Star Guide vs AstroFinder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Star Guide
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.
- 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
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Turn your phone into a real‑time planetarium. Star Guide helps you explore the night sky, identify stars and planets, and plan the best moments to look up—whether you’re stargazing tonight or previewing the sky months from now. Point your device upward to see what’s above you, switch on Augmented Reality (AR) for an immersive sky overlay, and explore celestial objects in 3D. Want to plan ahead? Travel through time to see how the sky changes in the past or future, and preview the view from different locations around the world. Key features • Live star finder & planetarium view Explore the night sky based on your position and direction. • Augmented Reality mode Overlay stars and planets on your camera view for easy identification. • 3D stars & planets Visualize objects in a more immersive way and explore in 3D. • Best viewing time notifications Get alerts for great stargazing moments and upcoming viewing opportunities. • 24‑hour sky motion preview See how a star moves and circles across the sky over a full day. • Past & future sky “time travel” Rewind to previous nights or fast‑forward to plan future observations. • Different locations Change your location to preview the sky from other places—perfect for trips. Great for • Casual stargazing from your backyard • Learning the night sky with an interactive planetarium • Planning the best time to spot planets • Exploring how the sky looks from other cities and countries Permissions (why they may be requested) • Location: improves sky accuracy for your current position • Camera: required for AR mode • Notifications: optional alerts for best viewing times Download Star Guide and start exploring the sky—right from your pocket.
AstroFinder
Transform your iPhone into a telescope finder without motors or alignment stars. It identifies star patterns in real-time, displaying your aim on a red-on-black chart with a guiding arrow. Find planets, deep sky objects, and more, all while running offline.
- Real-time telescope pointing
- Plate-solving star identification
- Night-vision friendly interface
- Offline operation
- Finds planets, deep sky objects, and stars
- Alt-azimuth and equatorial modes
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**AstroFinder turns your iPhone into a plate-solving push-to finder for any telescope — no motors, no alignment stars, no setting circles.** Clamp your phone beside the scope. AstroFinder takes a short exposure of the real sky, identifies the star pattern the way a research plate-solver does, and repeats about once a second — so you always know exactly where you're pointed. A red-on-black star chart shows your aim live, and a simple arrow guides you onto whatever you want to see. **Find anything** • Planets, Sun and Moon — sorted by what's up right now • Deep sky by catalog number — Messier, NGC, IC, and more, on a keyboard-free keypad • Named stars and showpiece double stars • "Best this month" — well-placed showpieces for your location, tonight, nearest to where you're already aimed **Built for the eyepiece** • Fully night-vision friendly: red on black, dimmable below the phone's own minimum • Alt-azimuth mode for Dobsonians (no field rotation) or equatorial mode for tracking mounts • Tap any object on the chart for details, then push-to it • Optional constellation lines, labels, and progressive zoom as you close in • Works in portrait or landscape, at any mounting angle **How it works** AstroFinder mounts alongside your telescope and syncs to your eyepiece in seconds. From then on, the chart and all guidance are aligned to your scope's actual aim. Everything runs on-device — no internet needed under the stars. A one-month free trial gives you a full new-moon cycle to try it. Subscription then renews yearly; cancel anytime. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.santangeli.net/astrofinder/privacy Clear skies.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AstroFinder at 5.0 against Star Guide's 4.6. Star Guide's advantage is ratings volume (4.4K vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Star Guide sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and AstroFinder sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AstroFinder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Star Guide has 4.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Star Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, AstroFinder every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Star Guide | AstroFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (4.4K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4.4K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 220 MB | 90 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Star register | Peter Santangeli |
Customer experience
Star Guide
AstroFinder
In-app purchases
Star Guide
- Weekly$1.997 Days
- Star-Registration Premium1 Month trial$4.991 Month
- Annually$29.991 Year
- One time$24.99
AstroFinder
- AstroFinder Yearly1 Month trial$12.991 Year








