Astro Kit vs SynScan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Astro Kit
This utility app assists in telescope setup by providing essential information like GPS coordinates and universal time. It also includes a compass and calculates the local hour angle for Polaris. Designed for amateur astronomers, it simplifies the alignment process.
- GPS coordinates
- Compass functionality
- Universal time display
- Polaris local hour angle computation
- Telescope alignment assistance
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Astro Kit is intended to provide useful informations while setting up a telescope. - gps coordinates - compass - universal time - compute polaris local hour angle
SynScan
Control motorized telescope mounts for celestial object tracking and exploration. Features include GOTO functionality, object catalogs, and gamepad navigation. Ideal for novice users with alt-azimuth mounts.
- Control telescope mount slew, align, GOTO, and track
- Point and Track celestial objects
- Support gamepad navigation
- Browse and save celestial object catalogs
- Third-party app integration (ASCOM, SkySafari, Stellarium)
- Emulator mount for testing
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Use the SynScan app to control Sky-Watcher telescope mounts via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth LE. Mounts without built-in Wi-Fi can be supported via a SynScan Wi-Fi adapter. This version of the SynScan app is suited for novice users using alt-azimuth mounts. Features - Control telescope mount to slew, align, GOTO and track. - Point And Track: track celestial objects (including the Sun and planets) without aligning. - Support gamepad navigation. - Browse a catalog of stars, comets, and deep sky objects. Or, save your own objects. - Provide access to mount for use by third-party apps, including ASCOM clients, SkySafari, Luminos, Stellarium Mobile Plus, Stellarium Desktop or customer-developed apps. Also set up mount alignment for Luminos, Skysafari. - Support access to the mount and the SynScan app from any platform that supports TCP/UDP connections. - Provide emulator mount for testing and practicing. - Track fast-moving earth satellites by working with the PreviSat app on Windows PC or the Lumios app on iOS devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Astro Kit at 4.6 against SynScan's 3.3. Astro Kit also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 22%) and ratings volume (50 vs 8). SynScan's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Astro Kit holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Astro Kit has 50 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Astro Kit's written reviews are positive against 22% of SynScan's.
Astro Kit ships an update every 3 months, SynScan every 2 months. Both last shipped on June 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Astro Kit | SynScan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (50 ratings) — better | 3.3 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 22.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 50 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jerome Diaz | Astropower Technology Co. Ltd. |
Customer experience
Astro Kit
SynScan
In-app purchases
Astro Kit
No in-app purchases
SynScan
No in-app purchases
