Comparison

Sun Surveyor Lite vs SunPath

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

SunPath

Features
Read full description

Plan sunlight before you arrive. See the exact sun position, shadows, sunrise, sunset, golden hour and blue hour for any location and any date. WHAT SUNPATH DOES SunPath helps you plan natural light with confidence. Whether you're scouting a photography location, evaluating a property, planning a solar installation or designing an outdoor space, SunPath shows exactly where the sun will be throughout the day and year. Search for cities, addresses and popular landmarks worldwide to instantly visualize the sun path, sunlight direction and shadow conditions before you arrive. FREE TRIAL Every new user receives 1 free location search. Your free search unlocks SunPath's complete planning experience, including live sun position, date planning, golden hour, blue hour, yearly sunlight comparisons and premium map styles. After the free search has been used, a subscription or lifetime purchase is required to continue searching new locations and access premium features. FEATURES • Sun position and direction for any location • Sunrise and sunset direction • Live sun altitude & azimuth • Golden hour & blue hour (AM & PM) • Shadow planning throughout the year • Daylight duration and seasonal changes • Year-round sunlight comparisons • Civil dawn and dusk times • Search cities, addresses and landmarks • Any date selection (past & future) • Hybrid and Satellite maps PERFECT FOR • Photography & Videography • Real Estate & Property Visits • Architecture & Landscape Design • Solar Panel Planning • Garden Planning • Outdoor Events & Travel Plan with confidence. Know the light before you arrive. --- About Subscriptions: This app offers optional auto-renewable subscriptions to access premium features. • Annual Plan: Full access, billed yearly • Lifetime Plan: One-time purchase for permanent access Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes Account will be charged upon confirmation of purchase. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings at any time. By using this app, you agree to Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ and our Privacy Policy: https://appx3.dev/privacy/

Screenshots

Sun Surveyor Lite4 screens
SunPath4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sun Surveyor Lite at none against SunPath's 3. SunPath's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. SunPath sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Sun Surveyor Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sun Surveyor Lite ships an update every 2 months, SunPath every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 16, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Sun Surveyor Lite versus SunPath: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSun Surveyor LiteSunPath
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (37 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings37 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam RatanaSerge Benati

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

SunPath

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Sun Surveyor Lite

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

SunPath

Subscriptions1
  • SunSpotter Full Access –1 Year$4.991 Year
One-time2
  • Unlock SunSpotter$2.99
  • One-Time Purchase$12.99

Questions

Is Sun Surveyor Lite free?
Sun Surveyor Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SunPath free?
SunPath is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sun Surveyor Lite or SunPath have ads?
Neither Sun Surveyor Lite nor SunPath shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sun Surveyor Lite or SunPath?
Sun Surveyor Lite ships an update every 2 months, and SunPath every 2 weeks. Most recently, Sun Surveyor Lite was updated on August 16, 2026 and SunPath on September 17, 2026.

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