to support@redshiftsky.com We are looking forward to your feedback! For more information on news and updates: redshiftsky.com www.redshiftsky.com/terms-of-use-the-sky/ *****

Screenshots

Luminos Pro4 screens
The Sky by Redshift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Luminos Pro at every 4 weeks against The Sky by Redshift's every 2 months. The Sky by Redshift's advantage is ratings volume (811 vs 251) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Luminos Pro sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and The Sky by Redshift sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Luminos Pro against 4.7 for The Sky by Redshift. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 251 and 811 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 70% and 69% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Luminos Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, The Sky by Redshift every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Luminos Pro versus The Sky by Redshift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLuminos ProThe Sky by Redshift
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (251 ratings)4.7 (811 ratings)
Positive reviews69.8% of reviews — better69.2% of reviews
Number of ratings251811 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.8 GB472 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWobbleworks LLCUnited Soft Media Verlag GmbH

Customer experience

Luminos Pro

All ratings251 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral1.9%
Negative28.3%

The Sky by Redshift

All ratings811 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral11.5%
Negative19.2%

User reviews

Luminos Pro

From 251 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Comprehensive features
  • 🌟 Beautifully implemented
  • 🚀 Smooth and detailed map
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • ⭐ Excellent customer service

Room to improve

  • 💸 Features locked behind subscription
  • 📉 App devolving over time
  • 🔒 Lifetime memberships feel like a trap
  • 🔄 Satellite updates not working
  • 💸 Paid features now subscription only

The Sky by Redshift

From 811 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Expertly done
  • 👍 Works well
  • 👍 Beautiful and accurate
  • 👍 Fun to use

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Too many ads
  • 🔍 Intrusive advertising
  • 🔍 Information banner not useful

Bugs and requests

Luminos Pro

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Satellite updates don't work
  • Deep sky objects not showing
  • App crashes when adding notes
  • Old notes disappeared after update
  • App keeps going black during exploration

Requested features

5 requests
  • Discount for lifetime license
  • Ability to transfer FOV and camera rotation to NINA
  • Ability to add pictures of viewed places and store them
  • Store and recall settings
  • Update for iOS 16 compatibility

The Sky by Redshift

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Unauthorized access to private systems

Requested features

3 requests
  • Red light option to preserve night vision
  • Smaller, less obtrusive pointer
  • More features and accurate information

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Luminos Pro

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly subscription1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Quarterly subscription1 Month trial$3.993 Months
  • Yearly subscription1 Month trial$12.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime pass$24.99
  • Lifetime pass$39.99
2 purchases

The Sky by Redshift

Subscriptions2
  • The Sky Premium 1 Month$0.991 Month
  • The Sky Premium 1 Year$3.991 Year

Questions

Is Luminos Pro free?
Luminos Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Sky by Redshift free?
The Sky by Redshift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Luminos Pro or The Sky by Redshift?
Luminos Pro and The Sky by Redshift are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 251 and 811 ratings respectively.
Do Luminos Pro or The Sky by Redshift have ads?
Neither Luminos Pro nor The Sky by Redshift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Luminos Pro or The Sky by Redshift?
Luminos Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, and The Sky by Redshift every 2 months. Most recently, Luminos Pro was updated on September 22, 2026 and The Sky by Redshift on September 21, 2026.

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