Comparison

motor vs SQM Mobile

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

Head to head
About

motor

Features
Read full description

Build smart travel easily 1. Automatically unlock and lock 2. Map navigation 3. Play music

About

SQM Mobile

Features
Read full description

Bring all your sky quality measurements together in one place. SQM Mobile is the ideal companion for handheld Sky Quality Meters, automatically synchronizing field measurements with SQM Toolbox on your Mac. It also imports measurements exported from Dark Sky Meter Pro, making it easy to build a single long-term archive of all your observations. KEY FEATURES Field-Ready Data Collection * Quick and easy measurement entry for handheld SQM devices * Manual entry of measurements from Dark Sky Meter * Automatic GPS location recording for each measurement * Timestamp for accurate astronomical correlation * Offline measurement storage โ€“ sync whenever a connection becomes available * Bubble level for accurate zenith pointing * Import measurements exported from Dark Sky Meter Pro Smart Location Features * Automatic GPS coordinate capture * Manual location override (to define local sky-background conditions during site surveys) * Perfect for camping trips, dark-sky site surveys and travel observations Automatic Cloud Sync * Seamlessly sync measurements to SQM Toolbox on your Mac via iCloud * Private, secure storage โ€“ only you can access your measurements * Works anywhere with an internet connection โ€“ no complex setup required * Real-time synchronization across all your Apple devices Quick Analysis * Instant Bortle classification for every measurement * On-device light pollution assessment * Comparison with natural sky-background brightness * Simple graphical display including twilight conditions * Measurement validation and quality indicators * Clean, intuitive interface designed for field use Astronomical Context * Automatic twilight condition detection * Moon phase information for every measurement * Sun elevation calculations Simple and Reliable * Designed for easy use in the dark * Large, clear controls for nighttime operation * No account setup required โ€“ simply use your existing iCloud account Perfect for * Amateur astronomers and citizen scientists carrying out site surveys * Researchers monitoring light pollution * Dark-sky organizations documenting observing conditions * Anyone using handheld SQM instruments or Dark Sky Meter who wants long-term storage, synchronization and analysis of their measurements Requires: iOS 17.0 or later, iCloud account Works with: Unihedron Sky Quality Meter (SQM, SQM-L), Dark Sky Meter Pro imports, and manual entry from Dark Sky Meter. Companion to: SQM Toolbox for macOS (available separately)

Screenshots

motor4 screens
SQM Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SQM Mobile at every 4 weeks against motor's every 10 months. motor's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

motor ships an update every 10 months, SQM Mobile every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on May 15, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
motor versus SQM Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermotorSQM Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 4 weeks โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS11.0 โ€” better17.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size273 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZhejiang Ruide Electronic Technology Co.,LtdGerSpatial

In-app purchases

None

motor

No in-app purchases

None

SQM Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is motor free?
motor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SQM Mobile free?
SQM Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do motor or SQM Mobile have ads?
Neither motor nor SQM Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, motor or SQM Mobile?
motor ships an update every 10 months, and SQM Mobile every 4 weeks. Most recently, motor was updated on May 15, 2026 and SQM Mobile on September 9, 2026.

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