Comparison

Night Sky vs The Sky by Redshift

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

Head to head
About

Night Sky

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
Read full description

Night Sky is a powerful AI personal planetarium. Quickly identify stars, planets, constellations and satellites above by simply holding your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch to the Night Sky! This is all done magically. Whether you’re looking for a constellation, or the International Space Station, let Night Sky direct you to it, then explore the object in AR! FEATURE SET: - NIGHT SKY + AURA (Night Sky + Aura Subscription required) - Your Personal AI Super Astronomer! Ask Night Sky Aura virtually anything about Space and it will know the answer. Night Sky Aura fully interfaces with features within Night Sky, to direct you to objects you’re interested in, provide information on anything to do with astronomy, or even show you how the sky looks on the other side of the world! With your own personal AI Super Astronomer right by your side, Night Sky Aura becomes the new natural way to interact with the sky above! - SKY TAGS - Make Night Sky yours, by adding personal Sky Tags to the map! Pin Sky Tags to objects in the sky to save for future reference, and share them via iMessage so others can find them! Sky Tags can be categorized, and are completely personal to you. Maybe you want to tag a star as a memorial to someone, or tag something you’d like to observe later that night. You can even add Astrophotography photos and observation notes to your Sky Tags! - CONNECTED STARGAZING (+ Feature) - Connected Stargazing is a revolutionary new feature that utilizes SharePlay in iOS 15.1, allowing you to stargaze with others when you are apart! Start a FaceTime Audio call with those who you would like to stargaze with, then create a session by adding objects for everyone to find in the sky! - SPATIAL AUDIO OBJECT NAVIGATION - Using AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, search for an object when automatic sky tracking is on, and Night Sky will make the star, planet or constellation ‘chirp’ in the 360° soundscape, assisting you to navigate to the object with sound! - AR SKY WINDOW - Erase the ceiling of your bedroom, lounge or classroom with AR! Night Sky intelligently detects the ceiling or other flat surface in a room, and can make it magically disappear to reveal the sky behind it! - BILLIONS OF STARS! (+ Feature) - Space is vast, so Night Sky has been hyper charged with over 1.7 BILLION STARS streamed from the cloud! With a new super deep zoom (greater than 10X before), prepare to delve deeper into space than you ever imagined! - MAPS UI - A clean and familiar interface with Search features including Quick Find, intelligent Night Red Mode, Light Pollution indicator and easy to use menu, prepare to navigate Night Sky quicker than ever before! - AR PLANETARY PORTALS & AR GRAND ORRERY (+ Features) - Step onto the surface of other planets by placing AR portals around your room! Or walk around the entire Solar System using the newly refreshed interactive Grand Orrery! - NIGHT SKY WATCH AR - Night Sky magically comes to life on Apple Watch, with Glass Constellations, Red Vision, and Night Sky Live Tours - all on your wrist! - AR OBJECT EXPLORATION - Pull Planets, Stars and Constellations out of the sky and look at them in detailed AR! - NIGHT SKY TOURS (+ Feature): Get a live sky tour or create your own sky tours for any location and time in the world! - NIGHT SKY MINDFULNESS (+ Feature) - A mindfulness stargazing experience adding mindfulness minutes with Apple HealthKit. - AND MANY MORE FEATURES! Subscription Information: 'Night Sky +' and 'Night Sky + Aura' are available as optional subscriptions. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy policy: http://www.icandiapps.com/privacy-policy/ Terms and Conditions of Use: http://www.icandiapps.com/terms-conditions/

About

The Sky by Redshift

This app is a powerful yet easy-to-use planetarium that acts as your daily astronomy companion. Simply point your device at the sky to identify planets, stars, and constellations, and explore celestial objects with detailed views and informative explanations.

Highlights
  • Identify stars, planets, and constellations
  • Track celestial object paths
  • Simulate astronomical events
  • Explore deep-space objects
  • Learn about astronomical phenomena
  • Eclipse timetable and simulation
Features
Read full description

