Comparison

Observer Pro vs Universe2Go

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

Head to head
About

Observer Pro

This app helps advanced astronomers and astrophotographers plan their observing sessions. It predicts object visibility, factoring in local obstructions, and provides weather forecasts. Manage observing lists and favorite sites to maximize your stargazing time.

Highlights
  • 14,000+ deep sky objects with photos
  • Local horizon profile measurement
  • Object visibility prediction charts
  • Featured object recommendations
  • Favorite observing site management
  • Astronomical weather forecasts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Observer Pro is an indispensable app for advanced astronomy observing and astrophotography planning. No more guessing when that galaxy emerges from behind that tree. No more estimating how many hours you'll be able to image an object. Observer Pro gives every astronomer the info they need to make the most of their observing right at their fingertips! What astronomers are saying: "Every astronomer with an iPhone should own this app!" - Astronomy Technology Today magazine "Observer Pro is the most impressive astronomy app that I have tried out. I enthusiastically commend it to you!" - Tom Mote, Professor Emeritus, Astronomy "I have been using it since the day it first became available and I cannot live without it now." - Sedat B., Cloudy Nights forum Feature highlights: • Over 14,000 deep sky objects included, all with closeup reference photos. No need to download anything after install! Sorting and search make it easy to sift through all of them to find which objects belong on your observing list. • Measure your local horizon profile in minutes with your iPhone. • Unique charts completely take the guesswork out of predicting object visibility. Your house, trees, mountains, or any other obstructions are completely factored in to all visibility charts. • New to astronomy? The Featured object list shows a list of objects specific to your location and local horizon that are great for observing right now. • Keep a list of your favorite observing sites, each with their own local horizon profile. Compare object visibility between sites to find the best spot to setup your scope. • There's a lot to observe! Observer Pro gives you a place to maintain a list of your favorite objects as well as an observing list that you can take with you to the eyepiece. • 7Timer! astronomical weather forecasts for your observing sites are viewable without leaving Observer Pro. They give you the outlook on cloud cover, seeing, transparency, and more. • Check out the in-app help to learn more about how to use the many features that come with Observer Pro. Keep up-to-date with the latest news at the Observer Pro blog: http://observer.pro/blog

About

Universe2Go

Explore the night sky with an audio-visual guide. Use augmented reality with special glasses to overlay information onto the real stars, or use starmap mode for a limited experience. Features include constellation discovery, mythology stories, deep-sky object exploration, and quizzes.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality overlay
  • Audio-visual sky guide
  • Constellation discovery mode
  • Mythology stories
  • Deep-sky object exploration
  • Night sky quiz mode
Read full description

This version of universe2go will get no more updates. Please install the new, improved universe2go+ app from the AppStore. universe2go is an audio-visual sky guide. universe2go has two modi: 1) Starmap-Mode: use this mode to run universe2go without the Astro-Glasses. This mode has limited functionality. 2) Planetarium-Mode: in conjunction with universe2go Astro-Glasses you experience the the starry sky in a complete new way with audio and augmented reality overlay. How does it work? In conjunction with the AR-Astro-Glassses (AR = augmented reality) you can see the night sky with all the stars AND at the same time you will see additional information about the stars and constellations. This way a symbiosis between the real sky and virtual graphics and text is created. universe2go will use the sensors of your smartphone to generate the corresponding information for the exact spot of the sky that you are looking at. Maybe you are already familiar with some other starmap apps which can do this also (and some claim to do augmented reality, but fail since the smartphone camera is not capable of night sky imaging). But universe2go is very different!!! 1) universe2go uses a special algorithm and heuristics to identify the star you are looking at with high reliability. (feel free to compare this with other apps!) 2) universe2go displays the constellations the same size as the appear in the sky (other apps display them much smaller, making it hard for the beginner to do the matching between screen display and reality) 3) univers2go is fun. You get an automatically activated zoom, that will show you planets, nebulae, galaxies, satellites and much more with a mind blowing magnification many images even in 3D!!! That's super cool and fun. universe2go has several modes so you can explore the night sky in many different ways: 1) Discovery-Mode: explore all 88 official constellations. See lines connecting the appropriate stars and listen to information describing the constellation. 2) Mythology-Mode: listen to entertaining stories about the constellations which have been told by the ancient greeks. This way you will easily learn much about the heroes of old, Gods, Beasts and beautiful princesses. 3) Deep-Sky-Mode: see images (most of the from the Hubble Space Telescope) of planets, nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, comets, satellites in a way that would be impossible even with the best telescope. Many of them even in 3D which have been processed especially for universe2go. 4) Quiz-Mode: test your knowledge about the night sky. Find constellation that universe2go will show you. universe2go contains more than 3 hours of excellent audio and hundreds of specially processed images. It contains the complete Hipparcos star catalogue (120.000 stars) and NGC catalogue (7.000 objects). IMPORTANT: will need the universe2go Astro-Glasses to use the Planetariums-Mode. (see universe2go.com for getting it) compatible iPhones: iPhone4, iPhone4S, iPhone5, iPhone5S, iPhone5C, iPhone6 Runs also on iPad (you can switch on a special simulation demo mode in the settings)

