# Star Stacker vs AstroShader

The clearest difference is update cadence: AstroShader at every 3 weeks against Star Stacker's every 2 months. AstroShader also leads on chart position (#10 vs #118) and price ($1.99 vs $3.99). Star Stacker's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Star Stacker costs $3.99 and AstroShader $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Star Stacker against 4.3 for AstroShader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 99 and 119 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Star Stacker's written reviews are positive against 62% of AstroShader's.

Star Stacker ships an update every 2 months, AstroShader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Stacker | AstroShader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **$1.99** |
| Rating | **[4.3 (99 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-stacker/id1549693927/reviews)** | [4.3 (119 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astroshader/id6444631986/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 99 | **119** |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | **62.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #118 | **#10** |
| Size | 4 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [michael webb](https://appshunter.io/developer/622398499) | [AstroShader Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1655754202) |

## What reviewers say

### Star Stacker

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

**Currently charting:** #118 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


### AstroShader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astroshader/id6444631986)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Paid · Photo & Video, #86 Top Paid (US App Store)

Capture, stack, and edit stunning astrophotography directly on your mobile device. This app streamlines the process by aligning and stacking images live during capture, eliminating the need for external software. Fine-tune your celestial images with a comprehensive suite of editing tools.

**Highlights:** Live image alignment and stacking, Manual focus control, Adjustable exposure, ISO, and white balance, Intervalometer for timed captures, Advanced image editing tools, Save in multiple formats including TIFF

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Star Stacker free?

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

### Is AstroShader free?

AstroShader costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Star Stacker is rated higher. Star Stacker averages 4.3 out of 5 from 99 ratings, while AstroShader averages 4.3 from 119 ratings.

### Do Star Stacker or AstroShader have ads?

Neither Star Stacker nor AstroShader shows ads.

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

Star Stacker ships an update every 2 months, and AstroShader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Star Stacker was updated on October 25, 2026 and AstroShader on October 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Star Stacker or AstroShader?

Star Stacker currently peaks at #118 in the App Store charts, and AstroShader at #10. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*