Comparison

ASGuide vs Messier Finder Charts

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

Head to head
About

ASGuide

Explore the night sky with this astronomy companion. Discover planets, galaxies, nebulae, and more visible from your location. Generate custom viewing lists and preview celestial objects with an interactive sky atlas.

Highlights
  • Discover celestial objects visible from your location
  • Generate custom viewing lists
  • View detailed observation information
  • Interactive sky atlas preview
  • Dark mode for nighttime viewing
  • Sunrise/sunset and moon phase dashboard
Features
Read full description

Discover the wonders visible in your sky tonight. ASGuide (Astronomy Sky Guide) turns your location and observing time into a personal guide to the night sky. Discover visible planets, galaxies, nebulae, stars, star clusters, and galactic regions. Plan an observation, explore from home, or find your next celestial target. Find objects worth viewing and learn more about every discovery: - See what is visible from your location and when to observe it. View rise, transit, and set times. - Filter by magnitude, altitude above the horizon, constellation, object type, and more. - Search by common name, catalog number, constellation, object type, or detailed classification. - Browse the solar system and deep-sky categories. - Return quickly to recent searches and recently viewed objects. - See which planets are visible. - Save favorite objects for future viewing. - Use your current location or select any location on Earth. - Check sunrise, sunset, twilight, and night times. - Follow the current moon phase, illumination, moonrise, moonset, and the next new and full moons. - Open high-resolution imagery and explore objects with the interactive sky atlas. Customize the Home screen with the information that matters to you. Use the dark appearance for nighttime observations, or the standard iOS appearance. Your next night-sky discovery starts with ASGuide.

About

Messier Finder Charts

Features
Read full description

These Messier finder charts contain maps for every Messier deep sky object. It's user interface has intentionally been made as simple as possible so you can use this app in the freezing cold while using your telescope in total darkness. The app uses only red on the map to preserve your night vision. This is best used by holding the iPhone or iPad next to your Telrad reflex sight while viewing both the bulls eye in your Telrad and the bulls eye on the map to quickly find targets.

Screenshots

ASGuide4 screens
Messier Finder Charts1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ASGuide at Free against Messier Finder Charts's $0.99. ASGuide also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 41 months) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.2). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ASGuide is free to download; Messier Finder Charts costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ASGuide ships an update every 4 months, Messier Finder Charts every 41 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ASGuide versus Messier Finder Charts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterASGuideMessier Finder Charts
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.8 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 41 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhilip PerezDavid Lent

In-app purchases

None

ASGuide

No in-app purchases

None

Messier Finder Charts

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ASGuide free?
ASGuide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Messier Finder Charts free?
Messier Finder Charts costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do ASGuide or Messier Finder Charts have ads?
Neither ASGuide nor Messier Finder Charts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ASGuide or Messier Finder Charts?
ASGuide ships an update every 4 months, and Messier Finder Charts every 41 months. Most recently, ASGuide was updated on October 24, 2026 and Messier Finder Charts on October 20, 2026.

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