# Sky Tonight vs PhosphorSWL

The clearest difference is price: Sky Tonight at Free against PhosphorSWL's $0.99. Sky Tonight also leads on chart position (#112 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.4). PhosphorSWL's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Sky Tonight is free to download; PhosphorSWL costs $0.99 up front. Sky Tonight sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PhosphorSWL asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sky Tonight ships an update every 2 months, PhosphorSWL every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sky Tonight | PhosphorSWL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (76K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sky-tonight-stargazing-guide/id1570594940/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **76K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#112** | — |
| Size | 518 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vito Technology Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/289641503) | [Stuart Woolley](https://appshunter.io/developer/315697638) |

## What reviewers say

### Sky Tonight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sky-tonight-stargazing-guide/id1570594940)

**Currently charting:** #112 Top Grossing · Reference, #120 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Explore the night sky with this astronomy app. Identify celestial objects, discover upcoming astronomical events, and track their positions. Customize your view, set reminders, and access detailed information for a personalized stargazing experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time interactive sky map, Augmented reality mode, Time Machine for past/future positions, Customizable object filters, Event reminders, Astronomy calendar with weather forecast, Flexible search for celestial objects

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-month Premium Access | $0.99 | per month |
| 1-month Premium Access | $2.99 | per month |
| 1-month Premium Access | $2.99 | per month |
| 1-year Premium Access | $4.99 | per year |
| 1-year Premium Access | $5.99 | per year |
| 1-year Premium Access | $5.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium Access Sale | $7.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium Access | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for finding new things
- 🌟 Amazing and accurate
- 🔭 Helpful for learning about the night sky
- 🗓️ Provides calendar of sky events
- 🌍 Shows satellites and planets

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficult to calibrate and use
- 📢 Too many intrusive ads
- 💰 Paywall for many features
- 🔔 Confusing/unnecessary notifications
- 🧭 Compass/location issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes frequently
- Menus and options not working properly
- Location tracking and sky view not updating correctly

**Requested features**

- Add more free content and features
- Improve calibration and compass accuracy
- Provide better onboarding and instructions
- Reduce ads or offer ad-free version
- Allow filtering by visible objects only


### PhosphorSWL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phosphorswl/id6761208521)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sky Tonight free?

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

### Is PhosphorSWL free?

PhosphorSWL costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Sky Tonight or PhosphorSWL have ads?

Sky Tonight shows ads; PhosphorSWL does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sky Tonight or PhosphorSWL?

Sky Tonight ships an update every 2 months, and PhosphorSWL every 3 months. Most recently, Sky Tonight was updated on November 1, 2026 and PhosphorSWL on October 31, 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.*