# Night Sky vs Orbitrack

The clearest difference is price: Night Sky at Free against Orbitrack's $4.99. Night Sky also leads on ratings volume (495K vs 962) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Orbitrack's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (76% vs 63%). On rating, ads, chart position and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Night Sky is free to download; Orbitrack costs $4.99 up front. Night Sky sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Orbitrack asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Night Sky against 4.7 for Orbitrack. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Night Sky has 495K ratings behind it against 962, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Night Sky's written reviews are positive against 76% of Orbitrack's.

Night Sky ships an update monthly, Orbitrack every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Night Sky | Orbitrack |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (495K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-sky/id475772902/reviews) | [4.7 (962 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbitrack/id1092984911/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **495K** | 962 |
| Positive reviews | 62.9% of reviews | **75.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#24** | #70 |
| Size | 529 MB | 138 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iCandi Apps Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/305827577) | [Southern Stars Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/437108146) |

## What reviewers say

### Night Sky

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-sky/id475772902)

**Currently charting:** #24 Top Grossing · Reference, #49 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Explore the cosmos with an AI-powered planetarium. Identify stars, planets, and satellites by pointing your device at the sky. Discover celestial objects in augmented reality and share your stargazing experiences with others.

**Highlights:** AI personal planetarium, Identify stars, planets, constellations, satellites, Augmented Reality (AR) exploration, AI Super Astronomer (subscription), Customizable Sky Tags, Connected Stargazing with SharePlay, Spatial Audio Object Navigation

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Night Sky+ | $5.99 | per month |
| Night Sky + | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Night Sky + | $9.99 | per month |
| Night Sky + Aura | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Night Sky + Aura | $17.99 | per month |
| Night Sky+ | $39.99 | per year |
| Night Sky + | $49.99 | per year |
| Night Sky + Aura | $69.99 | per year |
| Night Sky + Aura | $69.99 | per year |
| Night Sky + Aura (Unlimited) | $229.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent app for stargazing and learning about the night sky
- 🔭 Detailed information on celestial objects, satellites, and space events
- 🌍 Accurate mapping of the sky to real-world locations
- 🎨 Beautiful visuals and animations
- 🔍 Helpful for identifying stars, planets, and constellations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Frequent prompts to upgrade to premium subscription
- 🔌 Concerns about high battery consumption
- 🤔 Calibration and alignment issues with the AR features
- 🤯 Overwhelming amount of information and features for casual users
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches reported

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing or freezing during use
- Inaccurate mapping of the night sky compared to the real-world view
- Issues with the app continuing to run and consume data in the background even when not in use

**Requested features**

- Option to disable or reduce the frequency of subscription prompts
- Improved accuracy and responsiveness of the AR sky blending
- More customization options to tailor the app experience
- Better support for users in areas with high light pollution
- Ability to search for and locate specific celestial objects more easily


### Orbitrack

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbitrack/id1092984911)

**Currently charting:** #70 Top Paid · Reference (US App Store)

Explore thousands of satellites in orbit with this augmented and virtual reality spaceflight simulator. Visualize spacecraft, track their paths, and learn about their missions with detailed 3D models and real-time data. Experience space from a new perspective.

**Highlights:** Augmented and Virtual Reality modes, Track over 5000 spacecraft, Detailed 3D satellite models, Voice-controlled VR, Radio frequency data for amateur satellites, Real-time satellite data updates, Time Flow controls

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great features
- 👍 User-friendly
- 💡 Innovative tracking
- 🔍 Detailed satellite information
- 🌍 Realistic Earth and sky views

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤑 Paid app
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🔊 Annoying music
- 🗺️ Outdated satellite data
- 🔍 Inaccurate magnitude estimates

**Reported bugs**

- Motion tracking issues
- Stuck on old date
- Accelerometer not working
- Satellite positions not accurate

**Requested features**

- Sort by magnitude feature
- Favorite satellites option
- Customizable field of view
- Notifications for visible passes
- Metric/imperial toggle


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Night Sky free?

Night Sky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Orbitrack free?

Orbitrack costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Night Sky or Orbitrack?

Night Sky and Orbitrack are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 495K and 962 ratings respectively.

### Do Night Sky or Orbitrack have ads?

Neither Night Sky nor Orbitrack shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Night Sky or Orbitrack?

Night Sky ships an update monthly, and Orbitrack every 4 months. Most recently, Night Sky was updated on September 24, 2026 and Orbitrack on September 21, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Night Sky or Orbitrack?

Night Sky currently peaks at #24 in the App Store charts, and Orbitrack at #70. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*