# Distant Suns 5 vs StarTracker HD

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StarTracker HD at none against Distant Suns 5's 1. StarTracker HD also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Distant Suns 5's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (76% vs 59%). On ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99 and StarTracker HD $3.99 up front. Distant Suns 5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. StarTracker HD asks for nothing beyond the download.

Distant Suns 5 holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 97 and 43 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Distant Suns 5's written reviews are positive against 59% of StarTracker HD's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Distant Suns 5 | StarTracker HD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$2.99** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.3 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/distant-suns-5/id363418936/reviews)** | [4.0 (43 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/startracker-hd-mobile-skymap/id449605942/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **97** | 43 |
| Positive reviews | **76.2% of reviews** | 59.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#189** | — |
| Size | 815 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mike Smithwick](https://appshunter.io/developer/294198918) | [身吉 潘](https://appshunter.io/developer/341563645) |

## What reviewers say

### Distant Suns 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/distant-suns-5/id363418936)

**Currently charting:** #189 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hubble Guide Star Catalog | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### StarTracker HD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/startracker-hd-mobile-skymap/id449605942)

Explore the night sky with this augmented reality planetarium. Identify stars, constellations, planets, and deep sky objects by simply pointing your device at the sky. All data is available offline.

**Highlights:** Augmented Reality Star Gazing, Identify 8000+ stars, planets, and constellations, Offline data access, Search and lock celestial objects, Time Machine feature, High-quality graphics

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth, fluid graphics and responsive gyroscope tracking
- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 🌟 Beautiful HD visuals and stunning design
- 📍 Accurate real-time sky positioning and planet/constellation identification
- 🎓 Excellent educational tool for learning astronomy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on various devices
- 🐛 Compass/gyroscope malfunction issues
- 🐛 Screen display problems on larger tablets
- ❌ Limited functionality and educational depth
- ❌ Lack of object information and descriptions

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup or during use
- Compass direction incorrect (north pointing wrong direction)
- Gyroscope not responding or locked
- Share button causes crashes
- Forward/share button greying out and causing screen loss

**Requested features**

- Add search functionality for celestial objects
- Include ISS and satellite tracking
- Display object information (distance, magnitude, color, brightness)
- Add ecliptic line visibility option
- Show coordinate information (RA, Dec, Alt, Azimuth)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Distant Suns 5 free?

Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is StarTracker HD free?

StarTracker HD costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Distant Suns 5 or StarTracker HD?

Distant Suns 5 is rated higher. Distant Suns 5 averages 4.3 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while StarTracker HD averages 4.0 from 43 ratings.

### Do Distant Suns 5 or StarTracker HD have ads?

Neither Distant Suns 5 nor StarTracker HD shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Distant Suns 5 or StarTracker HD?

Distant Suns 5 ships an update every 5 months, and StarTracker HD every 5 months. Most recently, Distant Suns 5 was updated on September 13, 2026 and StarTracker HD on September 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*