SimpleMoon vs Moonlight phase
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SimpleMoon
Get accurate, real-time moon phase and illumination information for any day. Easily navigate through dates and view the moon's appearance for your specific hemisphere. The app works offline and provides upcoming full and new moon dates.
- Real-time moon phase and illumination
- Date navigation and calendar selection
- Offline functionality
- Hemisphere-specific moon views
- Next full and new moon dates
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SimpleMoon provides a simple, elegant view of one thing: the moon phase and illumination for today (or any day you choose). SimpleMoon also shows you when the next full moon and new moon will occur from the "Today" view. So easy to use Tap the navigation buttons at the top or swipe to move between days. Use the calendar icon at the bottom to choose what date you want to see the moon view and illumination. Reliable and accurate SimpleMoon uses advanced mathematical calculations to determine the moon data for that day. It works even if you don't have an internet connection! Northern or Southern Hemisphere Did you know that the moon looks different depending on which hemisphere of the earth you are in? Go to Settings and pick which hemisphere you are in, and you will see the moon as it appears to you in the sky. Special thanks to my children, Alexander and Sophia who helped me design and test the app.
Moonlight phase
Visualize the current moon phase with stunning 8K animations and an augmented reality mode. Explore the lunar surface up close without a telescope, and select any date to see its corresponding phase. The app also offers geomagnetic storm predictions and works offline.
- Current moon phase visualization
- 8K resolution quality
- Augmented Reality (AR) mode
- Select any date for lunar phase
- Geomagnetic storm prediction
- Offline functionality
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Moonlight can show you the current moon phase with beautiful animation in excellent resolution quality. It has an AR mode where you can observe the full lunar surface in 8K quality mode and choose the exact date with the real phase. Kids and adults can look up close at the moon without a telescope. Users like this application and find applications in many areas such as gardening for growing seedlings, yachting for tides, finance-trading cycles, horoscopes, and many many others. * Geomagnetic storm prediction. * It is absolutely free and works offline everywhere * This app is open sourced. You can find the link on the developer's website.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Moonlight phase at none against SimpleMoon's 1. Moonlight phase also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months). SimpleMoon's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 67%) and ratings volume (302 vs 26). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. SimpleMoon sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Moonlight phase asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for SimpleMoon against 4.8 for Moonlight phase. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimpleMoon has 302 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of SimpleMoon's written reviews are positive against 67% of Moonlight phase's.
SimpleMoon ships an update every 5 months, Moonlight phase every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SimpleMoon | Moonlight phase |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (302 ratings) — better | 4.8 (26 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.1% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 302 — better | 26 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tag Along K | Gennady Dmitrik |
Customer experience
SimpleMoon
Moonlight phase
Bugs and requests
SimpleMoon
Reported bugs
4 issues- Adult content appearing unexpectedly
- Moon phase accuracy issues reported
- App not rotating on iPads (resolved)
- Displays (null)% and black moon
Requested features
8 requests- Include moon rise and set times
- Add a widget for quick overview
- Allow dragging to scroll through dates
- App icon showing current moon phase
- Southern Hemisphere option
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- Ability to browse history/past dates
- Display date, time, and location
- Improve accuracy of moon phases
Moonlight phase
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SimpleMoon
- Remove Ads from SimpleMoon$0.99
Moonlight phase
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SimpleMoon free?
Is Moonlight phase free?
Which has better reviews, SimpleMoon or Moonlight phase?
Do SimpleMoon or Moonlight phase have ads?
Which is updated more often, SimpleMoon or Moonlight phase?
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