# Satellite Watcher vs SatNOGS

The clearest difference is rating: SatNOGS at 5.0 against Satellite Watcher's 4.0. Satellite Watcher's advantage is ratings volume (59 vs 4) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SatNOGS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Satellite Watcher has 59 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Satellite Watcher ships an update every 2 months, SatNOGS every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Satellite Watcher | SatNOGS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (59 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/satellite-watcher/id367262608/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/satnogs/id1669797826/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **59** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 9 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marwan Shaban](https://appshunter.io/developer/367262611) | [Victor Belov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1356487489) |

## What reviewers say

### Satellite Watcher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/satellite-watcher/id367262608)

Track and identify visible satellites, stars, and constellations. Explore detailed information about celestial objects and record your sightings. Perfect for astronomy enthusiasts and educational purposes.

**Highlights:** Track 150 brightest satellites, View satellite times and locations, Record satellite sightings, Explore 9000 visible stars, Identify major constellations, Detailed object information, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎯 Accurate satellite tracking and pass predictions
- 👍 Easy to use interface once understood
- 🆓 Free application
- 📍 Location-based positioning for precise predictions
- 🌌 Helpful constellation map overlay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes or displays black screen after recent updates
- ❌ Incompatible with iOS 11 and later versions
- 😕 Non-intuitive interface for casual users
- 📉 Neglected development and lack of updates
- 🔧 Limited satellite database

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or shows black screen after updates
- Incompatibility with iOS 11 and newer iOS versions
- Ground plot graph stopped working
- Star chart misalignment with actual sky
- Incomplete satellite database compared to visible satellites

**Requested features**

- Update for iOS 11+ compatibility
- Apple Watch support
- iPad native version
- Alarm/notification for upcoming satellite passes
- Ability to select multiple satellites to track


### SatNOGS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/satnogs/id1669797826)

Access a global network of satellite ground stations to communicate with satellites and observe their data. The platform is open to all, with public observation results freely distributed. Resources are available for building your own ground station.

**Highlights:** Global ground station network access, Remote ground station operation, Satellite communication, Public observation data access, Ground station building resources

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Satellite Watcher free?

Satellite Watcher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SatNOGS free?

SatNOGS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Satellite Watcher or SatNOGS?

SatNOGS is rated higher. Satellite Watcher averages 4.0 out of 5 from 59 ratings, while SatNOGS averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Satellite Watcher or SatNOGS have ads?

Neither Satellite Watcher nor SatNOGS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Satellite Watcher or SatNOGS?

Satellite Watcher ships an update every 2 months, and SatNOGS every 5 months. Most recently, Satellite Watcher was updated on September 30, 2026 and SatNOGS on October 1, 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.*