SkyAtlas vs norlys
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SkyAtlas
Explore the night sky with a digital atlas and control your telescope mount. Plan astrophotography compositions with simulated camera fields of view and track celestial objects in real-time. Features one-click GoTo and mode switching for an enhanced stargazing experience.
- Digital sky atlas exploration
- Telescope mount control (ZWO ASI)
- Simulated camera field of view
- Real-time telescope pointing display
- One-click GoTo functionality
- Object tracking
- EQ and AltAz mode switching
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SkyAtlas is the control app for ZWO AM series mounts, with Bluetooth support for ZWO EAF. Use your phone to control the mount and focuser with ease. The built-in star map includes thousands of stars and deep-sky objects. "Best Tonight" recommends the best targets in your current sky. Tap GoTo, and the mount automatically tracks your chosen object. Preview your telescope's aim and frame shots right on your screen—what you see is where it points. Switch between equatorial and alt-az modes with one tap. SkyAtlas, explore the night sky, simplified.
norlys
This app provides a real-time world map and data to assist in tracking and chasing the northern lights. It simplifies the process of finding optimal viewing conditions for aurora displays.
- Real-time world map
- Aurora data products
- Northern lights tracking
- Optimized viewing conditions
- Chasing assistance
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Norlys gives you real-time data to help you spot the Northern Lights without the clutter. Features: Live Aurora Map: Track global intensity as it happens. Night Sky Webcams: Check current sky conditions right on the map. Alerts & Widgets: Get notified when activity occurs. Solar Wind Data: Access raw metrics and figures. Simple, clear, and ready when the sky lights up.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: norlys at 5.0 against SkyAtlas's 2.4. SkyAtlas's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (17 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
norlys holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyAtlas has 17 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
SkyAtlas ships an update monthly, norlys every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | SkyAtlas | norlys |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.4 (17 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 911 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SuZhou ZWO Co., Ltd | Hugo Lageneste |
Customer experience
SkyAtlas
norlys
In-app purchases
SkyAtlas
No in-app purchases
norlys
No in-app purchases
