Luminos Pro vs SkySafari 7 Plus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
SkySafari 7 Plus
Explore the cosmos with a powerful space simulator and telescope control. Discover astronomical events, track celestial objects, and plan your stargazing sessions with real-time data and historical simulations.
- Full-featured space simulator
- Telescope control (ASCOM Alpaca, INDI)
- Events Finder for astronomical occurrences
- Real-time user observation tracking (OneSky)
- Guided stargazing sessions (SkyCast)
- Observation planning and recording tools
- Home and Lock Screen widgets
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SkySafari 7 Plus goes beyond most basic stargazing apps by providing you with a full-featured space simulator with telescope control. If you are looking to dive deeper into astronomy, start your journey with the #1 recommend app for amateur astronomers since 2009. Note that there is no discount upgrade path from SkySafari 7 Plus to SkySafari 7 Pro. Choose carefully! Here's what’s new in version 7: + Complete support for iOS 15 and iPhone 13. Version 7 brings a new and immersive stargazing experience. + Events Finder - go to the new Events section to unlock a powerful search engine that finds astronomical events visible tonight and far into the future. The finder dynamically generates a listing of moon phases, eclipses, planetary moon events, meteor showers and planetary phenomenon such as conjunctions, elongations and oppositions. + Notifications - the notifications section has been completely revamped to allow you to customize and manage which events trigger an alert notification on your device. + Telescope Support - telescope control is at the heart of SkySafari. Version 7 takes a giant leap forward by supporting ASCOM Alpaca and INDI. These next generation control protocols allow you to effortlessly connect to hundreds of compatible astronomical devices. + OneSky - allows you to see what other users are observing, in real time. This feature highlights objects in the sky chart and indicates with a number how many users are observing a particular object. + SkyCast - allows you to guide a friend or group around the night sky through their own copy of SkySafari. After initiating SkyCast, you can generate a link and conveniently share it with other SkySafari users via text message, apps or social media accounts. + Sky Tonight - jump to the new Tonight section to see what’s visible in your sky tonight. Expanded information has been designed to help plan your night and includes Moon & Sun info, calendar curations, events and the best positioned deep sky and solar system objects. + Improved Observation Tools - SkySafari is the perfect tool to help you plan, record and organize your observations. New workflows make it easier to add, search, filter and sort data. + Home Screen and Lock Screen Widgets keep your favorite astro information at your fingertips. The Small Touches: + You can now edit the Jupiter GRS Longitude Value in the Settings. + Better Moon Age calculation. + New grid & reference options allow you to display Solstice and Equinox markers, Orbit Node markers for all solar system objects, and tick marks and labels for the Ecliptic, Meridian, and Equator reference lines. + Previous In-app Purchases are Now Free - this includes the H-R diagram and 3D Galaxy view. Enjoy. + Many more. If you haven't used SkySafari 7 Plus before, here's what you can do with it: + Hold your device up, and SkySafari 7 Plus will find comets, stars, constellations, planets, and more! + Simulate the night sky up to 10,000 years in the past or future! Animate meteor showers, conjunctions, eclipses, and other celestial events. + Learn the history, mythology, and science of astronomy! Browse over 1500 object descriptions and astronomical images. Stay up-to-date with the Calendar for all major sky events every day! + Control your telescope, log and plan your observations. + Night Vision – Preserve your eyesight after dark. + Orbit Mode. Leave the Earth’s surface behind, and fly through our solar system. + Time Flow – Follow the motion of sky objects as days, months, and years are compressed into a few seconds. + Advanced Search – Find objects using properties other than their name. + Much more! For even more features, and a gigantic database aimed at the most dedicated amateur or professional astronomer, check out SkySafari 7 Pro! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Luminos Pro at Free against SkySafari 7 Plus's $9.99. Luminos Pro also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 46%). SkySafari 7 Plus's advantage is chart position (#120 vs unranked) and ratings volume (1.7K vs 253). On rating, 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
Luminos Pro is free to download; SkySafari 7 Plus costs $9.99 up front. Luminos Pro sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and SkySafari 7 Plus sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Luminos Pro against 4.7 for SkySafari 7 Plus. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkySafari 7 Plus has 1.7K ratings behind it against 253, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Luminos Pro's written reviews are positive against 46% of SkySafari 7 Plus's.
Luminos Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, SkySafari 7 Plus monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Luminos Pro | SkySafari 7 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (253 ratings) — better | 4.7 (1.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.9% of reviews — better | 45.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 253 | 1.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #120 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 14.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.8 GB | 1.1 GB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | Wobbleworks LLC | Simulation Curriculum Corp. |
Customer experience
Luminos Pro
SkySafari 7 Plus
User reviews
Luminos Pro
From 253 App Store ratingsWhat 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
SkySafari 7 Plus
From 1.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app, preferred over Stellarium
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 👍 Useful 'Tonight' tab
- 👍 Accurate and precise for telescope use
- 👍 Impressive data and functionality
Room to improve
- 🙄 Constant upgrade spam and notifications
- 🐛 'Tonight' feature crashes on iPad
- 💰 Paid features hidden behind paywall
- 🐛 Crashes when using 'Tonight' feature
- 🐛 Syncing and connectivity issues
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
SkySafari 7 Plus
Reported bugs
4 issues- 'Tonight' feature crashes
- App crashes on launch or when using certain features
- Connectivity issues with telescopes
- Syncing problems between devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add more telescope brands and models
- Improve notification settings to only show relevant events
- Allow hiding of menu bar for cleaner viewing
- Improve font sizes and readability
- Add ability to import observation records from previous versions
In-app purchases
Luminos Pro
- Monthly subscription1 Month trial$1.991 Month
- Quarterly subscription1 Month trial$3.993 Months
- Yearly subscription1 Month trial$12.991 Year
- Lifetime pass$24.99
- Lifetime pass$39.99
SkySafari 7 Plus
- SkySafari Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- SkySafari Premium7 Days trial$34.991 Year
- Apollo Lunar MissionsFree






