Comparison

Moon Lunation vs Moon Phase

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

Head to head
About

Moon Lunation

This app provides detailed lunar phase information for any date between 2000 and 2050. It calculates phases offline using precise astronomical geometry, displaying illuminated percentages and event times. Users can explore monthly calendars, visualize entire lunations, and view a 3D model of the Moon's surface.

Highlights
  • Offline moon phase computation
  • Date range 2000-2050
  • Illuminated percentage display
  • Lunar age and event times
  • Monthly calendar view
  • Lunation cycle visualization
  • 3D Moon surface model
Features
Read full description

Moon Lunation shows you the Moon's phase for any date between 2000 and 2050, and now the tides it drives, all computed on your device from the actual geometry of the Sun, Earth and Moon. Moon Lunation is free. No connection. No account. No data collected. No ads, ever. TODAY The current phase, the illuminated percentage, how far through the lunation you are, and the next principal event in your local time. CALENDAR Any month from 2000 to 2050, with new moons, first quarters, full moons and last quarters marked on the local dates they occur. CYCLE Watch a lunation play out from one new moon to the next. The timeline runs between two actual computed new moons, so its length varies rather than being forced to 29.5 days. Scrub it with your finger, or play it through. TIDES, WITH MOON LUNATION PRO See today's tide curve set against the highest high and lowest low of the station's year, marked by two dashed lines, with a line of text giving each with its date. Also the next high and low tide and seven days of highs and lows, in metres or feet. Predictions are calculated on your device from each station's tidal constants, so Tides works with no connection. Tides covers about 1,250 stations around the United States and 37 around the UK and the Isle of Man, from 2026 to 2030. On iPhone and iPad it can find the nearest station from your location, or you can choose a city. On Mac, you choose a city. Keep up to five favourite places. These are astronomical predictions. Weather can change the real water level, and they are not for navigation. SOLAR SYSTEM, WITH MOON LUNATION PRO See the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon and Mars in 3D, placed by the same offline astronomy. On Mac, all eight planets, out to Neptune. Drag to orbit, pinch or scroll to zoom, tap a body for its distances, and scrub the timeline to watch the planets move. Moon Lunation Pro is a one-time in-app purchase, not a subscription, and unlocks both Tides and the Solar System. If you already have Pro, or paid for Lunation or Moon Lunation before it became free, Tides is included at no extra cost. Family Sharing is on. ON MAC A native Mac app with a sidebar and inspector, keyboard control, a menu-bar Moon and desktop widgets. THE MOON ITSELF The surface is built from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery, in a fixed north-up view of the near side. The lit region is drawn from the computed phase, so what you see is the geometry. The light now falls off toward the terminator, the edge between light and dark is soft, and the unlit side shows a faint earthshine, strongest near new moon. WHAT IT DOESN'T DO • Phases cover 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2050, and tides cover 2026 to 2030. Outside them, the app says so rather than guessing. • It is a north-up diagram of the phase, not a picture of how the Moon looks in your sky tonight. • It does not show libration, eclipses, moonrise or moonset. • Phase times are geocentric, not for your location. PRIVACY Moon Lunation collects no data: no analytics, no crash reporting, no advertising, no tracking and no account. The app makes no network requests of its own. Phases, the calendar and the cycle never use your location. On iPhone and iPad, only after you allow it, Tides uses it to find the nearest tide station; the app does not save or send it. It keeps a small count of days used, on the device, to decide when to ask the system for a review. Tides remembers your place setting and up to five favourite stations, and Clear Saved Places removes them. On Mac, Tides does not use your location. It works in Airplane Mode, on the first launch and every launch after. iPhone, iPad and Mac. Requires iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or macOS 14 or later. Lunar imagery courtesy of NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. Tide predictions use NOAA data and Environment Agency tide gauge data (Open Government Licence v3.0). City names from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). None of these organisations endorses this app.

About

Moon Phase

Track lunar cycles with real-time insights, including phase, illumination, and rise/set times. Get smart alerts for celestial events and explore the moon's position with an interactive compass. Discover fun facts and understand the moon's influence.

Highlights
  • Daily lunar calendar with live updates
  • Moon compass with horizon tracking
  • Smart alerts for celestial events
  • Fun lunar facts and trivia
  • Phase, illumination, and distance tracking
  • Ad-light design with ad-free option
Features
Read full description

Discover the Moon's Rhythm at Your Fingertips Ever gazed at the night sky, wondering when the next full moon rises or how tonight's phase affects the tides? Moon Phase: Lunar Tracker brings the cosmos to your fingertips with real-time lunar insights, personalized for your location. Track phases, set alerts, and explore with a built-in compass— all in a serene, ad-light design (go ad-free with one tap!). Why You'll Love It: • Daily Lunar Calendar: See current phase, illumination %, rise/set times, and distance from Earth—updated live. • Moon Compass: Interactive view with azimuth, altitude, and horizon tracking—perfect for stargazers. • Smart Alerts: Get notifications for new/full moons, quarters, and eclipses—never miss a cosmic event. • Fun Facts & More: Bite-sized lunar trivia, zodiac signs, and supermoon alerts to spark wonder. Whether you're a night-sky enthusiast, gardener, or just curious, Moon Phase turns the Moon's mystery into your daily guide. Download now and let the phases light your way!

Screenshots

Moon Lunation4 screens
Moon Phase4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Moon Lunation at none against Moon Phase's shown. Moon Lunation also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Moon Phase's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Moon Lunation sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Moon Phase sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Moon Lunation versus Moon Phase: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoon LunationMoon Phase
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews5.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTraLand.comRory Buckley

Customer experience

Moon Lunation

Written reviews35 reviews
Positive5.7%
Neutral5.7%
Negative88.6%

Moon Phase

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Moon Lunation

One-time1
  • Moon Lunation Pro$1.99
1 purchases

Moon Phase

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$6.99

Questions

Is Moon Lunation free?
Moon Lunation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Moon Phase free?
Moon Phase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Moon Lunation or Moon Phase have ads?
Moon Phase shows ads; Moon Lunation does not.

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