# Messier Finder Charts vs Planet Pointer

The clearest difference is price: Planet Pointer at Free against Messier Finder Charts's $0.99. Planet Pointer also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 41 months) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.2). Messier Finder Charts's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Planet Pointer is free to download; Messier Finder Charts costs $0.99 up front. Planet Pointer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Messier Finder Charts asks for nothing beyond the download.

Messier Finder Charts ships an update every 41 months, Planet Pointer every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Messier Finder Charts | Planet Pointer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | — | **[4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planet-pointer-star-finder/id6815724964/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 41 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Size | 5 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.2 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [David Lent](https://appshunter.io/developer/490531833) | [Haviv Tarazi](https://appshunter.io/developer/6815724966) |

## What reviewers say

### Messier Finder Charts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messier-finder-charts/id1663416474)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Planet Pointer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planet-pointer-star-finder/id6815724964)

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Planet Pointer Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Messier Finder Charts free?

Messier Finder Charts costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Planet Pointer free?

Planet Pointer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Messier Finder Charts or Planet Pointer have ads?

Neither Messier Finder Charts nor Planet Pointer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Messier Finder Charts or Planet Pointer?

Messier Finder Charts ships an update every 41 months, and Planet Pointer every 4 days. Most recently, Messier Finder Charts was updated on November 3, 2026 and Planet Pointer on November 6, 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.*