Comparison

Lunar X vs CatalogueMessier

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Lunar X

Features
Read full description

Use Lunar X to find out the date of the next appearance of the Werner's X on the Moon's surface. It can be seen with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. You need to know the current Moon phase in the sky? Lunar X provides this information and shows the corresponding image on the screen. If you want to learn about the lunar calendar in order to plan an astronomy outing, a night photography session, or a hunting trip, Lunar X has you covered for many years to come!

About

CatalogueMessier

Explore the Messier, NGC, and Caldwell astronomical catalogs. Log your observations with photos, filter celestial objects by type, and track your progress with detailed statistics. Export your data for further analysis.

Highlights
  • View Messier, NGC, and Caldwell catalogs
  • Add observation photos
  • Filter objects by category
  • Track observation progress
  • Export observation data
  • Multi-language support
Read full description

The application allows you to view the 110 objects in the Messier catalog, the 812 main objects in the New General Catalog (NGC), and the 109 objects in the Caldwell catalog. You can add photos taken during your observations for each object. You can filter objects by category (galaxies, nebulae, clusters) and view the observation order for the annual Messier Marathon. Statistics allow you to track the progress of your observations. Export your photos to a spreadsheet summarizing your observations. Statistics allow you to track the progress of your observations. 
Privacy: - No ads. - No data collection. - No registration (neither by email nor locally). - No tracking. - No location tracking. - No connection to a server to collect information. Languages: French, English, Italian, German, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch.

Screenshots

Lunar X4 screens
CatalogueMessier4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lunar X at Free against CatalogueMessier's $0.99. Lunar X also leads on iOS requirement (14.1 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Lunar X is free to download; CatalogueMessier costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lunar X ships an update every 5 weeks, CatalogueMessier every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Lunar X versus CatalogueMessier: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLunar XCatalogueMessier
PriceFree β€” better$0.99
Positive reviewsβ€”0.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetizationβ€”Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.1 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size4 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperClaude DuplessisLaurent DURLIAT

In-app purchases

None

Lunar X

No in-app purchases

None

CatalogueMessier

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lunar X free?
Lunar X is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CatalogueMessier free?
CatalogueMessier costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lunar X or CatalogueMessier have ads?
Neither Lunar X nor CatalogueMessier shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lunar X or CatalogueMessier?
Lunar X ships an update every 5 weeks, and CatalogueMessier every 3 weeks. Most recently, Lunar X was updated on November 3, 2026 and CatalogueMessier on October 30, 2026.

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