Comparison

Distant Suns 5 vs SkyView® Lite

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

Head to head
About

Distant Suns 5

Explore the cosmos with a realistic and user-friendly astronomy app. Discover constellations, planets, and celestial events with detailed information and stunning visuals. Perfect for both casual stargazers and serious astronomers.

Highlights
  • Realistic night sky display
  • View from Earth or solar system
  • Over 18 million stars
  • Integrated NASA space events
  • Stories behind constellations
  • Night vision color mode
  • Hubble Space Telescope images
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Distant Suns: The night sky, reimagined. 2013 finalist in the Family category of TabTimes' best tablet app contest; "I am putting together some mobile astronomy apps for our local "Sky's the Limit" Observatory in Twentynine Palms, CA. I have been searching for something as good as, or better than, Distant Suns. Short answer: I have not found it yet. ...nothing portrays the night sky as well as Distant Suns. Distant Suns has been your personal guide to the cosmos since 1985. First on the desktop, now right in your hands. While others play games, you can travel to the stars. Award-winning Distant Suns has the reputation of both having one of the most realistic displays of the night sky, while being one of the easiest to use astronomy apps for casual sky watchers as well as serious astronomers. •Named in the "100 Essential Apps" by iLounge •Featured on NPR's MarketPlace Features include: •No Internet required. Just a sense of wonder. •View from the Earth or out in the solar system •Simply aim and gaze. •Over 18 million pinpoint stars scintillating like diamond dust in the palm of your hand (18 mil? Yup.) •Integrated with NASA's Night Sky Network space events in your area (US only at present) •What's Up? Gives a quick one snapshot overview of the evening's sky •Realistic ghostly band of the Milky Way •Stories behind each constellation •Viewpoint Lock keeps any object centered •Current weather patterns on the earth, updated daily •Change the look of the stars •Galaxies, nebula and star clusters •Hubble Space Telescope images •All 8 planets (or 9 for you purists) •GPS aware •Special color mode preserves your night vision. •Touch the sky to reveal hidden data for each object •Planetary data and information First Light is a proud member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers with family-friendly apps. Twitter: @distantsuns Support: www.distantsuns.com

About

SkyView® Lite

Identify stars, constellations, satellites, and more by simply pointing your device at the sky. This augmented reality app makes stargazing accessible to everyone, day or night. Explore celestial paths and even travel through time to view the sky on different dates.

Highlights
  • Identify stars, constellations, and satellites
  • Augmented Reality (AR) stargazing
  • Set reminders for celestial events
  • View sky paths for Sun and Moon
  • Time travel to view past/future skies
  • Capture and share sky images
Currently charting
Read full description

SkyView® Lite brings stargazing to everyone! Simply point your iPhone, iPad, or iPod at the sky to identify stars, constellations, satellites, and more! Downloaded over 40 million times. If you like our lite version of SkyView then you'll love our full version! It includes: a convenient Apple Watch app, a Today Widget displaying tonight's brightest objects, ALL in-app purchases offered in this version, thousands more objects to discover, and more! App Store Best of 2012 App Store Rewind 2011 -- Best Education App “If you've ever wanted to know what you're looking at in the night sky, this app is the perfect stargazer's companion.” – CNET "If you’ve ever been looking for a stargazing app for your iPhone, then this [is] definitely the one to get." – AppAdvice “SkyView is an Augmented Reality app that lets you see just what delights the sky has to offer.” – 148Apps Editor’s Choice You don't need to be an astronomer to find stars or constellations in the sky, just open SkyView® Lite and let it guide you to their location and identify them. SkyView® Lite is a beautiful and intuitive stargazing app that uses your camera to precisely spot and identify celestial objects in sky, day or night. Find your favorite constellations as they fade in and out while you scan across the sky, locate the Moon, discover distant galaxies, and witness satellite fly-bys. Features: • Simple: Point your device at the sky to identify galaxies, stars, constellations and satellites (including the ISS and Hubble) passing overhead at your location. • Sightings: set reminders for celestial events and plan an evening stargazing & spotting satellites. • Augmented Reality (AR): Use your camera to spot objects in the sky, day or night. • Sky Paths: Follow the daily sky tracks for the Sun and Moon to see their exact locations in the sky on any date & time. • Time Travel: Jump to the future or the past and see the sky on different dates and times. • Social: Capture and share beautiful images with friends and family on social networks. • Mobile: WiFi is NOT required (does not require a data signal or GPS to function). Take it camping, boating, or even flying! • Supports Space Navigator™ binoculars, spotting scope, and telescopes. What a fun way to teach yourself, your children, your students, or your friends about our wonderful universe!

