SkyView® Lite vs Star Map Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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!
Star Map Tracker
Explore the night sky with this augmented reality stargazing app. Identify stars, constellations, planets, and galaxies in real-time. It provides detailed information and helps you locate celestial objects.
- Augmented reality celestial body view
- Identification of over 3,000 stars
- Depiction of 88 constellations
- Real-time celestial object tracking
- Solar system object identification
- Compass calibration
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Star Map Tracker is an impressive stargazing augmented reality app boasting a database of over 3,000 stars and constellations. This app not only provides guidance through the vast majority of known stars but also furnishes essential information such as right ascension, declination, azimuth, elevation, and more. Whether you aim to align your telescope or simply desire to point your device at the sky for star, constellation, nebula, galaxy, and solar system object identification, this app caters to your needs, functioning as a proficient star finder and augmented reality map of celestial bodies, offering real-time information about them. Immerse yourself in a captivating night stars safari by finding an open space, taking a stroll, and lifting your device to behold the mesmerizing night sky view. The Star Map app serves as an exceptional tracker for all celestial objects, essentially placing a sky object seeker right in your pocket. Key Features: - Augmented reality view of celestial bodies - 88 constellations depicted with their shapes - Over 3,000 actual stars accompanied by detailed descriptions - Ability to search by star/constellation name, HD, HR, HIP - Real-time position of stars/constellations in the sky - Inclusion of the entire solar system (consisting of 9 planets, Sun, and Moon) - Realistic lighting, shadows, and planet textures - Milky Way galaxy background enriched with precise spatial positioning - Compass calibration facilitated using the moon, sun, or cardinal points In-App Purchase: - Enhanced access to names and information of over 3,000 stars (by default, only star information for zodiac constellations is available) - Expanded access to 74 constellations (only 14 are available by default: 12 Zodiac constellations, Ursa Minor, and Ursa Major) - Detailed inclusions of the solar system (encompassing 9 planets; Moon and Sun are available by default)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SkyView® Lite at 75% against Star Map Tracker's 29%. SkyView® Lite also leads on ratings volume (19K vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). Star Map Tracker's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.5). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. SkyView® Lite sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Star Map Tracker sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Star Map Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SkyView® Lite has 19K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of SkyView® Lite's written reviews are positive against 29% of Star Map Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, Star Map Tracker every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SkyView® Lite | Star Map Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (19K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 28.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 19K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #92 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 122 MB | 107 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Terminal Eleven LLC | Yuriy Kvasha |
Customer experience
SkyView® Lite
Star Map Tracker
User reviews
SkyView® Lite
From 19K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Star Map Tracker
From 1 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- ✨ Visually appealing design
- 🌟 Shows constellations
- 🔭 Useful for beginners
- 💡 VR feature is good
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate star/planet positions
- 🧭 Compass calibration issues
- 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
- 💸 Not worth the premium cost
- 🚫 Free version is too limited
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
Star Map Tracker
Reported bugs
11 issues- Map is disoriented
- Stars and planets do not track movement
- Calibration does not stick
- App freezes
- App always points north
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Compass is off by degrees
- Stars constantly shifting
- App shows incorrect directions
- GPS is way off
- App doesn't work on iPhone X
- AR is useless as camera can't see stars
Requested features
7 requests- Add search functionality for stars
- Include planets in the free version
- Improve compass synchronization
- Add language options
- Show horizon line
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Display star sizes/visibility
- Provide more detailed information on planets
In-app purchases
SkyView® Lite
- Stargazing Music Pack$0.99
- Brightest Satellites & Sightings$0.99
Star Map Tracker
- Stars & Constellations$1.99
- Planets$1.99
- Premium$2.99
Questions
Is SkyView® Lite free?
Is Star Map Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, SkyView® Lite or Star Map Tracker?
Do SkyView® Lite or Star Map Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, SkyView® Lite or Star Map Tracker?
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