Comparison

DWARFLAB vs Vanish.

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

Vanish.

Features
Read full description

Some photos you only need for a moment. The Wi-Fi password, where you parked, a boarding pass, a receipt. They land in your library and stay there forever. Vanish is a camera for exactly those photos. You choose how long a photo should live — an hour, until tonight, until tomorrow. Then it's gone. No reminder, no tidying up, nothing to remember. HOW IT WORKS • Take the photo, pick a time, done • The ring around the shutter shows how long it lives • It goes into the encrypted vault, not your photo library • When the time is up, it deletes itself ENCRYPTION THAT MEANS SOMETHING Every capture is encrypted with AES-256-GCM. The key lives in your iPhone's Keychain and never leaves the device — not into a backup, not to us. That is why Vanish syncs your presets and settings through iCloud but not the vault. What was encrypted on this device stays readable on this device. Anything else would be a promise the encryption cannot keep. Vanish contains no advertising and no analytics libraries. Not one. There are no accounts, no servers, no data collection. ALSO INSIDE • Text recognition: Vanish reads what's in the photo and offers to call the number, open the link or copy the IBAN • Document scanner with edge detection — multi-page, straight into the vault • Location triggers: delete photos when you leave the airport, the hotel, the office • Panic delete by shaking the phone or pressing a button • Metadata is stripped before saving, for photos and videos alike • Face ID for the vault • Widget, Shortcuts, Live Activity FREE AND PRO Free gives you unlimited captures with timers up to 24 hours. Vanish Pro removes the time limit and unlocks location triggers, the document scanner, custom presets, widgets and panic mode. Seven days free to try. MADE FOR • Parking spots and meter times • Wi-Fi passwords and login details • Boarding passes and tickets • Receipts and price tags • ID cards, prescriptions, contracts • Screenshots you only need for a moment SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION • Vanish Pro Monthly: €1.99 per month (auto-renewable) • Vanish Pro Yearly: €9.99 per year (auto-renewable), with a 7-day free trial • Vanish Pro Lifetime: €19.99 one-time (not a subscription) Prices may vary by region. The free trial is available once per Apple Account. Unless cancelled at least 24 hours before it ends, it converts automatically into a paid subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://bananamats94.github.io/Vanish/en/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://bananamats94.github.io/Vanish/en/privacy.html

Screenshots

DWARFLAB4 screens
Vanish.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DWARFLAB at none against Vanish.'s 3. DWARFLAB also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 6 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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. Vanish. sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. DWARFLAB asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DWARFLAB ships an update every 5 weeks, Vanish. every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
DWARFLAB versus Vanish.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDWARFLABVanish.
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (143 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews36.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings143 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size209 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTinyphoton (Wuhan) Technology. Co., Ltd.MATTHIAS TORSTEN STEINS

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

Vanish.

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

DWARFLAB

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Vanish.

Subscriptions2
  • Vanish Pro$2.991 Month
  • Vanish Pro$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Vanish Pro Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is DWARFLAB free?
DWARFLAB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vanish. free?
Vanish. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DWARFLAB or Vanish. have ads?
Neither DWARFLAB nor Vanish. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DWARFLAB or Vanish.?
DWARFLAB ships an update every 5 weeks, and Vanish. every 6 months. Most recently, DWARFLAB was updated on October 21, 2026 and Vanish. on October 13, 2026.

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