# SkySafari 7 Plus vs AstroHelm

The clearest difference is price: AstroHelm at Free against SkySafari 7 Plus's $9.99. AstroHelm also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 46%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). SkySafari 7 Plus's advantage is ratings volume (1.7K vs 8) and chart position (#183 vs unranked). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

AstroHelm is free to download; SkySafari 7 Plus costs $9.99 up front. SkySafari 7 Plus sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and AstroHelm sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for SkySafari 7 Plus against 4.6 for AstroHelm. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkySafari 7 Plus has 1.7K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of SkySafari 7 Plus's written reviews are positive against 88% of AstroHelm's.

SkySafari 7 Plus ships an update monthly, AstroHelm fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SkySafari 7 Plus | AstroHelm |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skysafari-7-plus/id1567654881/reviews)** | [4.6 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrohelm/id6761955319/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 45.7% of reviews | **87.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#183** | — |
| Size | 1.1 GB | 78 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Simulation Curriculum Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/791341744) | [Pacizu LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1892191741) |

## What reviewers say

### SkySafari 7 Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skysafari-7-plus/id1567654881)

**Currently charting:** #183 Top Paid · Reference (US App Store)

Explore the cosmos with a powerful space simulator and telescope control. Discover astronomical events, track celestial objects, and plan your stargazing sessions with real-time data and historical simulations.

**Highlights:** Full-featured space simulator, Telescope control (ASCOM Alpaca, INDI), Events Finder for astronomical occurrences, Real-time user observation tracking (OneSky), Guided stargazing sessions (SkyCast), Observation planning and recording tools, Home and Lock Screen widgets

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SkySafari Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| SkySafari Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| Apollo Lunar Missions | Free | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app, preferred over Stellarium
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 👍 Useful 'Tonight' tab
- 👍 Accurate and precise for telescope use
- 👍 Impressive data and functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Constant upgrade spam and notifications
- 🐛 'Tonight' feature crashes on iPad
- 💰 Paid features hidden behind paywall
- 🐛 Crashes when using 'Tonight' feature
- 🐛 Syncing and connectivity issues

**Reported bugs**

- 'Tonight' feature crashes
- App crashes on launch or when using certain features
- Connectivity issues with telescopes
- Syncing problems between devices

**Requested features**

- Add more telescope brands and models
- Improve notification settings to only show relevant events
- Allow hiding of menu bar for cleaner viewing
- Improve font sizes and readability
- Add ability to import observation records from previous versions


### AstroHelm

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrohelm/id6761955319)

This astronomy app uses on-device plate solving to guide your manual telescope or telephoto lens. It analyzes star patterns in real-time to help you precisely center celestial objects without expensive motorized mounts.

**Highlights:** On-device plate solving, Real-time star pattern analysis, Push-to guidance, Hardware-agnostic compatibility, Expansive deep-sky object database

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AstroHelm Plus | $9.99 | one-time |
| Plus to Pro Upgrade | $19.99 | one-time |
| AstroHelm Pro | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SkySafari 7 Plus free?

SkySafari 7 Plus costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is AstroHelm free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SkySafari 7 Plus or AstroHelm?

SkySafari 7 Plus is rated higher. SkySafari 7 Plus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while AstroHelm averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.

### Do SkySafari 7 Plus or AstroHelm have ads?

Neither SkySafari 7 Plus nor AstroHelm shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SkySafari 7 Plus or AstroHelm?

SkySafari 7 Plus ships an update monthly, and AstroHelm fortnightly. Most recently, SkySafari 7 Plus was updated on October 30, 2026 and AstroHelm on October 31, 2026.

---

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