# Sputnik! vs Nova Engineering Employee

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nova Engineering Employee at none against Sputnik!'s 1. Nova Engineering Employee also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sputnik! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Nova Engineering Employee asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sputnik! ships an update every 5 months, Nova Engineering Employee weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sputnik! | Nova Engineering Employee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (732 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sputnik/id393001070/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **732** | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 35 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Applicate Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/299117183) | [Mimsoft (Pvt.) Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1407770094) |

## What reviewers say

### Sputnik!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sputnik/id393001070)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Go ad-free | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate satellite tracking
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🔭 Supports tracking of various satellites (ISS, Hubble, Starlink)
- ⏰ Provides countdown and reminders for sightings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- App reporting 'No Sightings' for all categories
- Null check errors when selecting satellite sightings
- Issues with location settings and data updates

**Requested features**

- Add support for more satellite types
- Improve sky chart visualization and orientation
- Provide filtering options (e.g. by elevation, magnitude)
- Implement automatic data updates


### Nova Engineering Employee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-engineering-employee/id6747582675)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sputnik! free?

Sputnik! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Nova Engineering Employee free?

Nova Engineering Employee is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Sputnik! or Nova Engineering Employee have ads?

Neither Sputnik! nor Nova Engineering Employee shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sputnik! or Nova Engineering Employee?

Sputnik! ships an update every 5 months, and Nova Engineering Employee weekly. Most recently, Sputnik! was updated on October 21, 2026 and Nova Engineering Employee on October 28, 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.*