# Luwian vs Star Stacker

The clearest difference is price: Luwian at Free against Star Stacker's $3.99. Luwian also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (355 vs 99). Star Stacker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#73 vs unranked). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Luwian is free to download; Star Stacker costs $3.99 up front. Luwian sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Star Stacker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Luwian holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 355 and 99 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Luwian's written reviews are positive against 57% of Star Stacker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Luwian ships an update every 10 days, Star Stacker every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Luwian | Star Stacker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (355 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luwian/id1519571900/reviews)** | [4.3 (99 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-stacker/id1549693927/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **355** | 99 |
| Positive reviews | 45.6% of reviews | **56.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#73** |
| Size | 211 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Erkan SIRIN](https://appshunter.io/developer/617648754) | [michael webb](https://appshunter.io/developer/622398499) |

## What reviewers say

### Luwian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luwian/id1519571900)

Transform your phone into a professional camera with full manual controls for photography and videography. Edit your shots with advanced tools, including RAW file editing and creative filters, to achieve a professional masterpiece.

**Highlights:** Full manual camera controls (ISO, Shutter Speed, Exposure), Precise focus and white balance adjustment, Analog film and cinematic filters, Professional video recording (Slow Motion, Time-lapse), RAW file editing and color correction, Perspective correction and cropping, Long exposure and HDRi modes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Luwian Pro Monthly Membership | $2.99 | per month |
| Luwian Pro Annual Membership | $14.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📸 Excellent image quality and sharpness with ProRAW
- 🎯 Precise autofocus and tap-to-focus functionality
- ⚙️ Extensive manual controls and detailed adjustments
- 🎬 Professional-grade features rivaling DSLR cameras
- 🎨 Creative filters and film stock options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and CTD (crash-to-desktop) issues
- 🐢 Very slow processing and performance
- 🎨 Cluttered menu interface and poor UI/UX
- 💳 Shift to subscription model in recent updates
- 📱 Inconsistent performance across devices

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately on startup, especially on iPad
- Memory issues preventing photo capture
- Panorama mode requests landscape when already in landscape
- Duplicate panorama files in camera roll
- Image preview turns dark brown when changing lenses

**Requested features**

- Better effects and filters library
- Improved focus peeking for manual focus
- Clearer user instructions and documentation
- Better panorama handling with single output
- Improved video editing and saving capabilities


### Star Stacker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-stacker/id1549693927)

**Currently charting:** #73 Top Paid · Photo & Video (US App Store)

Create stunning star trail images and time-lapse videos from sequences of night sky photos. Offers various effects like full trails, faded trails, shooting stars, and warp mode. Supports importing photos from your device's gallery.

**Highlights:** Create star trail images, Generate time-lapse videos, Full trails effect, Faded trails effect, Shooting star effect, Warp mode effect, Import photos from gallery

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- ✨ Great results
- 🚀 Fast processing
- 💡 Versatile for different uses
- 👨‍🏫 Useful for teaching

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 💸 Not worth the money
- 🤔 Unintuitive interface
- 🤷‍♂️ Lack of documentation
- 🐌 Slow stacking speed

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when starting stack
- App crashes when attempting to stack
- App crashes during stacking process
- App crashes when rendering video
- Cannot load photos

**Requested features**

- Option to export live photos
- Help info for stacking options
- Manual stacking option
- Advanced editing software
- Automatic alignment function


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Luwian free?

Luwian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Star Stacker free?

Star Stacker costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Luwian or Star Stacker?

Luwian is rated higher. Luwian averages 4.5 out of 5 from 355 ratings, while Star Stacker averages 4.3 from 99 ratings.

### Do Luwian or Star Stacker have ads?

Neither Luwian nor Star Stacker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Luwian or Star Stacker?

Luwian ships an update every 10 days, and Star Stacker every 2 months. Most recently, Luwian was updated on October 24, 2026 and Star Stacker on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*