Comparison

SkyView® Lite vs Starry Map

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

Head to head
About

SkyView® Lite

Identify stars, constellations, satellites, and more by simply pointing your device at the sky. This augmented reality app makes stargazing accessible to everyone, day or night. Explore celestial paths and even travel through time to view the sky on different dates.

Highlights
  • Identify stars, constellations, and satellites
  • Augmented Reality (AR) stargazing
  • Set reminders for celestial events
  • View sky paths for Sun and Moon
  • Time travel to view past/future skies
  • Capture and share sky images
Currently charting
Read full description

SkyView® Lite brings stargazing to everyone! Simply point your iPhone, iPad, or iPod at the sky to identify stars, constellations, satellites, and more! Downloaded over 40 million times. If you like our lite version of SkyView then you'll love our full version! It includes: a convenient Apple Watch app, a Today Widget displaying tonight's brightest objects, ALL in-app purchases offered in this version, thousands more objects to discover, and more! App Store Best of 2012 App Store Rewind 2011 -- Best Education App “If you've ever wanted to know what you're looking at in the night sky, this app is the perfect stargazer's companion.” – CNET "If you’ve ever been looking for a stargazing app for your iPhone, then this [is] definitely the one to get." – AppAdvice “SkyView is an Augmented Reality app that lets you see just what delights the sky has to offer.” – 148Apps Editor’s Choice You don't need to be an astronomer to find stars or constellations in the sky, just open SkyView® Lite and let it guide you to their location and identify them. SkyView® Lite is a beautiful and intuitive stargazing app that uses your camera to precisely spot and identify celestial objects in sky, day or night. Find your favorite constellations as they fade in and out while you scan across the sky, locate the Moon, discover distant galaxies, and witness satellite fly-bys. Features: • Simple: Point your device at the sky to identify galaxies, stars, constellations and satellites (including the ISS and Hubble) passing overhead at your location. • Sightings: set reminders for celestial events and plan an evening stargazing & spotting satellites. • Augmented Reality (AR): Use your camera to spot objects in the sky, day or night. • Sky Paths: Follow the daily sky tracks for the Sun and Moon to see their exact locations in the sky on any date & time. • Time Travel: Jump to the future or the past and see the sky on different dates and times. • Social: Capture and share beautiful images with friends and family on social networks. • Mobile: WiFi is NOT required (does not require a data signal or GPS to function). Take it camping, boating, or even flying! • Supports Space Navigator™ binoculars, spotting scope, and telescopes. What a fun way to teach yourself, your children, your students, or your friends about our wonderful universe!

About

Starry Map

Identify stars, constellations, and satellites by pointing your phone at the night sky. Augmented reality overlays display celestial names in real-time. Receive notifications for upcoming satellite passes and meteor showers.

Highlights
  • AR celestial identification
  • Constellation and star catalog
  • Satellite tracking and alerts
  • Meteor shower notifications
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Point your smartphone at the night sky to instantly identify constellations, stars, and satellites. AR overlays show celestial names on the live camera view, and you can swipe to explore any direction. Get alerts for visible ISS passes and meteor showers. Includes: ・88 constellations (with Hevelius illustrations) ・Solar system planets, dwarf planets, asteroids ・Stars up to magnitude 12 ・About 100 Messier objects (nebulae and clusters) ・Over 10,000 satellites ・More than 300 comets ・Meteor showers and asterisms (Summer/Winter Triangle, Big Dipper, etc.) ・Satellite pass alerts (ISS, Hubble) ・Meteor shower peak notifications Works offline (satellite data won't update). Terms of Service https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SkyView® Lite4 screens
Starry Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Starry Map at every 2 weeks against SkyView® Lite's every 2 months. SkyView® Lite's advantage is ratings volume (19K vs 246) and chart position (#143 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SkyView® Lite sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Starry Map sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for SkyView® Lite against 4.5 for Starry Map. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyView® Lite has 19K ratings behind it against 246, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of SkyView® Lite's written reviews are positive against 62% of Starry Map's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, Starry Map every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
SkyView® Lite versus Starry Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkyView® LiteStarry Map
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (19K ratings)4.5 (246 ratings)
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews — better62.4% of reviews
Number of ratings19K — better246
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#143 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTerminal Eleven LLCにゃんこソフトウェア

Customer experience

SkyView® Lite

All ratings18,744 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews728 reviews
Positive64.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative28.3%

Starry Map

All ratings246 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive62.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative31.2%

Bugs and requests

SkyView® Lite

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Outdated information on certain celestial objects
  • Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more celestial objects like satellites, comets, and nebulae
  • Improve compass calibration and location accuracy
  • Provide more detailed information and facts about stars/planets
  • Integrate with virtual reality for immersive stargazing experience
  • Add reminders for upcoming astronomical events

Starry Map

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SkyView® Lite

One-time2
  • Stargazing Music Pack$0.99
  • Brightest Satellites & Sightings$0.99
5 purchases

Starry Map

Subscriptions4
  • Unlock Features2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Unlock Features7 Days trial2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Unlock Features$3.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Unlock Features7 Days trial$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock Features (Lifetime)$9.99

Questions

Is SkyView® Lite free?
SkyView® Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starry Map free?
Starry Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SkyView® Lite or Starry Map?
SkyView® Lite and Starry Map are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 19K and 246 ratings respectively.
Do SkyView® Lite or Starry Map have ads?
Both SkyView® Lite and Starry Map show ads.
Which is updated more often, SkyView® Lite or Starry Map?
SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Starry Map every 2 weeks. Most recently, SkyView® Lite was updated on September 24, 2026 and Starry Map on September 19, 2026.

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