Celestial Nav vs EZ Sextant
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Celestial Nav
This app provides tools for celestial navigation, offering computations for celestial bodies and sight reductions. It includes an offline perpetual almanac and allows for quick capture of observation data for accurate course adjustments.
- Celestial navigational computations
- Offline perpetual almanac
- Quick celestial observation data capture
- High accuracy sight reductions
- Sight planning and reduction tools
- Celestial fix computations
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We believe celestial navigation is an amazing skill and develop Celestial Nav to offer a simple, yet powerful and all encompassing app for our users. Celestial Nav is an easy to use, all-in-one tool which offers: • Celestial navigational computations for your device • Simple toolbar menu for quick access • Internally stored perpetual Almanac • Offline ready and functional without the need for other external tools • Quick and easy capture celestial observation data • High accuracy sight reductions • Star reference tables SIGHT PLANNING • Local Hour Angle (LHA) for Aries • Star tables sorted by name, magnitude, declination, and SHA • Sunrise, sunset, twilight, and location reference • Moon phase reference SIGHT REDUCTION • High accuracy sight reduction algorithm • Perpetual Almanac offering accurate data for years 1600 - 3000 • Almanac data for Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn • Detailed Almanac data for 58 navigational stars • Assumed Position (AP) for any user defined position • Line of Position (LOP) intercept data for accurate course and speed adjustments • Computational variables displayed for accuracy and validation CELESTIAL FIX • Computations by USNO algorithm in the Nautical Almanac • Save all your LOP in an easy reference table BASIC VERSION Free daytime celestial navigation tools using the sun: • Unlimited sextant sight reduction calculations • Sight reduction to a line of position using the sun • Perpetual almanac for the sun • Advanced sight corrections for index error, eye height, temperature, and pressure • Support for upper and lower limb reference • Star Table with navigational references • Detailed Sun references • Limited Moon references PRO FEATURES (IN-APP PURCHASE) Advanced Day & Night Celestial Navigation includes all BASIC features plus: • Almanac data for 65 navigational bodies for years 1600 through 3000 • Map display for saved LOPs • View intercepts with course and speed corrections • Metric and imperial unit support with automatic conversions • Support for coordinate entries in different formats (H° M’ S” or Decimals) • Save all your LOP calculations for future reference • Save user preferences and settings • Unrestricted moon references • Almanac and algorithmic models for 65 navigational bodies: • Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn • 58 navigational stars Supported stars: Acamar, Achernar, Acrux, Adhara, Aldebaran, Alioth, Alkaid, Alnair, Alnilam, Alphard, Alphecca, Alpheratz, Altair, Ankaa, Antares, Arcturus, Atria, Avior, Bellatrix, Betelgeuse, Canopus, Capella, Deneb, Denebola, Diphda, Dubhe, Elnath, Eltanin, Enif, Fomalhaut, Gacrux, Gienah, Hadar, Hamal, Kaus Australis, Kochab, Markab, Menkar, Menkent, Miaplacidus, Mirfak, Nunki, Peacock, Polaris, Pollux, Procyon, Rasalhague, Regulus, Rigel, Rigil Kent., Sabik, Schedar, Shaula, Sirius, Spica, Suhail, Vega, Zubengenubi REFERENCES Sight reductions and celestial calculations use various internationally accepted references for the most accurate results: • Jean Meeus - Astronomical Algorithms • US Naval Observatory (USNO) Almanac and Algorithms • Hipparcos New Astrometric Catalog, Published 2007 • ELP2000-85 SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Celestial Nav is free to download and the basic features free to use. A paid upgrade to the PRO version provides access to premium features and additional tools. We may offer trial subscriptions that give limited time access to all PRO features and premium content for the duration of the trial period. Trial subscriptions automatically expire and the app will revert back to the Basic version thereafter. No data is lost but access and use of premium features will no longer be available.
EZ Sextant
Navigate open waters using your phone's camera to sight celestial bodies. This app plots lines of position and combines them for an estimated location on a lat/lon grid. It's a powerful tool for offshore navigation without relying on GPS.
- GPS-free navigation
- Camera-based celestial sightings
- Automatic position plotting
- Built-in almanac
- Running fix calculations
- Lat/lon grid display
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Navigate in open waters without a GPS. The phone's camera is used to make sightings of the sun, moon, Venus, or Mars. The sighting results are plotted as lines of position with multiple sightings combined into a running fix. Your estimated position is displayed on a lat/lon grid. You can also use your sextant and take advantage of the built-in almanac and plotting tools.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Celestial Nav at Free against EZ Sextant's $24.99. Celestial Nav also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). EZ Sextant's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (100% vs 58%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Celestial Nav is free to download; EZ Sextant costs $24.99 up front. Celestial Nav sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. EZ Sextant asks for nothing beyond the download.
EZ Sextant holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Celestial Nav's written reviews are positive against 100% of EZ Sextant's.
Celestial Nav ships an update every 3 weeks, EZ Sextant monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and August 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Celestial Nav | EZ Sextant |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $24.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (10 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #174 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Skytip LLC | Third Reef Software LLC |
Customer experience
Celestial Nav
EZ Sextant
In-app purchases
Celestial Nav
- PRO Version$1.991 Month
- PRO Version$7.996 Months
- PRO Version$9.991 Year
- 7 Day Trial License$0.99
- 30 Day Trial License$2.99
- PRO Version Lifetime$24.99
EZ Sextant
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Celestial Nav free?
Is EZ Sextant free?
Which has better reviews, Celestial Nav or EZ Sextant?
Do Celestial Nav or EZ Sextant have ads?
Which is updated more often, Celestial Nav or EZ Sextant?
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