Comparison

SkyView® Lite vs MeteorActive

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

MeteorActive

Get accurate meteor shower forecasts based on your location, moon phase, and light pollution. Discover major events, upcoming nights, and hourly estimates for the best viewing opportunities.

Highlights
  • Major events calendar
  • Upcoming nights predictions
  • Hour-by-hour estimates
  • Meteor showers reference
  • Location-based accuracy
  • Moon interference calculation
  • Light pollution consideration
Features
Read full description

The most accurate meteor activity forecast • Major events calendar • Upcoming nights predictions • Hour-by-hour estimates • Meteor showers reference Meteor activity varies greatly from one night to another. Most of the time you can expect to see 3-15 meteors per hour, but several times per year this number could rise to 90, or even more! The MeteorActive app uses the latest scientific findings and cutting edge technology to calculate how many meteors you can see at given time. It takes into account your geographical location, meteoroid stream orbits, moon interference and light pollution to find the most spectacular events for you. Clear skies!

Screenshots

SkyView® Lite4 screens
MeteorActive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MeteorActive at none against SkyView® Lite's 2. MeteorActive also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (89% vs 65%). SkyView® Lite's advantage is chart position (#143 vs unranked) and ratings volume (19K vs 2.3K). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. MeteorActive asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MeteorActive holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyView® Lite has 19K ratings behind it against 2.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of SkyView® Lite's written reviews are positive against 89% of MeteorActive's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, MeteorActive every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
SkyView® Lite versus MeteorActive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkyView® LiteMeteorActive
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (19K ratings)4.8 (2.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews88.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19K — better2.3K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#143 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTerminal Eleven LLCAlexander Vasenin

Customer experience

SkyView® Lite

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

MeteorActive

All ratings2,310 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive88.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative5.6%

User reviews

SkyView® Lite

From 19K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Accurate star and planet tracking
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🔭 Helpful for learning about the night sky
  • 💫 Engaging and educational for all ages
  • 🌌 Realistic AR display of celestial objects

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compass/location issues causing inaccurate positioning
  • 🔍 Limited free features, many paid upgrades
  • 🤔 Confusing for some users to understand how it works
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

MeteorActive

From 2.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Amazing app with great features
  • 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
  • 🔭 Detailed and accurate information on meteor showers
  • 💫 Stunning visualizations and animations
  • 🆓 Free and ad-free app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🕰️ Missing notifications for upcoming events
  • 🗺️ Lacking location-based features
  • 🔍 Could use more detailed instructions and explanations

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

MeteorActive

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes when trying to access certain features
  • Charts and visualizations not updating correctly
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add notification system for meteor showers
  • Integrate with calendar app for easy scheduling
  • Provide more location-specific data and recommendations
  • Expand coverage to include more minor meteor showers

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SkyView® Lite

One-time2
  • Stargazing Music Pack$0.99
  • Brightest Satellites & Sightings$0.99
None

MeteorActive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SkyView® Lite free?
SkyView® Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MeteorActive free?
MeteorActive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SkyView® Lite or MeteorActive?
MeteorActive is rated higher. SkyView® Lite averages 4.5 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while MeteorActive averages 4.8 from 2.3K ratings.
Do SkyView® Lite or MeteorActive have ads?
SkyView® Lite shows ads; MeteorActive does not.
Which is updated more often, SkyView® Lite or MeteorActive?
SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, and MeteorActive every 6 weeks. Most recently, SkyView® Lite was updated on September 24, 2026 and MeteorActive on September 20, 2026.

Other comparisons