Luminos vs SkySafari
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Luminos
This astronomy companion app, after 12 years of updates, is being retired. A more advanced version, Luminos Pro, is available with new features and ongoing support. This version remains accessible for existing users.
- Astronomy software
- 12 years of updates
- Retired version
- Advanced version available (Luminos Pro)
- Continued support for existing customers
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Thank you for being a part of my journey with Luminos! As I strive to bring you the best in astronomical software, I want to let you know that, after 12 years of updates, this version of Luminos will be retired in 2023. But there's exciting news: I've developed Luminos Pro, an advanced version that offers even more amazing features and updates. To continue providing support and updates to my existing customers, this version will stay available in the App Store for now. I invite you to explore my latest features and designs in Luminos Pro and join me on this continuing adventure. See you in the stars! Clear skies, - John
SkySafari
This powerful pocket planetarium helps you explore the night sky. Identify celestial objects by pointing your device, view astrophotography, and plan your stargazing with real-time visibility information. Offers guided tours and pronunciation guides for a comprehensive learning experience.
- Point and identify stars, planets, and constellations
- Explore astrophotography in the Image Gallery
- View real-time sky visibility in 'Sky Tonight'
- Simulate the sky across time and locations
- Access guided audio tours and pronunciation guides
- Night Vision mode for dark observation
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SkySafari 8 is a powerful planetarium that fits in your pocket, puts the universe at your fingertips, and is incredibly easy to use! Simply hold your device to the sky and quickly locate comets, planets, constellations, satellites, and millions of stars and deep sky objects. Whether you are a beginner or a longtime astronomy enthusiast, SkySafari 8 is your perfect stargazing companion, packed with interactive information, rich graphics, and a beautifully refined interface. What’s New in Version 8 + New Theme - A new look of the app with a fresh visual palette. + Image Gallery - Explore the universe through astrophotography. Import images directly from AstroBin. + Sky Tonight - Jump to the new Tonight section to see what’s visible in your sky right now. Expanded information has been designed to help plan your night and includes Moon & Sun info, calendar curations, and the best positioned deep sky and solar system objects. If you're new to SkySafari 8, here’s what you can do: + Point & Identify - Hold your device to the sky and instantly identify stars, constellations, planets, satellites, and more. The chart updates automatically with your movements. + OneSky - See what other users are observing in real-time. This feature highlights objects in the sky chart and indicates how many users are looking at them. + Orbit Mode - Lift off from Earth and travel to the planets, moons, and stars. + Guided Audio Tours - Listen to more than four hours of audio narration to learn the history, mythology, and science of the heavens. + Pronunciation Guide - Learn how to correctly pronounce the names of hundreds of celestial objects, from stars to constellations and planets. + Simulate the Sky - See an eclipse in the past or future! Simulate the night sky from anywhere on Earth many years backward or forward in time. + Night Vision - Preserve your eyesight after dark. SkySafari Premium Subscription Unlock amazing features with the optional Premium Subscription, including: + Massive Database - Access a massive deep sky database. + Custom Image Import - Upload and manage your own astrophotography images in the Image Gallery and show them in the sky chart. + Enhanced Tools - Access curated news, events, connected stargazing features, a light pollution map, and more. For telescope control and even more advanced features, check out SkySafari 8 Plus and SkySafari 8 Pro! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.livesky.com/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SkySafari at $0.99 against Luminos's $19.99. SkySafari also leads on ratings volume (18K vs 1.1K) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). Luminos's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (90% vs 64%). On rating, update cadence, 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
Luminos costs $19.99 and SkySafari $0.99 up front. SkySafari sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Luminos asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Luminos against 4.7 for SkySafari. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkySafari has 18K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Luminos's written reviews are positive against 64% of SkySafari's.
Luminos ships an update every 2 weeks, SkySafari monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Luminos | SkySafari |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.1K ratings) — better | 4.7 (18K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.4% of reviews — better | 63.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K | 18K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #13 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 930 MB | 859 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wobbleworks LLC | Simulation Curriculum Corp. |
Customer experience
Luminos
SkySafari
User reviews
Luminos
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Excellent astronomy app
- 🔭 Comprehensive features and information
- 🌌 Beautiful and intuitive interface
- 🔍 Helpful for both beginners and advanced users
- 🌍 Accurate tracking of celestial objects and satellites
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔧 Difficulty configuring for use with telescopes
- 🔒 Concerns about subscription model changes
- 🔍 Steep learning curve for some features
- 🔍 Lack of instructions or user guide
SkySafari
From 18K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly
- 🚀 Accurate sky mapping
- 🌌 Detailed information on celestial objects
- 💡 Helpful for stargazing and astronomy
- 🔭 Useful for telescope owners
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches
- 🤑 Excessive upselling and in-app purchases
- 🤯 Confusing version and feature differences
- 🙄 Intrusive notifications and sounds
- 🤔 Difficult to use some features
Bugs and requests
Luminos
Reported bugs
4 issues- Motion tracking and compass not working properly
- Saved telescope settings erased after updates
- Slow response times and location detection issues
- Inconsistent behavior when tapping on objects
Requested features
8 requests- Add historical constellations
- Integrate national borders when searching
- Include exoplanets information
- Improve motion tracking and orientation
- Add observation forecast based on weather conditions
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- Provide automatic sky rotation to match the real-time view
- Enhance moon surface details and shadows
- Add ability to center on objects while in orbit mode
SkySafari
Reported bugs
4 issues- Compass not working correctly
- Disappearing or missing objects
- Time travel feature issues
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Dark mode option
- Ability to hide toolbar and UI elements
- More customization options
- Improved telescope integration
- Better comet and new object tracking
In-app purchases
Luminos
No in-app purchases
SkySafari
- SkySafari Premium7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- SkySafari Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Apollo Lunar MissionsFree








