# Night Sky vs Sky Guide

Night Sky and Sky Guide both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Sky Guide's written reviews are positive against 63% of Night Sky's. Sky Guide also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). Night Sky's advantage is device support (6 vs 4) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Night Sky sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Sky Guide sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Night Sky against 4.8 for Sky Guide. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 495K and 374K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Night Sky's written reviews are positive against 86% of Sky Guide's.

Night Sky ships an update monthly, Sky Guide every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Night Sky | Sky Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (495K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-sky/id475772902/reviews) | **[4.8 (374K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sky-guide/id576588894/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **495K** | 374K |
| Positive reviews | 62.9% of reviews | **86.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #23 | **#22** |
| Size | 529 MB | 379 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iCandi Apps Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/305827577) | [Fifth Star Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/451087546) |

## What reviewers say

### Night Sky

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

**Currently charting:** #23 Top Grossing · Reference, #42 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


### Sky Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sky-guide/id576588894)

**Currently charting:** #22 Top Grossing · Reference, #32 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

Identify stars, constellations, planets, and satellites in real-time by holding your device overhead. Explore celestial bodies with AR overlays, track satellites like the ISS, and travel through time to view past and future astronomical events. Perfect for both novice and experienced stargazers.

**Highlights:** Automatic celestial object identification, Augmented reality sky overlay, Satellite tracking and notifications, Time travel for past/future viewing, Personalized astronomical event calendar, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PLUS | $4.99 | per month |
| PRO | $8.99 | per month |
| PLUS | $39.99 | per year |
| PRO | $59.99 | per year |
| All Constellations | $1.99 | one-time |
| PRO Lifetime | $249.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Stunning visuals and graphics
- 📚 Wealth of information on celestial objects
- 🧭 Accurate and responsive compass/AR features
- 🌌 Immersive stargazing experience
- 🔍 Ability to identify stars, planets, and satellites

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🧭 Occasional compass/location calibration issues
- 💰 Subscription model limits access to some features
- 🌍 Lack of support for certain regions/locations
- 🕰️ Outdated information on some celestial objects

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes when near polar regions
- Occasional crashes or performance issues

**Requested features**

- Add more detailed information on moons of planets
- Implement mosaic planning tools for astrophotography
- Provide earlier notifications for satellite/ISS passes
- Allow users to share their observations and photos
- Improve integration with telescope/camera equipment


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Night Sky free?

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

### Is Sky Guide free?

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

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

Sky Guide is rated higher. Night Sky averages 4.7 out of 5 from 495K ratings, while Sky Guide averages 4.8 from 374K ratings.

### Do Night Sky or Sky Guide have ads?

Neither Night Sky nor Sky Guide shows ads.

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

Night Sky ships an update monthly, and Sky Guide every 2 weeks. Most recently, Night Sky was updated on September 25, 2026 and Sky Guide on September 25, 2026.

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

Night Sky currently peaks at #23 in the App Store charts, and Sky Guide at #22. 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.*