Starmap vs Star Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Starmap
Explore the night sky with a comprehensive star atlas. Identify celestial objects, track comets and asteroids, and access detailed information on stars, constellations, and lunar features. Includes live solar physics data and a red night-vision mode for stargazing.
- Extensive star and object catalogues
- Live solar physics data
- Detailed lunar features
- Real-time comet and asteroid tracking
- Telescope and eyepiece simulation
- Red night-vision mode
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Point your phone at the sky and see what's there — stars, planets, constellations, the northern lights. Starmap works completely offline, anywhere, with no signal. Built by a professional astronomer and given freely. No ads. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. No tracking of any kind. Everything is unlocked from the first launch. AURORA AND NORTHERN LIGHTS Live aurora forecasts from NOAA, with the Kp index, the three-day outlook and the auroral oval for both hemispheres. Know whether tonight is worth staying up for. OUT WITH THE FAMILY Hold the phone up and it names whatever you're looking at. An arrow guides you to any planet, star or constellation. Every catalogue is stored on the device, so it works in the mountains, at sea, or anywhere without a signal. THE SUN AND THE MOON Sunspots, flares and X-ray flux, live from NOAA. 9,900 named lunar features with their origins and etymologies. Rise, transit and set times for everything, which you can send to your calendar. FOR SERIOUS OBSERVERS 2.5 million stars stored offline, down to magnitude 15. The full Messier, NGC, IC and Caldwell catalogues, plus Sharpless, van den Bergh, Lynds, Barnard and Abell clusters. Live comets, asteroids and trans-Neptunian objects from the Minor Planet Center. Deep-sky records enriched on demand from SIMBAD, searchable by any catalogue identifier. AT THE EYEPIECE Define your telescope, eyepieces and camera, and see the true field of view you'll actually get, with Telrad rings and reticles. A full red night-vision mode for use in the dark. The whole sky in your pocket — free, because that is what it should be.
Star Guide
Transform your device into a real-time planetarium to explore the night sky. Identify stars and planets, and plan optimal viewing times. Experience celestial objects in 3D and preview future or past sky conditions from any location.
- Real-time star and planet identification
- Augmented Reality sky overlay
- 3D celestial object visualization
- Best viewing time notifications
- Sky time travel (past/future)
- Location-based sky preview
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Turn your phone into a real‑time planetarium. Star Guide helps you explore the night sky, identify stars and planets, and plan the best moments to look up—whether you’re stargazing tonight or previewing the sky months from now. Point your device upward to see what’s above you, switch on Augmented Reality (AR) for an immersive sky overlay, and explore celestial objects in 3D. Want to plan ahead? Travel through time to see how the sky changes in the past or future, and preview the view from different locations around the world. Key features • Live star finder & planetarium view Explore the night sky based on your position and direction. • Augmented Reality mode Overlay stars and planets on your camera view for easy identification. • 3D stars & planets Visualize objects in a more immersive way and explore in 3D. • Best viewing time notifications Get alerts for great stargazing moments and upcoming viewing opportunities. • 24‑hour sky motion preview See how a star moves and circles across the sky over a full day. • Past & future sky “time travel” Rewind to previous nights or fast‑forward to plan future observations. • Different locations Change your location to preview the sky from other places—perfect for trips. Great for • Casual stargazing from your backyard • Learning the night sky with an interactive planetarium • Planning the best time to spot planets • Exploring how the sky looks from other cities and countries Permissions (why they may be requested) • Location: improves sky accuracy for your current position • Camera: required for AR mode • Notifications: optional alerts for best viewing times Download Star Guide and start exploring the sky—right from your pocket.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starmap at 77% against Star Guide's 27%. Starmap also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Star Guide's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (4.3K vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Starmap sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Star Guide sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Star Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Star Guide has 4.3K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Starmap's written reviews are positive against 27% of Star Guide's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Starmap ships an update every 2 weeks, Star Guide every 8 days. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.
| Parameter | Starmap | Star Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) | 4.5 (4.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews — better | 26.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 4.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.5 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 110 MB | 220 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fredd | Star register |
Customer experience
Starmap
Star Guide
In-app purchases
Starmap
- What Happens when Galaxies Collide?$0.99
- Wandering the Summer Sky$0.99
- Exploring the Crab Nebula$0.99
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- 10h8'22", 11°58'2"$0.99
- The Star That Should Not Exist$0.99
- Un océan d'étoiles$0.99
- Esculape$0.99
- Sur le dos du cheval ailé$0.99
- L'étoile qui ne devrait pas exister$0.99
- Vieillesse prématurée à Galaxie-Ville$0.99
Star Guide
- Weekly$1.997 Days
- Star-Registration Premium1 Month trial$4.991 Month
- Annually$29.991 Year
- One time$24.99








