Comparison

Panorama 360 vs Solar Eclipse Timer

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

Head to head
About

Panorama 360

Easily capture immersive 360-degree outdoor and indoor scenes with this intuitive mobile application. Create high-quality panoramic photos with a simple process and view them interactively. Save and share your creations directly from your device.

Highlights
  • Capture up to 360 degrees
  • Simple capture process
  • Interactive panorama viewer
  • Save panoramas to camera roll
  • Share panoramas on Twitter
  • Adjustable exposure control
  • Seamless blending
Features
Read full description

"ALL in all, this app is very novel and easy to use." --- Best10apps " It makes capturing panoramic shots super simple, with an elegant interface and straightforward set of options." --- The iPhone App Review Panorama 360 is an easy to use app for capturing up to 360 degrees of outdoor/indoor scenes right on your iOS device in a fun way. If you have ever wanted to fit more of a scene in to your shot and capture the feeling of what it was like to have been at the place, this app is designed for you. The app creates high quality panoramas, it is fast and allows you to view your panoramas using interactive pano viewer. Features: - Capture up to 360 degrees. - Very simple capture process. - On-device gallery to manage your panoramas. - Interactive panorama viewer with double tap or pinch zoom feature. - Save panoramas as photos to your camera roll. - Share your panos on Twitter. - Email your panoramas. - Adjust exposure as you rotate your device or lock for the entire capture session. - Seamless blending. - Straightened and quality panorama outputs. How easy is it really ? (1) Touch the start button (2) Rotate the camera left/right until the level indicator circle enters one of the big circles on the left/right side. (3) Touch Done button when finished. And you will have a clean panorama ready with in seconds! Once you make your first few panoramas, you may want to exercise precise control of exposure for scenes with varying lighting. The app allows you to lock exposure for a session, or adjust it using a single touch while capturing panorama. NOTE: iOS6 requires you to give permission to apps to save photos to the Camera Roll. If your photos are not being saved to the camera roll, verify the permission for Pano360 in Settings app | Privacy | Photos. The app Will Save all panos to the in-app gallery so you can save them to the camera roll after fixing the permission. Contact us at support@pelsynth.com for questions or comments.

About

Solar Eclipse Timer

This app provides precise countdowns and reminders for solar eclipse phenomena, aiding both casual observers and photographers. It works offline and offers features like automatic partial-phase image timing and a dedicated photographer mode.

Highlights
  • Offline eclipse timing
  • Precise contact time calculation
  • Photographer mode
  • Automatic partial-phase image timing
  • Geolocation and manual coordinate entry
  • Audio and notification tests
Features
Read full description

The Solar Eclipse Timer app is marking its 6th eclipse since 2017, which speaks volumes about its reliability and the trust it has built within the eclipse-chasing community. Helping tens of thousands of people enjoy the eclipse more by being reminded to observe all the fascinating eclipse phenomena. Photographers are aided by down-to-the-second precision and countdowns. Since the 2026 path covers some remote areas as well as high-traffic spots in Spain where cell service could be overwhelmed on eclipse day, the app works offline once unlocked. So, geolocation and contact time calculation are all done within the app. This makes it a true "field tool." The app is free to try, and for only a $1.99 in-app purchase to unlock the 2026 eclipse, it's an easy "yes" for anyone who has invested time and travel to be in the path of totality. In-App Video Tutorial: The first button on the Home Screen provides a comprehensive tutorial that explains all the app's functions and how to use them effectively. Audio and Notification Tests: The second button lets users run a "device sound check" to confirm that audio cues, spoken timings, and notifications are audible, which is critical since the app is designed to talk to you. Practice Session Video: The third button launches a 4-minute-45-second video of my actual eclipse-day observation site in 2024, synchronized with the app's real-time announcements. This allows both observers and photographers to practice their routines repeatedly, such as observing for shadow bands, adjusting shutter speeds, and knowing when to remove solar filters. Additionally, dialogue boxes appear as functions are selected, giving you more guidance. On eclipse day, after you get into the path, you can be timing the eclipse in 3 easy steps: 1. Tap to geolocate. 2. Tap to have the app calculate the precise contact times. 3. Tap to load the times into the timer. That's it! You are timing the eclipse. A major convenience feature of the app is the automatic calculation of the clock times needed to capture a perfect set of partial-phase images before and after totality. It is the only app in the world with this function. Collaborating with the late Fred Espenak (Mr. Eclipse) on Photographers Mode before the 2024 eclipse gives the app an incredible pedigree. For pros who need to stay "in the zone" and only care about timing and countdowns from C1 through C4, this mode is a game-changer. You can manually enter coordinates and save the site as a file. This helps compare multiple potential viewing locations. The app includes a hyperlink to the Solar Eclipse Timer website, which gives access to downloadable worksheets to record your partial-phase image times or the chores you want to do in Photographers mode, as well as my Master Stop Chart to count full and partial camera stops. I have observed and photographed six total solar eclipses and one annular eclipse. The concept of an eclipse “talking” timer was developed by me in 2002. I have been helping people time eclipses for almost 25 years. When you use the app, you will appreciate that it was designed by an eclipse chaser. There is also a link to learn more about my comprehensive eclipse observation and photography book, now in its second edition, titled “Eclipse Day.” The app also has a partial eclipse timing mode. This app is ad-free and does not track any user data. ALWAYS USE EYE PROTECTION DURING THE PARTIAL PHASES OF A SOLAR ECLIPSE! OR EVEN WHEN IT IS BRIGHT! NOT DOING SO CAN CAUSE EYE DAMAGE! We are NOT liable for misuse of the app, causing inaccurate timing, or the lack of eye safety precautions during the observation of a solar eclipse. The "glasses off" and "glasses on" statements are guides based on the calculated contact times. The timing can be affected by your phone's clock and the shape of the shadow due to the edge of the lunar limb. Use the Adjust buttons for Lunar Limb variation time adjustments. Glasses should be ON if it's bright!

