Comparison

DWARFLAB vs Seestar

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

Head to head
About

DWARFLAB

This app connects wirelessly to a smart telescope, offering intuitive control for capturing stunning images of the night sky and dynamic terrestrial scenes. It features automatic tracking, in-app image processing, and panorama creation for both astrophotography and everyday use.

Highlights
  • Wireless telescope connection
  • In-built star atlas for astrophotography
  • Automatic celestial and motion tracking
  • In-app image stacking and post-processing
  • Gigapixel panorama creation
  • Time-lapse photography
Features
Read full description

DWARFLAB smart telescope, empowered by advanced technology, opens up a world of diverse perspectives for users, capturing the wonders of life. No guidance or experience needed, it's ready to use out of the box. Wireless Connection Use the App to connect wirelessly with DWARFLAB smart telescope, enabling not only precise control but also making the shooting process more flexible and efficient. Astrophotography The App features an in-built star atlas, allowing you to simply tap on the celestial you desire to proceed with automatic star tracking and enjoy real-time image stacking. You can also adjust the astro curves and personalize the color grading to create your own 4K astronomical images. In-App Post Processing Capture, select, stack, and enhance — all in one seamless workflow for astrophotography. Supports both onboard stacking and cloud-based processing, with multi-format export options to make every astro image crisp and brilliant. Motion Tracking You can freely select the target to track on the shooting interface, enjoying the flexibility of manual selection; or you can use the telescope's automatic recognition function, which intelligently identifies tracks, and starts recordings, easily capturing dynamic scenes such as bird predation, flights, and sports close-ups. Gigapixel Panorama Simply set the shooting range and tap to start — with one-click stitching, you can create extremely detailed and vast panoramic images, supporting deep zoom and experiencing an unprecedented level of detail richness. Time-Lapse Photography Capture the flow and changes of time, recording the hustle and bustle of traffic, the blooming and wilting of flowers. Combined with astronomical tracking functions, it can also record the trajectory of the sun, solar/lunar eclipses, and the star trails.

About

Seestar

Explore the universe with a smart telescope that simplifies stargazing. Automatically find, focus, and capture celestial objects without professional guidance. Observe stars, the sun, and even landscapes with intuitive app control.

Highlights
  • Wireless control of telescope
  • Automatic celestial object finding and tracking
  • Solar observation with filter
  • Scenery mode for terrestrial viewing
  • Built-in sky atlas and encyclopedia
  • Stargazing index and recommendations
  • Share observations with community
Features
Read full description

Take the first step in exploring the universe! The Seestar smart telescope will give you a stargazing experience like never before. No need for professional guidance, just tap on the screen and you are ready to observe and capture the stars. Seestar is a smart device that integrates the functions of an altazimuth mount, telescope, and camera, with both hardware and software applications. With the Seestar App, you can easily control this multifunctional device and explore the infinite world of stars. Key features: - Wireless control: Control with Seestar device through wireless connection. - Stargazing Mode: Automatically find and focus on celestial objects, intelligently identify stars and track them for automatic capturing and image processing. - Solar Mode: Support auto-scan and solar tracking. Use the included Solar Filter to observe the unique sun. - Scenery mode: Manually control the telescope direction and auto-focus, so you can enjoy observing birds and landscapes. -Sky Atlas: Built-in curated celestial object database AND a rich astronomical knowledge encyclopedia,help you easily understand the mystery of starry sky. - Stargazing Index forecasts and popular Recommendations: Stay updated with popular information, making you an expert in astronomical events. - Share Your Work in the Square: Engage and exchange insights with astronomy enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing your observational achievements. - Adaptation Model: It will work with all Seestar models. Seestar is your ideal companion for exploring the universe, observing the stars and sharing experiences. Download Seestar App now and Explore the universe with Seestar.