Screenshots

Distant Suns 54 screens
SkyView® Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SkyView® Lite at Free against Distant Suns 5's $2.99. SkyView® Lite also leads on ratings volume (19K vs 97) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). Distant Suns 5's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (76% vs 65%). On update cadence, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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

SkyView® Lite is free to download; Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99 up front. Distant Suns 5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SkyView® Lite sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SkyView® Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyView® Lite has 19K ratings behind it against 97, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Distant Suns 5's written reviews are positive against 65% of SkyView® Lite's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Distant Suns 5 ships an update every 5 months, SkyView® Lite every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Distant Suns 5 versus SkyView® Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDistant Suns 5SkyView® Lite
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (97 ratings)4.5 (19K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better64.6% of reviews
Number of ratings9719K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#189#126 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size815 MB122 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMike SmithwickTerminal Eleven LLC

Customer experience

Distant Suns 5

All ratings97 ratings
Positive79.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews328 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative18.6%

SkyView® Lite

All ratings18,744 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews728 reviews
Positive64.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative28.3%

User reviews

Distant Suns 5

From 97 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Excellent astronomy app
  • 🔭 Comprehensive features for stargazing
  • 🌍 Helpful for learning about the night sky
  • 🔍 Useful for planning observing sessions
  • 🌌 Stunning visuals and graphics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs in recent updates
  • 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive interface changes
  • 📱 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding and selecting objects
  • 🔍 Missing or inaccurate information

SkyView® Lite

From 19K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Accurate star and planet tracking
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🔭 Helpful for learning about the night sky
  • 💫 Engaging and educational for all ages
  • 🌌 Realistic AR display of celestial objects

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compass/location issues causing inaccurate positioning
  • 🔍 Limited free features, many paid upgrades
  • 🤔 Confusing for some users to understand how it works
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Bugs and requests

Distant Suns 5

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when accessing preferences
  • Inability to sync with iCloud
  • Unresponsive or freezing app
  • Incorrect or outdated information displayed
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more detailed information on celestial objects
  • Improve compass and tracking functionality
  • Provide better support for astrophotography
  • Introduce a dark mode for night viewing
  • Add more customization options for the user interface

SkyView® Lite

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Outdated information on certain celestial objects
  • Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more celestial objects like satellites, comets, and nebulae
  • Improve compass calibration and location accuracy
  • Provide more detailed information and facts about stars/planets
  • Integrate with virtual reality for immersive stargazing experience
  • Add reminders for upcoming astronomical events

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Distant Suns 5

One-time1
  • Hubble Guide Star Catalog$0.99
2 purchases

SkyView® Lite

One-time2
  • Stargazing Music Pack$0.99
  • Brightest Satellites & Sightings$0.99

Questions

Is Distant Suns 5 free?
Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is SkyView® Lite free?
SkyView® Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Distant Suns 5 or SkyView® Lite?
SkyView® Lite is rated higher. Distant Suns 5 averages 4.3 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while SkyView® Lite averages 4.5 from 19K ratings.
Do Distant Suns 5 or SkyView® Lite have ads?
SkyView® Lite shows ads; Distant Suns 5 does not.
Which is updated more often, Distant Suns 5 or SkyView® Lite?
Distant Suns 5 ships an update every 5 months, and SkyView® Lite every 2 months. Most recently, Distant Suns 5 was updated on September 13, 2026 and SkyView® Lite on October 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Distant Suns 5 or SkyView® Lite?
Distant Suns 5 currently peaks at #189 in the App Store charts, and SkyView® Lite at #126. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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