Comparison

SkyView® Lite vs Cosmic

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

Cosmic

Explore the cosmos with this app that offers interactive tools for celestial navigation and astronomical observation. Visualize the sky, Earth, and solar system from multiple perspectives, and discover constellations, planets, and events in augmented reality. It's a blend of ancient wisdom and modern technology for a deeper connection to the universe.

Highlights
  • Multiple celestial perspectives (sky, Earth, solar system)
  • Augmented reality sky exploration
  • Interactive astronomical and world clocks
  • Visualized natal charts (Western, Vedic, Sidereal)
  • Day/night cycles on Earth globe
  • Celestial navigation guides
  • Notifications for astronomical events
Features
Read full description

The sky above you, the Earth beneath you, the solar system you move through space. Three perspectives no other app combines this way. For thousands of years humans read the sky to measure time, navigate the Earth, and find meaning in their existence. Astronomy, astrology, and timekeeping were one science. Cosmic Watch reunites them. Free for the first time in ten years. FEATURES (core) • Sky View — stars, planets, and constellations • Earth View — day and night cycle, the cosmos around it • Solar System — geocentric and heliocentric • Celestial sphere — full 360° sky overview, unique to this app • Astrology Mode — Western, Vedic and 3D • Retrograde motion across all planets • World clock and astronomical events • Notifications for eclipses, solstices, and moon cycles • Celestial navigation — orient yourself by the sky Or just watch the Earth float in space and remember where you are. Free to explore. The three views, sky guide, every layer, star names, world clock, and notifications are yours from the first open. Tools and Time Control unlock with a subscription — or forever with Cosmic Pro. Keep the project alive and growing. We read every message you send us. TOOLS (in-app purchase) • Moon Calendar • Real-Time Clouds • Meteor Showers • Comets • Planetary Aspects • Retrograde Year • Dreamspell Calendar • Atmosphere Clockface • Save Date / Time / Location • Time Control — move forward and back, any moment A full app. Not a widget or watch face, yet. Runs on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Mac Privacy committed: No account required. Analytics never shared. Webby Award for Best Educational App 2018. New York Times. Wired. Space.com. By a Chi Gong master and an animation artist. Still looking up. Time is the Cosmic Rhythm. Terms of Use: https://cosmic-watch.com/termsOfService/ Privacy Policy: https://cosmic-watch.com/privacyPolicy/

Screenshots

SkyView® Lite4 screens
Cosmic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Cosmic at none against SkyView® Lite's shown. Cosmic also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 65%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). SkyView® Lite's advantage is ratings volume (19K vs 624) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SkyView® Lite sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Cosmic sells 6 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

Cosmic 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 624, 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 87% of Cosmic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, Cosmic every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
SkyView® Lite versus Cosmic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkyView® LiteCosmic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (19K ratings)4.8 (624 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews87.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19K — better624
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#69 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB194 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTerminal Eleven LLCCelestial Dynamics AG

Customer experience

SkyView® Lite

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

Cosmic

All ratings624 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews149 reviews
Positive87.2%
Neutral4.0%
Negative8.7%

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

Cosmic

From 624 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Visually stunning and mesmerizing
  • 🔍 Excellent for learning about the solar system and celestial sphere
  • 🕰️ Useful for tracking planetary movements and positions
  • 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive interface
  • 🧠 Highly educational and informative

Room to improve

  • 🔧 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 📍 Inaccurate location detection
  • 🔍 Overwhelming amount of information for beginners
  • ⚙️ Difficulty in customizing and managing settings
  • 🔍 Lack of clear tutorials and user guides

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

Cosmic

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Date and time not accurately reflected in the solar system view
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between different modes and settings
  • Difficulty in maintaining user preferences across sessions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add an alarm feature to wake up to different celestial views
  • Implement support for Apple Watch and other wearables
  • Provide more options to customize the display and information layers
  • Include a night mode or dimmer setting for better visibility in low light
  • Integrate with other astronomy apps and tools for a more comprehensive experience

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SkyView® Lite

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

Cosmic

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Plan$0.991 Month
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan$4.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • Tools Pack$2.99
  • Cosmic Pro$69.99

Questions

Is SkyView® Lite free?
SkyView® Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cosmic free?
Cosmic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SkyView® Lite or Cosmic?
Cosmic is rated higher. SkyView® Lite averages 4.5 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while Cosmic averages 4.8 from 624 ratings.
Do SkyView® Lite or Cosmic have ads?
SkyView® Lite shows ads; Cosmic does not.
Which is updated more often, SkyView® Lite or Cosmic?
SkyView® Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Cosmic every 6 months. Most recently, SkyView® Lite was updated on September 27, 2026 and Cosmic on September 26, 2026.

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