Comparison

Sun Seeker vs Light Pollution Map

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

Head to head
About

Sun Seeker

Track the sun's hourly direction, path, and times for sunrise, sunset, and twilight. Visualize solar data with a compass or AR view, and receive notifications for key solar events. Ideal for planning outdoor activities, photography, and property assessment.

Highlights
  • Hourly sun direction intervals
  • Sunrise, sunset, and twilight times
  • Golden hour and blue hour visualization
  • Flat compass and 3D AR views
  • Sun shadow length calculation
  • Sun event notifications
  • Location-based solar data
Features
Read full description

Sunseeker is a comprehensive solar tracking & compass app. It shows the sun’s hourly direction intervals, its equinox, winter & summer solstice paths, sunrise sunset times, twilight times, sun shadow, the golden hour & more. The app allows you to add sun-event notifications & has a widget showing the day’s solar data & position on an arc. The surveyor view shows the solar direction for each sunlight hour. Sunseeker has both a flat compass view & a 3D Augmented Reality (AR) view to show the solar position & path. The app is useful for - ▶ Photographers- to plan according to the golden hour or blue hour & optimal sunlight conditions, sunrise & sunset times & directions. ▶ Cinematographers- this sun tracker & sun surveyor enables you to find the sun exposure, directions, sun shadow & sunrise sunset times for any location. ▶ Real Estate Buyers- can use the app before buying a property to check the sun path & to find the sun exposure of properties. ▶ Drivers - Sunseeker lets you track the sun path & movement during the days & helps drivers know the sun position to find how long the car will remain in the shade at any given parking spot. ▶ Campers & Picnickers- for anyone planning a day out, Sunseeker app will help in finding where to camp, sit or pitch an umbrella depending on the sunlight & sun direction. ▶ Gardeners- Sun Seeker can also help with finding optimal planting locations & seasonal sunlight hours as a sun rise calendar ▶ Architects & Surveyors- for visualising the spatial variability of the solar angle throughout the year & using the compass app as a sun surveyor & calendar to determine the sunlight directions. Main Features * Sunseeker is a sun locator which uses GPS, magnetometer & gyroscope to find the correct solar position & sun path for your current location. * Flat compass view shows current solar position, diurnal solar angle & elevation (separated into day & night segments), sun shadow length ratio, atmospheric path thickness. * 3D augmented reality (AR) camera overlay view shows the sun's current position, its path with hour points marked. Check golden hour using this feature! * Camera view has an optional pointer to guide you towards the current location of the sun & help you with sun direction. * Map view shows solar direction arrows, sun path & elevations for each hour of the day. * Choose any date to view sun position & path on that day. You can view sunset & sunrise times for each day as well. * Choose any location on earth (includes 40,000+ cities or custom locations available offline, as well as a comprehensive online map search capability) * Get additional details including sun rise, sunset & culmination times, maximum elevation, civil, nautical & astronomical twilight times of the sun. * Optional device notifications for all manner of sun-related periods & events, such as golden hour or blue hour, various twilight & shadow periods, or sun at a given compass heading or above a given elevation. * This sun rise calendar app allows the user to include equinox, summer & winter solstice paths on both flat compass view & camera view. Sun Seeker app has been featured in numerous high-profile blogs, websites & publications, including Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Sydney Morning Herald etc. "Truly amazing", "Incredible", "Brilliant" - the most genuinely useful application of augmented reality - ever! Check out our YouTube video here: https://bit.ly/2Rf0CkO Simply search YouTube for "Sun Seeker app" to find many videos, websites & blogs created by our enthusiastic users FAQs * See https://bit.ly/2FIPJq2 - also easily accessible from the app's info screen Note * The compass accuracy depends on having an undistorted magnetic field around your device. If you use it close to metallic objects or electrical equipment, directional accuracy may be impaired. The device’s compass accuracy can be optimised by calibrating it prior to use. See app’s FAQs for more help.

About

Light Pollution Map

Visualize sky brightness data, including VIIRS and SQM measurements, to understand light pollution levels. Explore various overlays like cloud coverage, aurora forecasts, and observatory locations. Offers offline access to essential maps.

Highlights
  • VIIRS, Sky Brightness, World Atlas, Cloud, Aurora layers
  • Color blind friendly color options
  • Cloud animation
  • SQM/SQC readings submission
  • International dark sky parks overlay
  • Offline mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The map displays VIIRS/World Atlas/Clouds/Aurora/IAU observatories and the user SQM measurements. The primary use is to show VIIRS/DMSP data in a friendly manner, but over time it also included some other interesting overlays that concern light pollution like SQM/SQC, World Atlas 2015 zenith brightness, clouds, aurora and IAU observatories. If you have a permanent SQM reader installed you can add it to the map by sending me an e-mail. Please send comments and requests for new features via email (look under help) Functionalities: - VIIRS, Sky Brightness, World Atlas 2015, Cloud coverage and Aurora forecast layers - VIIRS and Sky Brightness layers can be displayed in color blind friendly colors - Road & Satellite base maps - Cloud animation for the last 12 hours - Get detail radiance and SQM values from layers at a click. For Sky brightness/World Atlas 2015, you also get Bortle class estimation. - SQM, SQM-L, SQC, SQM-LE, SQM readings submitted by users - International dark sky parks overlay - Submit your own SQM (L) readings - Observatories layer - Save your favorite locations - Distance measurement tool with azimuth angle report - All-sky view of light pollution with real horizon - Offline mode (Sky brightness map and a base map are saved to your device, so it will be displayed when you are offline)

Screenshots

Sun Seeker4 screens
Light Pollution Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sun Seeker at 4.8 against Light Pollution Map's 4.1. Sun Seeker also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 57%) and ratings volume (13K vs 46). Light Pollution Map's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and price ($4.99 vs $11.99). On update cadence, in-app purchases, device support 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

Sun Seeker costs $11.99 and Light Pollution Map $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sun Seeker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sun Seeker has 13K ratings behind it against 46, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Sun Seeker's written reviews are positive against 57% of Light Pollution Map's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sun Seeker ships an update every 2 months, Light Pollution Map every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Sun Seeker versus Light Pollution Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSun SeekerLight Pollution Map
Price$11.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.8 (13K ratings) — better4.1 (46 ratings)
Positive reviews87.9% of reviews — better57.1% of reviews
Number of ratings13K — better46
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
Best chart rank#6 — better#35
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperozPDAJurij Stare

Customer experience

Sun Seeker

All ratings12,846 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews487 reviews
Positive87.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative9.9%

Light Pollution Map

All ratings46 ratings
Positive76.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative19.6%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%

Bugs and requests

Sun Seeker

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes on certain devices
  • Compass not working properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add moon tracking and phases
  • Improve offline functionality
  • Provide more customization options
  • Integrate weather data for better planning

Light Pollution Map

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Sun Seeker

No in-app purchases

None

Light Pollution Map

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sun Seeker free?
Sun Seeker costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Light Pollution Map free?
Light Pollution Map costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sun Seeker or Light Pollution Map?
Sun Seeker is rated higher. Sun Seeker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Light Pollution Map averages 4.1 from 46 ratings.
Do Sun Seeker or Light Pollution Map have ads?
Sun Seeker shows ads; Light Pollution Map does not.
Which is updated more often, Sun Seeker or Light Pollution Map?
Sun Seeker ships an update every 2 months, and Light Pollution Map every 3 months. Most recently, Sun Seeker was updated on September 24, 2026 and Light Pollution Map on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Sun Seeker or Light Pollution Map?
Sun Seeker currently peaks at #6 in the App Store charts, and Light Pollution Map at #35. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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