# Arsenal 2 vs DWARFLAB

The clearest difference is rating: Arsenal 2 at 4.4 against DWARFLAB's 3.5. Arsenal 2 also leads on ratings volume (941 vs 143). DWARFLAB's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Arsenal 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arsenal 2 has 941 ratings behind it against 143, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of Arsenal 2's written reviews are positive against 36% of DWARFLAB's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Arsenal 2 ships an update monthly, DWARFLAB every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Arsenal 2 | DWARFLAB |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (941 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arsenal-2/id1538203364/reviews)** | [3.5 (143 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dwarflab/id1667394131/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **941** | 143 |
| Positive reviews | 28.8% of reviews | **36.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 498 MB | 219 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [North of You, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1298801925) | [Tinyphoton (Wuhan) Technology. Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1470898020) |

## What reviewers say

### Arsenal 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arsenal-2/id1538203364)

This app provides intelligent remote control for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, offering both automated smart settings and full manual control. It helps photographers capture challenging scenes like HDR and timelapses with ease, ensuring sharp focus and perfect exposure.

**Highlights:** Smart Mode with machine learning scene analysis, Full manual camera control via smartphone, Live shot preview, High Dynamic Range (HDR) automation, Focus stacking for sharp images, Automated timelapse capture, Remote shutter trigger up to 100 feet

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Immediate results, focused, clear, perfect shots
- 🔍 Helpful for settings and viewing results
- 📷 Exceptional product, helps improve photography
- 👍 Wonderful controller and app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes, freezes, and disconnects frequently
- 🔋 Battery drains quickly
- 📱 Compatibility issues with newer cameras
- 🤔 Unclear how to use features, lacking tutorials
- 🔍 Poor image quality from stacking/processing features

**Reported bugs**

- Fails to save/load panoramic files
- Incompatible with certain camera models/lenses
- Night mode turns off camera during 'star focus'
- Upside down/portrait orientation issues with phone mount

**Requested features**

- Add support for GPS data
- Improve panorama functionality
- Implement true BULB mode support
- Provide raw/DNG file output for stacked images
- Add iPad app version with larger interface


### DWARFLAB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dwarflab/id1667394131)

This app connects wirelessly to a smart telescope, offering intuitive control for capturing stunning images of the night sky and dynamic terrestrial scenes. It features automatic tracking, in-app image processing, and panorama creation for both astrophotography and everyday use.

**Highlights:** Wireless telescope connection, In-built star atlas for astrophotography, Automatic celestial and motion tracking, In-app image stacking and post-processing, Gigapixel panorama creation, Time-lapse photography

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📸 High-quality astrophotography results
- 💰 Excellent value for price
- 🎯 Intuitive sky atlas and target selection
- 🔄 Frequent app updates and improvements
- ⚡ Responsive developer team

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔌 Persistent WiFi connectivity issues
- ⏱️ Slow connection establishment (15-30 minutes)
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📉 Tracking frame drops (25% loss reported)
- 🔄 Connection drops after minutes

**Reported bugs**

- WiFi connection fails repeatedly or drops within seconds
- App crashes on iOS 18 and older iOS versions
- Account creation security verification fails
- Full-screen mode freezes with no escape option
- Autofocus produces inconsistent or blurry results

**Requested features**

- One-tap return to home and power off function
- Panorama/mosaic image merging capability
- Comet-aligned tracking mode
- Dew control for iOS (available on Android)
- iPad-optimized app version


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Arsenal 2 free?

Arsenal 2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is DWARFLAB free?

DWARFLAB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Arsenal 2 or DWARFLAB?

Arsenal 2 is rated higher. Arsenal 2 averages 4.4 out of 5 from 941 ratings, while DWARFLAB averages 3.5 from 143 ratings.

### Do Arsenal 2 or DWARFLAB have ads?

Neither Arsenal 2 nor DWARFLAB shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Arsenal 2 or DWARFLAB?

Arsenal 2 ships an update monthly, and DWARFLAB every 5 weeks. Most recently, Arsenal 2 was updated on October 21, 2026 and DWARFLAB 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.*