Comparison

Sun Surveyor Lite vs Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch

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

Head to head
About

Sun Surveyor Lite

This app helps photographers, filmmakers, and professionals visualize and plan around the sun's path. It predicts sunrise, sunset, and twilight times, and offers tools to understand light and shadows for optimal planning.

Highlights
  • Predict sunrise and sunset times
  • Visualize sun's path
  • Golden hour and blue hour planning
  • Twilight time calculations
  • Sun shadow information
  • Visual time machine
Features
Read full description

Sun Surveyor Lite takes the mystery out of the sunrise, sunset and magic hours, helping photographers and filmmakers scout the best locations, plan effectively, and get the perfect shot. Solar Industry (PV) Professionals, architects, real estate agents, and gardeners will also find a wealth of empowering, interactive features. The 3D Compass and detailed Ephemeris provide a wealth of information about the largest natural light source in the galaxy: - Predict and plan for the golden hour, blue hour and every sunrise & sunset - Visualize the sun's path throughout the day or through the year Additional features: - Visual time machine - take a quick glance at the light for a day, or dial in desired compositions easily - Twilight times - civil, nautical, astronomical - Solstice and Equinox visualization - Sun shadow information - calculate the length of shadows cast by objects - Magnetic declination compensation Check out the Full Version of Sun Surveyor for more: - Live Camera View - augmented reality projections of the sun and moon paths, pinpoint the time the sun or moon will be at a particular location in the sky - Interactive Map View - plan a remote shot or PV array placement, interact with a top-down perspective of sun and moon paths and events - Street View Panoramas - 360 degree spherical panoramas with selected sun, moon and milky way events overlaid, where available - Moon Information: moon position, moonrise, moonset, moon phases, apogee, perigee, distance and a Super Moon finder - Show clients the quality and quantity of seasonal sunlight at a remote location - Understand potential shade of surroundings and discover any obstructions - Create images of the summer and winter Solstice & Equinox paths for a site - Prepare night photography shots with the Milky Way & star trail features - Offline usage (excludes Map View, Street View) - enter coordinates, save & load locations with no data connection or GPS available - Measure distance, and difference between elevations, and vertical angle differentials with the Map view - Import and export Google Earth .kmz/.kml locations

About

Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch

Plan outdoor activities and photography sessions with precise sunrise, sunset, and twilight times. Utilize AR mode and map overlays to find optimal lighting, and set customizable alarms for key solar events. Widgets provide at-a-glance information for seamless integration into your day.

Highlights
  • Accurate sun-tracking
  • AR mode and map overlays
  • Customizable solar alarms
  • Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Watch widgets
  • Sunrise, sunset, and twilight times
Features
Read full description

Discover the power of the sun with SolarWatch - the ultimate companion for outdoor enthusiasts and photographers! Plan your day with confidence using accurate sunrise, sunset, and twilight times, and never miss a perfect moment again with customizable solar alarms. SolarWatch's AR mode and map overlays make it easy to find the best lighting for your photos, while the app's widgets keep you informed at a glance. Whether you're hiking, camping, or simply enjoying nature, SolarWatch helps you live in harmony with the sun's natural rhythm. Picture yourself capturing breathtaking sunsets and golden hour moments with ease - all thanks to SolarWatch's powerful features. - Accurate sun-tracking for your location - AR mode and map overlays for perfect photo planning - Convenient widgets for your Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Watch - Customizable solar alarms for key moments - Plan sunlight exposure for your home or office Join over 500 thousand satisfied users and download SolarWatch today! ---- User License: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://solarwatch.app/privacy

Screenshots

Sun Surveyor Lite4 screens
Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch at 4.7 against Sun Surveyor Lite's 4.1. Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (6.1K vs 37). Sun Surveyor Lite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (79% vs 67%). On price and ads 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. Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Sun Surveyor Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch has 6.1K ratings behind it against 37, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Sun Surveyor Lite's written reviews are positive against 67% of Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sun Surveyor Lite ships an update every 2 months, Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Sun Surveyor Lite versus Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSun Surveyor LiteSunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (37 ratings)4.7 (6.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.8% of reviews — better67.3% of reviews
Number of ratings376.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS16 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB143 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam RatanaFifteen Jugglers Software UG

Customer experience

Sun Surveyor Lite

All ratings37 ratings
Positive75.7%
Neutral5.4%
Negative18.9%
Written reviews184 reviews
Positive78.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative16.8%

Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch

All ratings6,071 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.8%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews266 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral9.8%
Negative22.9%

User reviews

Sun Surveyor Lite

From 37 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use UI
  • 📸 Great for photography planning
  • 🌳 Useful for planting/landscaping
  • ☀️ Accurate sun tracking
  • 📱 Responsive 3D projection

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive pro version
  • 📉 Lite version is very limited
  • 🧭 Compass calibration issues
  • ⚠️ Sun position inaccuracies
  • 📱 Incompatible with some devices

Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch

From 6.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
  • 🌄 Accurate sunrise/sunset times
  • 🔍 Useful solar information
  • 🕰️ Convenient watch complications
  • 💻 Smooth app and widget performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔒 Paywall for advanced features
  • 🚫 Removal of previously free features
  • 🔋 High battery consumption on some devices
  • 📍 Location tracking issues on Apple Watch

Bugs and requests

Sun Surveyor Lite

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Sun no longer appears where it should
  • Sun direction is wrong indoors without GPS
  • Sun is off by more than 10 degrees
  • Sunrise time not working
  • App crashes when selecting location
Show 6 more
  • Latest update stopped working
  • Compass is always off
  • Compass is reversed
  • Lite version has an obscuring dialog box
  • Map view is not working correctly
  • App crashes on iPhone 5 iOS 7

Requested features

9 requests
  • Make the version free
  • Move UI options
  • Add dark mode
  • Add day-length feature
  • Add UV index
Show 4 more
  • Add sunrise alarm
  • Fix time zone for Russia
  • Allow user to move UI elements
  • Offer a trial for the full version

Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Widget not updating or displaying incorrect information
  • Apple Watch complications not working as expected
  • Inability to save favorite locations

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to scroll forward in time to view future sunrise/sunset times
  • Option to customize widget layout and information displayed
  • Improved map and AR functionality
  • More customizable alarm settings and tones

In-app purchases

None

Sun Surveyor Lite

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch

Subscriptions8
  • SolarWatch Gold$2.997 Days
  • SolarWatch Gold$3.991 Year
  • SolarWatch Gold Monthly$6.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • SolarWatch Gold (family share)$8.991 Month
  • SolarWatch Gold7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • SolarWatch Gold1 Year trial$9.991 Year
  • SolarWatch Gold Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • SolarWatch Gold (family share)7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • SolarWatch Gold Lifetime$49.99
  • SolarWatch Lifetime$64.99

Questions

Is Sun Surveyor Lite free?
Sun Surveyor Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch free?
Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sun Surveyor Lite or Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch?
Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch is rated higher. Sun Surveyor Lite averages 4.1 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch averages 4.7 from 6.1K ratings.
Do Sun Surveyor Lite or Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch have ads?
Neither Sun Surveyor Lite nor Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sun Surveyor Lite or Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch?
Sun Surveyor Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch every 5 days. Most recently, Sun Surveyor Lite was updated on November 1, 2026 and Sunrise Sunset Time SolarWatch on November 9, 2026.

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