Sputnik! vs Satellite Transponders
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sputnik!
Track the International Space Station and bright satellites with precise timing and location data. Get second-by-second countdowns, set reminders, and view satellite paths in the night sky. Supports offline calculations and sharing sightings.
- Accurate satellite and ISS sighting predictions
- Starlink satellite train detection
- Second-by-second countdowns
- Sighting reminders
- Compass direction and elevation display
- Night sky path visualization
- Offline calculations
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Sputnik! is an easy to use tool for predicting when the International Space Station will pass by your location or when a bright satellite will be visible in the skies above. Sputnik! features: - Predictions of satellite and ISS sightings accurate to the second. - Detection of Starlink satellite trains. - Second by second countdown to the satellite sighting. - Set reminders of upcoming satellite sightings. - Displays compass direction and elevation for your device to easily find the part of the sky where the sighting will occur (requires capable device). - Rotate your device to landscape orientation to show exactly where the satellite will pass in the night sky. - Share sightings via Twitter, Facebook, Mail, Messages and others. - Automatic download of up to date satellite orbital data. - Offline calculations, no need to be connected to the internet once orbital data has been downloaded. - Input your location automatically by GPS, select from a map or enter coordinates manually. - Save your favorite places for easy access. - Audio cues for the last seconds before the satellite passes by. Sputnik! on Apple Watch: - Easily find the next and last sighting at your current location. * Sputnik! is ad-supported *
Satellite Transponders
Access a comprehensive database of global TV satellites and their parameters. Easily search for channels, providers, and satellite information, and manage your favorites. An optional professional version offers advanced features like augmented reality and smart searching.
- Global satellite database
- Search by channel, satellite, radio, provider
- Display channel, radio, provider details
- Frequency, polarization, FEC, Symbol Rate display
- Favorites list
- Augmented reality (Pro version)
- Smart searching with sound (Pro version)
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This program is a data base of all TV satellites in the world. You can easily find a satellite parameters. Features: - Sort by satellite - Search by channel name, satellite name, radio name, provider name - Displaying the channel name, radio station, a provider with the link to the official site, encoding display - Displaying a frequency, polarization, FEC and Symbol Rate - List of favorites - Available in-app purchases of professional version An enormous data base. More than 12,800 video channels, 3900 radio stations and 180 Internet service providers *** 4in1 in-app purchase - Augmented reality - Smart searching with sound indication - Sorting by frequency - Satellite calculator Available professional version SatFinder PRO with augmented reality feature at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/satfinder-pro/id523233755
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sputnik! at 92% against Satellite Transponders's 58%. Sputnik! also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). Satellite Transponders's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Sputnik! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Satellite Transponders sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sputnik! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 732 and 292 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Sputnik!'s written reviews are positive against 58% of Satellite Transponders's.
Sputnik! ships an update every 5 months, Satellite Transponders every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sputnik! | Satellite Transponders |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (732 ratings) — better | 4.3 (292 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.2% of reviews — better | 57.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 732 — better | 292 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Applicate Ltd | Yuriy Kvasha |
Customer experience
Sputnik!
Satellite Transponders
User reviews
Sputnik!
From 732 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate satellite tracking
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🔭 Supports tracking of various satellites (ISS, Hubble, Starlink)
- ⏰ Provides countdown and reminders for sightings
Room to improve
- 🐛 App not working/crashing for some users
- 🔍 Unclear information about satellite visibility (e.g. what 'enters Earth's shadow' means)
- 🔧 Difficulty updating satellite data
- 🙈 Dark mode text visibility issues
Satellite Transponders
From 292 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Works well
- 🚀 Useful and informative
- 💡 Great for satellite setup
- 🔍 Helpful for finding channels
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes on certain devices
- 🤔 Complicated to use
- 💰 Requires paid upgrade for full functionality
- 📚 Outdated satellite/channel information
Bugs and requests
Sputnik!
Reported bugs
3 issues- App reporting 'No Sightings' for all categories
- Null check errors when selecting satellite sightings
- Issues with location settings and data updates
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more satellite types
- Improve sky chart visualization and orientation
- Provide filtering options (e.g. by elevation, magnitude)
- Implement automatic data updates
Satellite Transponders
Reported bugs
3 issues- Compass not working on iOS 9 devices
- Incorrect transponder frequencies listed for some channels
- Satellite search not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to filter by satellite type (C-band, Ku-band, etc.)
- Option to sort channels by frequency
- Satellite coverage maps for current location
- HD channel identification
In-app purchases
Sputnik!
- Go ad-free$0.99
Satellite Transponders
- Professional package$2.99
Questions
Is Sputnik! free?
Is Satellite Transponders free?
Which has better reviews, Sputnik! or Satellite Transponders?
Do Sputnik! or Satellite Transponders have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sputnik! or Satellite Transponders?
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