ASGuide vs Messier Finder Charts
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Messier Finder Charts
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | ASGuide | Messier Finder Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (9 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 41 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Philip Perez | David Lent |
In-app purchases
ASGuide
No in-app purchases
Messier Finder Charts
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ASGuide free?
Is Messier Finder Charts free?
Do ASGuide or Messier Finder Charts have ads?
Which is updated more often, ASGuide or Messier Finder Charts?
Other comparisons