Screenshots

Observer Pro4 screens
Universe2Go2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Observer Pro at 79% against Universe2Go's 26%. Observer Pro also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (49 vs 2). Universe2Go's advantage is price (Free vs $13.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On 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

Universe2Go is free to download; Observer Pro costs $13.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Observer Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Observer Pro has 49 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Observer Pro's written reviews are positive against 26% of Universe2Go's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Observer Pro ships an update every 6 months, Universe2Go every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Observer Pro versus Universe2Go: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObserver ProUniverse2Go
Price$13.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (49 ratings) — better3.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews — better26.3% of reviews
Number of ratings49 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#153 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.412.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size241 MB298 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoshua Buryinnospiring GmbH

Customer experience

Observer Pro

All ratings49 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral5.8%
Negative15.0%

Universe2Go

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral10.5%
Negative63.2%

Bugs and requests

Observer Pro

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes when selecting catalog groupings (Galaxy, Planetary Nebulae, etc.)
  • iOS keyboard doesn't dismiss on iPad after clicking Done
  • Observer lists and custom data disappearing after app closure
  • Search feature missing in version 1.4
  • Continuous crashes since recent updates
Show 5 more
  • Horizon drawing feature unreliable - drifts while drawing
  • Menu items on far right side of screen unresponsive
  • Incompatibility with iOS 8 (historical)
  • App crashes on startup with certain iOS versions
  • Weather feature broken

Requested features

16 requests
  • iPad native app with landscape mode support
  • Search functionality restoration/improvement
  • Export observer lists to other apps (Sky Safari, etc.)
  • Support for planets, comets, and asteroids
  • Observing notes and session logging
Show 11 more
  • Field of view/scope focal length comparison
  • Color object photographs
  • Additional catalogs (Sharpless, etc.)
  • Moon visibility in sky view
  • Azimuth-based sorting for telescope positioning
  • Filter options for object types
  • Cross-device syncing between iPhone and iPad
  • Print functionality for observing plans
  • User-created custom catalogs
  • Screen auto-rotation support
  • Weather forecast integration

Universe2Go

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Observer Pro

No in-app purchases

None

Universe2Go

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Observer Pro free?
Observer Pro costs $13.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Universe2Go free?
Universe2Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Observer Pro or Universe2Go?
Observer Pro is rated higher. Observer Pro averages 4.6 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while Universe2Go averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Observer Pro or Universe2Go have ads?
Neither Observer Pro nor Universe2Go shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Observer Pro or Universe2Go?
Observer Pro ships an update every 6 months, and Universe2Go every 2 months. Most recently, Observer Pro was updated on October 24, 2026 and Universe2Go on October 24, 2026.

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