Comparison

LSTclock vs Desktop Astro Clock

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

Head to head
About

LSTclock

This utility app displays local sidereal time for registered locations on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. It can also calculate sidereal time and Julian Date for any date and time, and sync locations between devices.

Highlights
  • Local sidereal time display
  • Julian Date calculation
  • Supports multiple registered locations
  • Location sync between iPhone and Apple Watch
  • Date and time specific calculations
Features
Read full description

LSTclock is an iOS/iPadOS/watchOS app that displays the local sidereal time (LST) at registered location(s). On iOS/iPadOS, it can also calculate LST and Julian Date for any date and time. The list of locations can be synced between iPhone and paired Apple Watch(es).

About

Desktop Astro Clock

This utility app displays time in various formats, including Julian, Sidereal, and GMT. It offers always-on display options, moon and meteor shower information, and customizable clock configurations. Widgets and a watchOS app are also supported for enhanced functionality.

Highlights
  • Multiple time formats (Julian, Sidereal, GMT)
  • Always-on display with battery threshold
  • Moon phase and meteor shower information
  • Customizable display configurations
  • Widget support
  • WatchOS app with specialized displays
Features
Read full description

Desktop Astro Clock (formally known as: yabc - Yet Another Bedside Clock). This is a clock app that is designed to be run at the desktop, bedside or near a star map. It will display the time without turning off until the battery percentage drops below a user specified value. There are ten predefined, and one user defined display configurations. A single tap of the moon and star icon will bring up a red tinted clock showing the local sidereal time. In settings, you can add a moon display, meteor showers display, change colors, and configure the user defined clock display. Widgets are now supported and can be configured via Widget editing. A watchOS app is now included that displays a red tinted Modified Julian date, GMT Sidereal time, Moon, Moon name, and moon age in days. No ads, ever. Lock screen widgets include rectangular (two clock values look good here) and circular (for the current moon) Features: - Time display in various fixed formats - Time display in a user defined format + color - Always on display until a user specified battery level is reached (iOS) - Moon display with moon transit details and full moon names *(4)* - Meteor Shower information (when visible) with star chart locator - Blue moons are known by the tag [blue moon] added to the full moon name and a blue tint to the full moon image - Super moons are known by the tag [super] added to the full moon name Clock Times: - GMT - Greenwich Mean Time - GMST - Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time - Julian Date - Seconds since noon 1st January 4713 B.C. - LMST - Local Mean Sidereal Time *(3)* - Modified Julian Date - Julian Date - 2400000.5 Predefined displays: - Desk Clock - Day, Time, Date - ISO 8901 - yyyy-mm-ssThh:mm:ss+tz - ISO 8901 GMT - yyyy-mm-ssThh:mm:ssZ - Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time - 'HH'h 'mm's 'ss' - Julian - day.time in seconds since noon 1st January 4713 B.C. - Local Mean Sidereal Time - 'HH'h 'mm'h *(3)* - System Default - based on your iOS settings - Time HH:MM:SS, Month, Day - Time HH:MM - Time HH:MM:SS, Day, Month, Year - User Defined - you pick the format! Widgets (One or more): - Meteor Showers *(1)* - Moon - Moon with details - Moon Names *(4)* - Julian Date *(2)* - Sidereal Date *(2)* - User Defined Clock *(2)* WatchOS App: - Black background, Red tint, brightness adjustable with crown, shows Mofidied Julian Date, GMT Sideral Time, Moon face, Moon name, and Moon age *(3)* *(4)* - Corner complication shows Moon, Modified Julian and Local Sidereal time Lock screen Widgets: - Rectangular for clock values (i.e.: Julian date and Sidereal time) - Circular for the current moon *(1) If no Meteor shower is in progress, just an image is shown* *(2) Widgets do not support real time non-system clocks well. Updates will typically be between 15-60 minutes* *(3) If you select Local Sidereal Mean Time display, you'll also need to enable the setting to allow access to your location information (only needs your longitude for the calculations). Default will be Greenwich England* *(4) If you select Moon names, you'll also need to enable the settings to allow access to your location information (only need to check latitude > 0 for Northeren/Southeren hemishpere). Default will be at the equator*

Screenshots

LSTclock4 screens
Desktop Astro Clock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: LSTclock at every 2 months against Desktop Astro Clock's every 9 months. LSTclock also leads on ratings volume (10 vs 3). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.8 for LSTclock against 3.7 for Desktop Astro Clock. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LSTclock ships an update every 2 months, Desktop Astro Clock every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
LSTclock versus Desktop Astro Clock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLSTclockDesktop Astro Clock
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (10 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB416 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTsuyoshi SawadaBEHR Consulting International

Customer experience

LSTclock

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral18.2%
Negative27.3%

Desktop Astro Clock

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

LSTclock

No in-app purchases

None

Desktop Astro Clock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LSTclock free?
LSTclock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Desktop Astro Clock free?
Desktop Astro Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LSTclock or Desktop Astro Clock?
LSTclock is rated higher. LSTclock averages 3.8 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Desktop Astro Clock averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do LSTclock or Desktop Astro Clock have ads?
Neither LSTclock nor Desktop Astro Clock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LSTclock or Desktop Astro Clock?
LSTclock ships an update every 2 months, and Desktop Astro Clock every 9 months. Most recently, LSTclock was updated on September 9, 2026 and Desktop Astro Clock on June 5, 2026.

Other comparisons