# DWARFLAB vs The Phenom App

The clearest difference is rating: The Phenom App at 4.3 against DWARFLAB's 3.5. DWARFLAB's advantage is ratings volume (141 vs 4) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

The Phenom App holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DWARFLAB has 141 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of DWARFLAB's written reviews are positive against 25% of The Phenom App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

DWARFLAB ships an update every 5 weeks, The Phenom App every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DWARFLAB | The Phenom App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dwarflab/id1667394131/reviews) | **[4.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-phenom-app/id6450217112/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **141** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **36.0% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 209 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Tinyphoton (Wuhan) Technology. Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1470898020) | [Phenom LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1692312227) |

## What reviewers say

### DWARFLAB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dwarflab/id1667394131)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔌 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### The Phenom App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-phenom-app/id6450217112)

This app serves as a global intelligence tool for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and other unexplained events. Users can report sightings with real-time data, and others can corroborate these reports. It aims to promote cooperation and education on anomalous phenomena through evidence-based analysis.

**Highlights:** Real-time sighting alerts, Upload photos and videos, Location-based reporting, Corroborate user reports, View global sightings map, Access to detailed website resources

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DWARFLAB free?

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

### Is The Phenom App free?

The Phenom App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, DWARFLAB or The Phenom App?

The Phenom App is rated higher. DWARFLAB averages 3.5 out of 5 from 141 ratings, while The Phenom App averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do DWARFLAB or The Phenom App have ads?

Neither DWARFLAB nor The Phenom App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, DWARFLAB or The Phenom App?

DWARFLAB ships an update every 5 weeks, and The Phenom App every 3 months. Most recently, DWARFLAB was updated on October 16, 2026 and The Phenom App on October 3, 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.*