Comparison

Moon Globe HD vs Observer Pro

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

Head to head
About

Moon Globe HD

Explore Earth's Moon in realistic 3D with this app. View detailed satellite imagery, observe real-time lighting changes, and identify lunar terrain and spacecraft. Switch to Telescope mode to see the Moon from your Earthly perspective.

Highlights
  • Real-time 3D lunar rendering
  • Realistic lighting simulation
  • Multitouch navigation
  • Telescope mode
  • Labeled terrain and spacecraft
  • Dynamic sky compass
Features
Read full description

Hold the Moon in your hands. Moon Globe HD turns your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into a precision instrument for viewing Earth's Moon. Satellite imagery and topographic laser altimeter data are combined to render the Moon with realistic lighting in realtime 3D. Use the multitouch screen to manipulate the view. Spin above the surface, or switch to Telescope mode to see the Moon as it appears from your location on Earth. Adjust the display time and watch the sunlight shift over the lunar landscape. A "tag cloud" floats just above the surface, labeling terrain features and spacecraft; touch any label to find out more about that feature. Moon Globe also shows you where the Moon and Sun are in the sky with its dynamic sky compass. PLEASE NOTE: Regular Moon Globe is a smaller download and is free. This HD version has slightly, not extremely, better resolution.

About

Observer Pro

This app helps advanced astronomers and astrophotographers plan their observing sessions. It predicts object visibility, factoring in local obstructions, and provides weather forecasts. Manage observing lists and favorite sites to maximize your stargazing time.

Highlights
  • 14,000+ deep sky objects with photos
  • Local horizon profile measurement
  • Object visibility prediction charts
  • Featured object recommendations
  • Favorite observing site management
  • Astronomical weather forecasts
Features
Read full description

Observer Pro is an indispensable app for advanced astronomy observing and astrophotography planning. No more guessing when that galaxy emerges from behind that tree. No more estimating how many hours you'll be able to image an object. Observer Pro gives every astronomer the info they need to make the most of their observing right at their fingertips! What astronomers are saying: "Every astronomer with an iPhone should own this app!" - Astronomy Technology Today magazine "Observer Pro is the most impressive astronomy app that I have tried out. I enthusiastically commend it to you!" - Tom Mote, Professor Emeritus, Astronomy "I have been using it since the day it first became available and I cannot live without it now." - Sedat B., Cloudy Nights forum Feature highlights: • Over 14,000 deep sky objects included, all with closeup reference photos. No need to download anything after install! Sorting and search make it easy to sift through all of them to find which objects belong on your observing list. • Measure your local horizon profile in minutes with your iPhone. • Unique charts completely take the guesswork out of predicting object visibility. Your house, trees, mountains, or any other obstructions are completely factored in to all visibility charts. • New to astronomy? The Featured object list shows a list of objects specific to your location and local horizon that are great for observing right now. • Keep a list of your favorite observing sites, each with their own local horizon profile. Compare object visibility between sites to find the best spot to setup your scope. • There's a lot to observe! Observer Pro gives you a place to maintain a list of your favorite objects as well as an observing list that you can take with you to the eyepiece. • 7Timer! astronomical weather forecasts for your observing sites are viewable without leaving Observer Pro. They give you the outlook on cloud cover, seeing, transparency, and more. • Check out the in-app help to learn more about how to use the many features that come with Observer Pro. Keep up-to-date with the latest news at the Observer Pro blog: http://observer.pro/blog

Screenshots

Moon Globe HD4 screens
Observer Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Moon Globe HD at $0.99 against Observer Pro's $13.99. Moon Globe HD also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 79%) and device support (3 vs 1). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Moon Globe HD costs $0.99 and Observer Pro $13.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Moon Globe HD against 4.6 for Observer Pro. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 149 and 49 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Moon Globe HD's written reviews are positive against 79% of Observer Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Moon Globe HD versus Observer Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoon Globe HDObserver Pro
Price$0.99 — better$13.99
Rating4.7 (149 ratings) — better4.6 (49 ratings)
Positive reviews90.6% of reviews — better79.2% of reviews
Number of ratings149 — better49
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS7.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size245 MB241 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMidnight MartianJoshua Bury

Customer experience

Moon Globe HD

All ratings149 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews149 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral7.4%
Negative2.0%

Observer Pro

All ratings49 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral5.8%
Negative15.0%

User reviews

Moon Globe HD

From 149 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌙 Stunning high-resolution lunar imagery
  • 👍 Excellent for amateur astronomers and telescope users
  • 🔄 Flexible viewing modes (telescope view, globe view, mirrored)
  • 💡 Accurate moon phase and illumination simulation
  • 🎯 Comprehensive crater and feature identification with labels