Developed in collaboration with THAMES & KOSMOS: The Sky – Astronomy, a powerful and easy-to-use planetarium – your daily companion for observing the sky! Which star is this? Where do I find Mars? Is it the ISS up there? Hold your smartphone or tablet up to the sky and see which planets, stars, or constellations are above you. Where is Jupiter and how can I find my zodiac in the sky? The Sky shows you the position of celestial objects in the sky with just a few taps. Get close-up views not only of near-Earth planets and moons, but also experience deep-space objects in stunning detail. What do the Saturnian moons look like? The Sky takes you on a breath-taking journey into the infinite realms of outer space. Fly to planets, stars, and other celestial bodies and let the app tell you about our Universe. What is a solar eclipse and what does an opposition of Mars mean? The Sky answers your questions with stunning animations and insightful explanations. Thus, even beginners will be able to understand the mechanics and to visually imagine the most important celestial events. No matter if you are a beginner or amateur astronomer, child or adult - with the intuitive app The Sky, everyone will immediately understand the sky - without much prior knowledge and long training. Shine with your knowledge of the sky, around the campfire or on night walks: with The Sky, astronomy will always be a pleasure! Discover the joy of watching the skies and the age-old fascination with space that has inspired mankind for millennia – and become part of the worldwide Redshift community. The app contains more than 9,000 stars, 88 constellations, hundreds of moons, asteroids and comets, as well as 200 spectacular deep-sky objects - all with accurate position calculation and motion tracking in real time. At a glance: • Recognize the stars and constellations of the night sky • Identify planets, moons, comets, and satellites and track their paths • Take breath-taking flights through space to distant stars and colorful nebulae • See what’s going on in the sky tonight with a direct simulation of the events • Learn to understand astronomical phenomena and events New in version 2.0: • Eclipse Timetable • Orbits of celestial objects • Expanded database with 6500 cities worldwide, including 2500 cities in the United States Were you able to witness the total solar eclipse in North America on April 8, 2024? This app contains everything you need know about this magical event: • Detailed description of the path of the eclipse in Mexico, the USA and Canada • Information on how to safely observe a solar eclipse • Eclipse timetable with the exact times for your location or best viewing position • Direct simulation of the eclipse in exciting animations • Sky map with the planets and stars that could be seen during the totality phase • Illustrated explanations of how a solar eclipse occurs • Everything about solar eclipses: Explanations and facts, illustrated with pictures and videos • Location selection via map, location search or GPS or selection of the "best position" for observation Your thirst for knowledge is not yet satisfied? With the premium subscription, you can activate many additional spaceflights and orbits as well as additional knowledge sections of "Discover astronomy". Here you can find more spectacular images and videos of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. There is also an eclipse calendar with all solar and lunar eclipses between 1900 and 2100 and a guided tour of the U.S. MARS 2020 mission. This tour includes images and animations of the landing on Mars, as well as of the environment at the landing site of the Mars rover Perseverance. ***** Questions or suggestions for improvements: Mail to support@redshiftsky.com We are looking forward to your feedback! For more information on news and updates: redshiftsky.com www.redshiftsky.com/terms-of-use-the-sky/ *****

Screenshots

Night Sky4 screens
The Sky by Redshift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Night Sky at 495K against The Sky by Redshift's 811. Night Sky also leads on chart position (#24 vs unranked) and device support (6 vs 3). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Night Sky sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and The Sky by Redshift sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Night Sky against 4.7 for The Sky by Redshift. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Night Sky has 495K ratings behind it against 811, 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 69% of The Sky by Redshift's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Night Sky ships an update monthly, The Sky by Redshift every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Night Sky versus The Sky by Redshift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNight SkyThe Sky by Redshift
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (495K ratings)4.7 (811 ratings)
Positive reviews62.9% of reviews69.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings495K — better811
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#24 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.415.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size529 MB472 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiCandi Apps Ltd.United Soft Media Verlag GmbH

Customer experience

Night Sky

All ratings495,165 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews1,331 reviews
Positive62.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative30.7%

The Sky by Redshift

All ratings811 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral11.5%
Negative19.2%

User reviews

Night Sky

From 495K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 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

Room to improve

  • 💰 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

The Sky by Redshift

From 811 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Expertly done
  • 👍 Works well
  • 👍 Beautiful and accurate
  • 👍 Fun to use

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Too many ads
  • 🔍 Intrusive advertising
  • 🔍 Information banner not useful

Bugs and requests

Night Sky

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

The Sky by Redshift

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Unauthorized access to private systems

Requested features

3 requests
  • Red light option to preserve night vision
  • Smaller, less obtrusive pointer
  • More features and accurate information

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Night Sky

Subscriptions9
  • Night Sky+$5.991 Month
  • Night Sky +$5.997 Days
  • Night Sky +$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Night Sky + Aura$9.997 Days
  • Night Sky + Aura$17.991 Month
  • Night Sky+$39.991 Year
  • Night Sky +$49.991 Year
  • Night Sky + Aura$69.991 Year
  • Night Sky + Aura3 Days trial$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • Night Sky + Aura (Unlimited)$229.99
2 purchases

The Sky by Redshift

Subscriptions2
  • The Sky Premium 1 Month$0.991 Month
  • The Sky Premium 1 Year$3.991 Year

Questions

Is Night Sky free?
Night Sky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Sky by Redshift free?
The Sky by Redshift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Night Sky or The Sky by Redshift?
Night Sky and The Sky by Redshift are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 495K and 811 ratings respectively.
Do Night Sky or The Sky by Redshift have ads?
Neither Night Sky nor The Sky by Redshift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Night Sky or The Sky by Redshift?
Night Sky ships an update monthly, and The Sky by Redshift every 2 months. Most recently, Night Sky was updated on September 25, 2026 and The Sky by Redshift on September 21, 2026.

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