Screenshots

Panorama 3604 screens
Solar Eclipse Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Solar Eclipse Timer at Free against Panorama 360's $0.99. Solar Eclipse Timer also leads on rating (3.8 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (561 vs 18). Panorama 360's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Solar Eclipse Timer is free to download; Panorama 360 costs $0.99 up front. Solar Eclipse Timer sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Panorama 360 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Solar Eclipse Timer holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solar Eclipse Timer has 561 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Panorama 360's written reviews are positive against 68% of Solar Eclipse Timer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Panorama 360 ships an update every 2 months, Solar Eclipse Timer monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Panorama 360 versus Solar Eclipse Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPanorama 360Solar Eclipse Timer
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.2 (18 ratings)3.8 (561 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.5% of reviews68.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18561 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB231 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPelsynthFoxwood Astronomy, LLC.

Customer experience

Panorama 360

All ratings18 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews127 reviews
Positive53.5%
Neutral12.6%
Negative33.9%

Solar Eclipse Timer

All ratings560 ratings
Positive68.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative27.7%
Written reviews158 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral7.6%
Negative24.1%

User reviews

Panorama 360

From 18 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 📸 Creates panoramic photos
  • 💰 Affordable price ($0.99)
  • 🎮 Gyroscopic viewing feature
  • ✨ Good alignment quality

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • ❌ Does not complete full 360 degrees
  • 🔍 Blurry and misaligned photos
  • 📚 No user instructions or documentation
  • 🚫 Cannot import/stitch existing photos

Solar Eclipse Timer

From 561 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate timing and announcements
  • 👍 Enhanced eclipse viewing experience
  • 🎉 Worked flawlessly for 2017 and 2024 eclipses
  • 💡 Helpful for photographers and non-photographers
  • 🔊 Useful audio cues and prompts

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
  • 🔍 Confusing or cluttered user interface
  • 🔋 Audio prompts not working in some cases
  • 🗺️ Inaccurate location detection or totality information

Bugs and requests

Panorama 360

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes when taking more than 6 shots
  • App crashes when completing full 360 rotation
  • Photos lost after crash during conversion
  • Fails to complete panorama stitching
  • Blurry output on multiple devices
Show 5 more
  • Gyro alignment drops degrees during capture
  • Cannot view photos within app
  • Focus issues and inconsistent focusing
  • Crashes on iPad 4 and older devices
  • Photos don't align properly at endpoints

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add user tutorial on startup
  • Improve image resolution and quality
  • Support photo import from camera roll
  • Export to multiple file formats
  • Improve app icon design
Show 4 more
  • Add Facebook sharing support
  • Support portrait orientation panoramas
  • Better focus control options
  • Detailed in-app instructions

Solar Eclipse Timer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashing when loading timing data
  • Notifications not working when camera is in use
  • Incorrect contact times displayed for some locations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Customizable reminders or timers
  • Automatic time zone and location updates
  • Lunar eclipse support
  • Improved onboarding and tutorial
  • Countdown timer with graphical depiction

In-app purchases

None

Panorama 360

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Solar Eclipse Timer

One-time6
  • Total - 7/2/19; Chile, Argenti$1.99
  • Total - 12/14/20; Chile, Argen$1.99
  • Total – 12/4/21; Antarctica$1.99
Show 3 more
  • Hybrid – 4/20/23; Australia$1.99
  • Total – 4/8/24; USA, Mexico$1.99
  • Solar Eclipse Timer$1.99

Questions

Is Panorama 360 free?
Panorama 360 costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Solar Eclipse Timer free?
Solar Eclipse Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Panorama 360 or Solar Eclipse Timer?
Solar Eclipse Timer is rated higher. Panorama 360 averages 3.2 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Solar Eclipse Timer averages 3.8 from 561 ratings.
Do Panorama 360 or Solar Eclipse Timer have ads?
Neither Panorama 360 nor Solar Eclipse Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Panorama 360 or Solar Eclipse Timer?
Panorama 360 ships an update every 2 months, and Solar Eclipse Timer monthly. Most recently, Panorama 360 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Solar Eclipse Timer on October 22, 2026.

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