# Shade Control vs Moon Phases

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shade Control at none against Moon Phases's 1. Shade Control also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). Moon Phases's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Moon Phases sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Shade Control asks for nothing beyond the download.

Shade Control ships an update every 4 months, Moon Phases every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shade Control | Moon Phases |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Size | 45 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HA Systems BV](https://appshunter.io/developer/1596283942) | [Pocket Grove Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/954373766) |

## What reviewers say

### Shade Control

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shade-control/id1596283940)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Moon Phases

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moon-phases-lunar-tracker/id6760960352)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Moon Phases Pro | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shade Control free?

Shade Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Moon Phases free?

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

### Do Shade Control or Moon Phases have ads?

Moon Phases shows ads; Shade Control does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shade Control or Moon Phases?

Shade Control ships an update every 4 months, and Moon Phases every 3 weeks. Most recently, Shade Control was updated on November 7, 2026 and Moon Phases on November 9, 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.*