Comparison

Distant Suns 5 vs CloudLabs The Sundial

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

CloudLabs The Sundial

Features
Read full description

In this simulation, you are going to build a sundial to calculate the time of day and whether or not you will arrive on time from the nature reserve to the camp. Once you have built the clock, you will know the right time to get to the camp.

Screenshots

Distant Suns 54 screens
CloudLabs The Sundial1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: CloudLabs The Sundial at Free against Distant Suns 5's $2.99. CloudLabs The Sundial also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). Distant Suns 5's advantage is chart position (#186 vs unranked). On ads and device support 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

CloudLabs The Sundial is free to download; Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99 up front. Distant Suns 5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CloudLabs The Sundial asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Distant Suns 5 versus CloudLabs The Sundial: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDistant Suns 5CloudLabs The Sundial
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (97 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings97 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#186 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size815 MB247 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMike SmithwickJiovany Orozco

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

CloudLabs The Sundial

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Distant Suns 5

One-time1
  • Hubble Guide Star Catalog$0.99
None

CloudLabs The Sundial

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Distant Suns 5 free?
Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is CloudLabs The Sundial free?
CloudLabs The Sundial is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Distant Suns 5 or CloudLabs The Sundial have ads?
Neither Distant Suns 5 nor CloudLabs The Sundial shows ads.

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