Moon Lunation vs Cloud Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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 when the next principal event falls in your local time. CALENDAR Any month from January 2000 to December 2050. New moons, first quarters, full moons and last quarters are marked on the local dates they actually occur. Tap any day to see its phase. CYCLE Watch a single lunation play out from one new moon to the next. The timeline runs between two actual computed new moons, so its length varies from cycle to cycle — it is not forced to the average of 29.5 days. Scrub it with your finger, or play it through in fifteen seconds. TIDES, WITH MOON LUNATION PRO See today's tide curve, the next high and low tide, and seven days of highs and lows for a tide station near you, 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 2031. 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 the rest of the app uses. On Mac, all eight planets are drawn, out to Neptune. Drag to orbit, pinch or scroll to zoom, and tap a body to read its distance from the Sun and from Earth. Scrub the timeline and watch the planets move along their orbits. 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, full keyboard control, a menu-bar Moon that stays current, and desktop widgets. THE MOON ITSELF The surface is built from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery, reprojected into 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, not an illustration of it. WHAT IT DOESN'T DO • Phases cover 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2050, and tides cover 2026 to 2031. 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, calculated for the Earth as a whole rather than 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. Moon phases, the calendar and the cycle never use your location. On iPhone and iPad, only after you allow it, Tides uses your location to find the nearest tide station. The app does not save or send it. Tides remembers only your place setting and up to five favourite stations, and Clear Saved Places removes them. On Mac, Tides does not use your location. Purchases are handled by Apple. 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 surface imagery courtesy of NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. Tide predictions use NOAA data and are derived from 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.
Cloud Buddy
Instantly identify cloud types using your phone's camera and AI. Point your device at the sky to learn about formations like cumulus and cirrus in real-time. Explore the sky with augmented reality and discover the wonders above.
- Real-time cloud identification
- AI-powered recognition
- Augmented reality sky detection
- Learn cloud types and formations
- Camera-based scanning
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Cloud Buddy – Cloud Identifier Discover the sky like never before. Cloud Buddy uses your phone’s camera, augmented reality, and AI to instantly identify cloud types in real time. Simply point your device at the sky and learn what’s above you—whether it’s cumulus, cirrus, or something in between. Powered by custom-trained machine learning models, Cloud Buddy can recognize 7–11 different cloud types with reliable accuracy, making it perfect for curious minds, weather enthusiasts, and anyone who loves nature. Features: Identify clouds instantly using your camera Real-time cloud recognition with AI Augmented reality sky detection Learn different cloud types and formations Fast, simple, and intuitive to use Whether you're exploring the outdoors or just looking up, Cloud Buddy turns the sky into a learning experience. Point. Scan. Discover the clouds.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cloud Buddy at none against Moon Lunation's 1. Moon Lunation's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Moon Lunation sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Cloud Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 9, 2026.
| Parameter | Moon Lunation | Cloud Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 5.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TraLand.com | Nathan Anthony |
Customer experience
Moon Lunation
Cloud Buddy
In-app purchases
Moon Lunation
- Moon Lunation Pro$1.99
Cloud Buddy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Moon Lunation free?
Is Cloud Buddy free?
Do Moon Lunation or Cloud Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Moon Lunation or Cloud Buddy?
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