# Star Guide vs AR

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AR at none against Star Guide's 4. AR also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.5). Star Guide's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Star Guide sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. AR asks for nothing beyond the download.

Star Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, AR every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Guide | AR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (4.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-guide-night-sky-map/id1542535191/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 27.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 220 MB | 233 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Star register](https://appshunter.io/developer/1542535193) | [JOC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1037742081) |

## What reviewers say

### Star Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-guide-night-sky-map/id1542535191)

Explore the night sky in real-time with this interactive planetarium. Identify stars and planets, visualize celestial objects in 3D, and plan your stargazing sessions with time travel and location previews.

**Highlights:** Real-time planetarium view, Augmented Reality mode, 3D stars and planets, Best viewing time notifications, Sky motion preview, Past and future sky time travel, Location-based sky preview

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Star-Registration Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Annually | $29.99 | per year |
| One time | $24.99 | one-time |


### AR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ar-telescope-b/id6746920025)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Star Guide free?

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

### Is AR free?

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

### Do Star Guide or AR have ads?

Neither Star Guide nor AR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Star Guide or AR?

Star Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, and AR every 5 weeks. Most recently, Star Guide was updated on November 7, 2026 and AR on November 8, 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.*