The Sun vs Day & Night Map
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Sun
This app provides precise sunrise and sunset times for your current location. You can also plan ahead by checking future sun times for any date and location.
- Current sunrise and sunset times
- Future sun time lookup
- Location-based data
- Data from MET Norway
- Free to use
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Need to know when the sun goes up and down where you are right now? This application tells you that. You can also look into the future when the sun goes up and down on a certain date and at a particular location. Sun and moon times are based on data from MET Norway. This app is free (and always will be).
Day & Night Map
Visualize the Earth's day and night cycles on an interactive world map. Select any date and time to see current illumination, or create animated GIFs of changing light patterns.
- Real-time day/night map
- Selectable date and time
- Animated GIF creation
- Minute-by-minute updates
- Global illumination visualization
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Day & Night Map shows you exactly which parts of Earth are in daylight and which are in darkness — right now, or at any date and time you choose. Watch the terminator move across the globe as hours and days pass. Explore sunrise, sunset, and twilight around the world. Perfect for travellers, astronomers, photographers, teachers, and anyone curious about time on our planet. KEY FEATURES • Live world map of day and night • Move through time with intuitive date and time controls • Jump back to the current moment with one tap • Pinch to zoom and pan across the map • Full-screen map view • Home Screen widgets in multiple sizes (including Extra Large on iPad) • Configurable widgets: sun, moon, moon phase, twilight, icon size, and more • Show sun and moon positions on the map • Display the current moon phase • Twilight zones: smooth shading or separate civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight • Equator and tropics lines • Show your current location on the map (optional) • Display time in local time or UTC • Light, dark, or system appearance • Share a map image by email, message, and more • Create animations over a chosen time range • Export animations as animated GIFs ANIMATIONS Pick a start and end date, set the step interval and speed, and watch the day/night line move over hours or days. Play the animation in the app or create an animated GIF to share. HOME SCREEN WIDGET Add the widget to your Home Screen and keep the current day/night map at a glance. Customize what is shown and how it looks directly when adding or editing the widget.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: The Sun at every 3 months against Day & Night Map's every 7 months. The Sun also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 76%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for The Sun against 4.8 for Day & Night Map. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 1.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of The Sun's written reviews are positive against 76% of Day & Night Map's.
The Sun ships an update every 3 months, Day & Night Map every 7 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | The Sun | Day & Night Map |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) | 4.8 (1.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.5% of reviews — better | 76.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 1.4K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Team Lundsgård | Volker Voecking Software Engineering |
Customer experience
The Sun
Day & Night Map
Bugs and requests
The Sun
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Day & Night Map
Reported bugs
2 issues- Moon position not displayed on iPad
- Daylight savings time not working properly
Requested features
4 requests- Option to keep noon at center and have map move
- Show analemma and sun position on it
- 24-hour clock setting for widget
- Improve moon position display on iPad
In-app purchases
The Sun
No in-app purchases
Day & Night Map
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Sun free?
Is Day & Night Map free?
Which has better reviews, The Sun or Day & Night Map?
Do The Sun or Day & Night Map have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Sun or Day & Night Map?
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