Comparison

Cloud Map vs Astrospheric

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

Head to head
About

Cloud Map

Access satellite imagery from over 120 NOAA weather stations to view cloud cover. Utilize GPS to locate nearby stations or save favorites for quick access. View current conditions on Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • 120+ NOAA weather station satellite images
  • Visible cloud cover view
  • GPS for nearest station
  • Favorite weather stations list
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Standard and Pro versions
Features
Read full description

Quickly check any of the 120 NOAA weather station satellite images for visible cloud cover. If you travel, you can use the GPS feature to find the nearest weather station image. You can also collect a list of your favorite weather stations for easy reference. The standard version includes 2 satellite views. View the current satellite image on Apple Watch. Upgrade to Pro version and get 23 satellite views.

About

Astrospheric

This app offers advanced weather forecasting and astronomical data for stargazers and astrophotographers. It provides detailed hourly forecasts, cloud and sky transparency reports, and alerts for celestial events. It also includes tools for astronomical societies and offline site setup.

Highlights
  • 84-hour hourly weather forecast
  • Ensemble cloud forecast
  • Kp index for Aurora
  • ISS flyover paths
  • Integrated smoke forecast
  • Sky and ground data
  • Rise and set times
  • Solar and Lunar eclipse data
Features
Read full description

Astrospheric provides advanced weather tools for professional astronomers and astrophotographers, and supports hundreds of astronomical societies with tools that help members stay connected. Are you using what the pros use? Features • 84 hour, hour-by-hour forecast • Free notification reminders for major astronomical events • Ensemble cloud forecast lets you quickly compare the major forecast models with hourly updates (Astrospheric Pro) • Extended cloud forecast • Kp index for Aurora viewing (and alerts with Pro) • International Space Station (ISS) flyover paths and times • Astrospheric is the only astronomy service that integrates the smoke forecast into the transparency report • Sky data: cloud, sky transparency, seeing • Ground data: wind, temperature, and humidity • Precise rise and set times for both the sun and moon • Get weather alerts when conditions meeting your requirements are met (Astrospheric Pro) • Details Solar and Lunar eclipse data Astronomical Societies • Stay connected with chat, image sharing, and event planning with all of your members. • Qualifying astronomical societies can get Pro features for all of their members Site Mode • Information necessary to quickly set up your GOTO tracking mount • Available even if you don’t have a network connection Astrospheric Professional is now available to enable Weather Alerts, Ensemble cloud forecast, and more! • Astrospheric Professional is billed monthly or yearly and will auto-renew unless turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. The renewal cost will be the same as the initial sign-up cost of the subscription. Any changes in cost will be communicated before renewal takes place. • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the your Account Settings after purchase. A link to these settings is made available within Astrospheric "My Profile" for easy access. • The terms of use and privacy policy may be found at https://www.astrospheric.com/privacypolicy.php, purchasing a subscription shows agreement to these terms. PLEASE NOTE: Weather data is not available for Hawaii due to the domain area covered by the Canadian Meteorological Center. However, satellite and light pollution map layers, as well as other features will work in Hawaii. More information on Astrospherics forecast domain can be found here: https://www.astrospheric.com/dynamiccontent/datadomain.html

Screenshots

Cloud Map4 screens
Astrospheric4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Astrospheric at 88% against Cloud Map's 33%. Astrospheric also leads on chart position (#65 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 16.2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Cloud Map sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Astrospheric sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cloud Map ships an update monthly, Astrospheric every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Cloud Map versus Astrospheric: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCloud MapAstrospheric
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (453 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.6% of reviews87.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—453 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#65 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.29.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DevelopernáhodnýDaniel Fiordalis

Customer experience

Cloud Map

Written reviews43 reviews
Positive32.6%
Neutral7.0%
Negative60.5%

Astrospheric

All ratings453 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral1.5%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews146 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative7.5%

Bugs and requests

Cloud Map

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Astrospheric

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashing or not loading on some devices
  • Inconsistent temperature and wind data

Requested features

4 requests
  • Notification system for clear skies
  • Widgets for quick access to data
  • More detailed transparency and seeing data
  • Ability to flip east and west in the app

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cloud Map

One-time1
  • Cloud Map Pro$3.99
2 purchases

Astrospheric

Subscriptions2
  • Astrospheric Pro Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Astrospheric Pro Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Cloud Map free?
Cloud Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Astrospheric free?
Astrospheric is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Cloud Map or Astrospheric have ads?
Neither Cloud Map nor Astrospheric shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cloud Map or Astrospheric?
Cloud Map ships an update monthly, and Astrospheric every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cloud Map was updated on October 11, 2026 and Astrospheric on October 10, 2026.

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