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ No updates for 8+ years
  • 🔗 Dead support links and broken URLs
  • 🖱️ No mouse/trackpad support on Mac/iPad
  • ❌ Missing recent lunar missions (Chinese landers, etc.)
  • 🔍 Limited zoom capability compared to Google Earth

Observer Pro

From 49 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎯 Excellent target planning and visibility forecasting
  • 🌍 Custom horizon mapping feature is intuitive and unique
  • 📊 Comprehensive visualization graphs and charts
  • 🔍 Extensive DSO catalog with detailed object information
  • 📸 Offline object images included

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes when selecting catalog groupings (recent)
  • 🐛 Keyboard doesn't dismiss after input (iPad issue)
  • 🐛 Data loss - observer lists disappearing
  • 🐛 Search function missing in recent version
  • ⏱️ Lack of developer updates for extended periods

Bugs and requests

Moon Globe HD

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App not updated in 8 years, compatibility concerns
  • Support links lead to dead URLs
  • Location services don't work accurately
  • Terminator line appears fuzzy instead of sharp
  • iPad version lacks smooth telescope view access
Show 8 more
  • Search feature causes app to exit telescope mode
  • Feature search doesn't maintain feature visibility after search
  • White text invisible on bright crater areas
  • No zoom difference between free and HD versions (reported by some users)
  • Unexpected app closure when sharing wiki pages to OneNote
  • Aliasing/jagging artifacts along lunar horizon
  • Label resolution degrades when zoomed in
  • Latitude/longitude perspective feature not functioning

Requested features

21 requests
  • Mouse and trackpad support for Mac and iPad
  • Zoom and scroll buttons for easier navigation
  • Update with latest lunar landers and missions
  • Topography, gravity, and magnetic field maps
  • Moon phase names (full moon, new moon, etc.)
Show 16 more
  • Grid overlay for scale reference
  • Measurement tool similar to Google Earth
  • Higher resolution imagery and greater zoom depth
  • Lunar latitude and longitude coordinates display
  • Libration information and ephemeris data
  • Selenographic co-longitude of sun
  • Secondary crater nomenclature
  • Ranger spacecraft impact points
  • Print and save functionality
  • Earth glow simulation option
  • Transparent labels to show terrain context
  • Improved text contrast with black borders on white labels
  • Observing list feature to keep selected features highlighted
  • Manual coordinate entry for location
  • High-resolution labels when zoomed in
  • Automatic location feature improvements

Observer Pro

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes when selecting catalog groupings (Galaxy, Planetary Nebulae, etc.)
  • iOS keyboard doesn't dismiss on iPad after clicking Done
  • Observer lists and custom data disappearing after app closure
  • Search feature missing in version 1.4
  • Continuous crashes since recent updates
Show 5 more
  • Horizon drawing feature unreliable - drifts while drawing
  • Menu items on far right side of screen unresponsive
  • Incompatibility with iOS 8 (historical)
  • App crashes on startup with certain iOS versions
  • Weather feature broken

Requested features

16 requests
  • iPad native app with landscape mode support
  • Search functionality restoration/improvement
  • Export observer lists to other apps (Sky Safari, etc.)
  • Support for planets, comets, and asteroids
  • Observing notes and session logging
Show 11 more
  • Field of view/scope focal length comparison
  • Color object photographs
  • Additional catalogs (Sharpless, etc.)
  • Moon visibility in sky view
  • Azimuth-based sorting for telescope positioning
  • Filter options for object types
  • Cross-device syncing between iPhone and iPad
  • Print functionality for observing plans
  • User-created custom catalogs
  • Screen auto-rotation support
  • Weather forecast integration

In-app purchases

None

Moon Globe HD

No in-app purchases

None

Observer Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Moon Globe HD free?
Moon Globe HD costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Observer Pro free?
Observer Pro costs $13.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Moon Globe HD or Observer Pro?
Moon Globe HD is rated higher. Moon Globe HD averages 4.7 out of 5 from 149 ratings, while Observer Pro averages 4.6 from 49 ratings.
Do Moon Globe HD or Observer Pro have ads?
Neither Moon Globe HD nor Observer Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Moon Globe HD or Observer Pro?
Moon Globe HD ships an update every 6 months, and Observer Pro every 6 months. Most recently, Moon Globe HD was updated on September 24, 2026 and Observer Pro on September 21, 2026.

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