Screenshots

DWARFLAB4 screens
Seestar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Seestar at 4.2 against DWARFLAB's 3.5. Seestar also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 36%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15). DWARFLAB's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Seestar holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 140 and 334 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of DWARFLAB's written reviews are positive against 62% of Seestar's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DWARFLAB ships an update every 5 weeks, Seestar monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
DWARFLAB versus Seestar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDWARFLABSeestar
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (140 ratings)4.2 (334 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.9% of reviews61.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings140334 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size205 MB1.3 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTinyphoton (Wuhan) Technology. Co., Ltd.SuZhou ZWO Co., Ltd

Customer experience

DWARFLAB

All ratings140 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral8.6%
Negative31.4%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral21.4%
Negative42.7%

Seestar

All ratings334 ratings
Positive79.9%
Neutral3.9%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive61.7%
Neutral8.0%
Negative30.3%

User reviews

DWARFLAB

From 140 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📸 High-quality astrophotography results
  • 💰 Excellent value for price
  • 🎯 Intuitive sky atlas and target selection
  • 🔄 Frequent app updates and improvements
  • ⚡ Responsive developer team

Room to improve

  • 🔌 Persistent WiFi connectivity issues
  • ⏱️ Slow connection establishment (15-30 minutes)
  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • 📉 Tracking frame drops (25% loss reported)
  • 🔄 Connection drops after minutes

Seestar

From 334 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Continuous updates
  • 💡 Great value for money
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 👍 Excellent image quality

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Firmware updates causing issues
  • 🐛 Connectivity problems
  • 🐛 Tracking and stability issues
  • 🔋 Battery life concerns
  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs after updates

Bugs and requests

DWARFLAB

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • WiFi connection fails repeatedly or drops within seconds
  • App crashes on iOS 18 and older iOS versions
  • Account creation security verification fails
  • Full-screen mode freezes with no escape option
  • Autofocus produces inconsistent or blurry results
Show 16 more
  • Manual focus unresponsive
  • Tracking takes excessive time to initiate
  • Dark frame calibration lines appear and ruin images
  • Temperature-related calibration failures
  • Settings reset to defaults after stacking
  • IR Cut/Pass filter constantly resets to Pass mode
  • Photo saving to album is inconsistent (hit or miss)
  • App freezes when changing camera systems
  • Inverted controls and flipped image display
  • Battery icon obscures capacity readout on iPhone
  • STA mode connectivity broken
  • Firmware update errors prevent connection
  • Image preview not displaying in app
  • Joystick controls unresponsive intermittently
  • Wide and telephoto lens menu settings reversed
  • App incompatible with iOS versions below 15

Requested features

13 requests
  • One-tap return to home and power off function
  • Panorama/mosaic image merging capability
  • Comet-aligned tracking mode
  • Dew control for iOS (available on Android)
  • iPad-optimized app version
Show 8 more
  • Histogram display in app
  • Burst mode functionality
  • External Barlow lens support
  • Mac M-series silicon compatibility
  • Ability to skip firmware updates until convenient time
  • Milky Way capture documentation for Dwarf Mini
  • Photo album integration improvements
  • STA mode WiFi connectivity fix

Seestar

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Firmware update cycle preventing settings changes
  • Tracking errors and star trailing issues
  • App crashing on startup
  • Inability to connect to telescope
  • Forced firmware updates during use

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add equatorial mode support
  • Provide fine control of exposure time
  • Implement mosaic mode for wider FOV
  • Add support for iPad landscape mode
  • Integrate with other astronomy apps

In-app purchases

None

DWARFLAB

No in-app purchases

None

Seestar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DWARFLAB free?
DWARFLAB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Seestar free?
Seestar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DWARFLAB or Seestar?
Seestar is rated higher. DWARFLAB averages 3.5 out of 5 from 140 ratings, while Seestar averages 4.2 from 334 ratings.
Do DWARFLAB or Seestar have ads?
Neither DWARFLAB nor Seestar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DWARFLAB or Seestar?
DWARFLAB ships an update every 5 weeks, and Seestar monthly. Most recently, DWARFLAB was updated on September 20, 2026 and Seestar on September 22, 2026.

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