Comparison

Stellarium Mobile vs AstroFinder

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

Head to head
About

Stellarium Mobile

Explore the night sky with a real-time planetarium. Identify stars, planets, constellations, and satellites by simply pointing your phone. Offers detailed astronomical data and cultural constellation interpretations.

Highlights
  • Real-time sky simulation
  • Identify stars, planets, satellites
  • Constellation shapes and illustrations
  • Deep sky object catalog
  • Night mode for eye comfort
  • Telescope control (Plus)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Stellarium Mobile is a planetarium app that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars. Identify stars, constellations, planets, comets, satellites (such as the ISS), and other deep sky objects in real time in the sky above you in just a few seconds, just by pointing the phone at the sky! This astronomy application has an easy to use and minimalist user interface, that makes it one of the best astronomical applications for adults and children who want to explore the night sky. Stellarium Mobile features: • View an accurate night sky simulation of stars and planets for any date, time and location. • Dive in a collection of many stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects. • Zoom on realistic Milky Way and Deep Sky Objects images. • Discover how people living in other regions of the planet see the stars by selecting the shapes and illustrations of the constellations for many sky cultures. • Track artificial satellites, including the International Space Station. • Simulate landscape and atmosphere with realistic sunrise, sunset and atmosphere refraction. • Discover 3D rendering of the major solar system planets and their satellites. • Observe the sky in night mode (red) to preserve your eyes adaptation to darkness. Stellarium Mobile contains in-app purchases allowing to upgrade to Stellarium Plus. With this upgrade, the app will display objects as faint as magnitude 22 (versus magnitude 8 in the base version) and enable advanced observing features. Stellarium Plus features (unlocked with in-app purchase): • Reach the limit of knowledge by diving in a massive collection of stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects:   - All known stars: Gaia DR2 catalog of over 1.69 billion stars   - All known planets, natural satellites and comets, and many other minor solar system objects (10k asteroids)   - Most known deep sky objects: a combined catalog of over 2 million nebulas and galaxies • Zoom almost without limits on high resolution images of deep sky objects or planetary surfaces. • Observe in the field, even without internet connection, with a "reduced" set of data: 2 million stars, 2 million Deep Sky Objects, 10k asteroids. • Control your telescope through WIFI: drive any GOTO telescope compatible with NexStar, SynScan or LX200 protocols. • Prepare your observing sessions using the advanced observation tools, to predict a celestial object observability and transit times. Stellarium Mobile is made by the original creator of Stellarium, the well known open source planetarium and one of the best astronomy applications on Desktop PC. Your can unlock the full features using either a one time payment or a subscription. See In-App Purchase section for the subscription price available in your country. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your account settings after purchases. Terms of service: https://stellarium-labs.com/stellarium-mobile-plus/stellarium-mobile-terms-of-use Privacy policy: https://www.stellarium-labs.com/privacy-policy-for-stellarium-mobile

About

AstroFinder

Transform your iPhone into a telescope finder without motors or alignment stars. It identifies star patterns in real-time, displaying your aim on a red-on-black chart with a guiding arrow. Find planets, deep sky objects, and more, all while running offline.

Highlights
  • Real-time telescope pointing
  • Plate-solving star identification
  • Night-vision friendly interface
  • Offline operation
  • Finds planets, deep sky objects, and stars
  • Alt-azimuth and equatorial modes
Read full description

**AstroFinder turns your iPhone into a plate-solving push-to finder for any telescope — no motors, no alignment stars, no setting circles.** Clamp your phone beside the scope. AstroFinder takes a short exposure of the real sky, identifies the star pattern the way a research plate-solver does, and repeats about once a second — so you always know exactly where you're pointed. A red-on-black star chart shows your aim live, and a simple arrow guides you onto whatever you want to see. **Find anything** • Planets, Sun and Moon — sorted by what's up right now • Deep sky by catalog number — Messier, NGC, IC, and more, on a keyboard-free keypad • Named stars and showpiece double stars • "Best this month" — well-placed showpieces for your location, tonight, nearest to where you're already aimed **Built for the eyepiece** • Fully night-vision friendly: red on black, dimmable below the phone's own minimum • Alt-azimuth mode for Dobsonians (no field rotation) or equatorial mode for tracking mounts • Tap any object on the chart for details, then push-to it • Optional constellation lines, labels, and progressive zoom as you close in • Works in portrait or landscape, at any mounting angle **How it works** AstroFinder mounts alongside your telescope and syncs to your eyepiece in seconds. From then on, the chart and all guidance are aligned to your scope's actual aim. Everything runs on-device — no internet needed under the stars. A one-month free trial gives you a full new-moon cycle to try it. Subscription then renews yearly; cancel anytime. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.santangeli.net/astrofinder/privacy Clear skies.

Screenshots

Stellarium Mobile4 screens
AstroFinder3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Stellarium Mobile at 40K against AstroFinder's 1. Stellarium Mobile also leads on chart position (#57 vs unranked). AstroFinder's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Stellarium Mobile sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and AstroFinder sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AstroFinder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stellarium Mobile has 40K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stellarium Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, AstroFinder every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Stellarium Mobile versus AstroFinder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStellarium MobileAstroFinder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (40K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings40K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#57 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS1717.0
Further details — not scored
Size456 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNoctua Software LtdPeter Santangeli

Customer experience

Stellarium Mobile

All ratings38,274 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews633 reviews
Positive84.4%
Neutral5.8%
Negative9.8%

AstroFinder

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Stellarium Mobile

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compass not working properly
  • Favorites list disappearing
  • Inconsistent performance on different devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Notifications for astronomical events
  • More customization options
  • Integration with camera for AR overlay
  • Better support for telescopes and mounts
  • Improved search and navigation

AstroFinder

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Stellarium Mobile

Subscriptions1
  • Stellarium PLUS7 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Stellarium PLUS$18.99
1 purchases

AstroFinder

Subscriptions1
  • AstroFinder Yearly1 Month trial$12.991 Year

Questions

Is Stellarium Mobile free?
Stellarium Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AstroFinder free?
AstroFinder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Stellarium Mobile or AstroFinder?
AstroFinder is rated higher. Stellarium Mobile averages 4.8 out of 5 from 40K ratings, while AstroFinder averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Stellarium Mobile or AstroFinder have ads?
Neither Stellarium Mobile nor AstroFinder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stellarium Mobile or AstroFinder?
Stellarium Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and AstroFinder every 9 days. Most recently, Stellarium Mobile was updated on November 10, 2026 and AstroFinder on October 28, 2026.

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