Sky Guide vs The Sky by Redshift
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sky Guide
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.
- Automatic celestial object identification
- Augmented reality sky overlay
- Satellite tracking and notifications
- Time travel for past/future viewing
- Personalized astronomical event calendar
- Offline functionality
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Bring the beauty of the stars down to Earth. Hold Sky Guide® overhead to automatically identify any star, constellation, planet or satellite! Easy to use and powerful, it’s epic stargazing for any experience level. Is it a star or the planet Mars? Knowing what’s up in your night sky is easier than ever. Sky Guide’s AR mode superimposes figures onto your real sky so visualizing the heavens becomes effortless. Have you ever wished you could recognize constellations but didn’t want to fumble around with paper star charts? Now you can. A speck of light crosses the night sky, growing brighter. What could it be? You don’t have to wonder anymore. Track a bright satellite and receive perfectly-timed notifications whenever the International Space Station is about to fly over your location. With Sky Guide, you’ll be saying ‘Goodbye, aliens’ and ‘Hellooooo, astronauts!’ Voyage to the past or future with cinematic time controls. Know where the Moon will be later in the evening so you can capture that perfect photo or be an eyewitness to history’s greatest comets. Whether you’re searching for Sagittarius, Saturn, or the next big meteor shower, Sky Guide is jam-packed with information and rich graphics that will satisfy the most curious minds. Plus, stay current with location-filtered events like solar and lunar eclipses with Sky Guide’s personalized Calendar. Camping in the backcountry? Sky Guide can function with or without Wi-Fi, cellular service or GPS, so everything is at your fingertips no matter where you go. Join the millions who have discovered a more personal connection to the stars with Sky Guide. It might forever change the way you look up. Terms of Use: https://www.fifthstarlabs.com/terms-of-use
The Sky by Redshift
This app is a powerful yet easy-to-use planetarium that acts as your daily astronomy companion. Simply point your device at the sky to identify planets, stars, and constellations, and explore celestial objects with detailed views and informative explanations.
- Identify stars, planets, and constellations
- Track celestial object paths
- Simulate astronomical events
- Explore deep-space objects
- Learn about astronomical phenomena
- Eclipse timetable and simulation
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Developed in collaboration with THAMES & KOSMOS: The Sky – Astronomy, a powerful and easy-to-use planetarium – your daily companion for observing the sky! Which star is this? Where do I find Mars? Is it the ISS up there? Hold your smartphone or tablet up to the sky and see which planets, stars, or constellations are above you. Where is Jupiter and how can I find my zodiac in the sky? The Sky shows you the position of celestial objects in the sky with just a few taps. Get close-up views not only of near-Earth planets and moons, but also experience deep-space objects in stunning detail. What do the Saturnian moons look like? The Sky takes you on a breath-taking journey into the infinite realms of outer space. Fly to planets, stars, and other celestial bodies and let the app tell you about our Universe. What is a solar eclipse and what does an opposition of Mars mean? The Sky answers your questions with stunning animations and insightful explanations. Thus, even beginners will be able to understand the mechanics and to visually imagine the most important celestial events. No matter if you are a beginner or amateur astronomer, child or adult - with the intuitive app The Sky, everyone will immediately understand the sky - without much prior knowledge and long training. Shine with your knowledge of the sky, around the campfire or on night walks: with The Sky, astronomy will always be a pleasure! Discover the joy of watching the skies and the age-old fascination with space that has inspired mankind for millennia – and become part of the worldwide Redshift community. The app contains more than 9,000 stars, 88 constellations, hundreds of moons, asteroids and comets, as well as 200 spectacular deep-sky objects - all with accurate position calculation and motion tracking in real time. At a glance: • Recognize the stars and constellations of the night sky • Identify planets, moons, comets, and satellites and track their paths • Take breath-taking flights through space to distant stars and colorful nebulae • See what’s going on in the sky tonight with a direct simulation of the events • Learn to understand astronomical phenomena and events New in version 2.0: • Eclipse Timetable • Orbits of celestial objects • Expanded database with 6500 cities worldwide, including 2500 cities in the United States Were you able to witness the total solar eclipse in North America on April 8, 2024? This app contains everything you need know about this magical event: • Detailed description of the path of the eclipse in Mexico, the USA and Canada • Information on how to safely observe a solar eclipse • Eclipse timetable with the exact times for your location or best viewing position • Direct simulation of the eclipse in exciting animations • Sky map with the planets and stars that could be seen during the totality phase • Illustrated explanations of how a solar eclipse occurs • Everything about solar eclipses: Explanations and facts, illustrated with pictures and videos • Location selection via map, location search or GPS or selection of the "best position" for observation Your thirst for knowledge is not yet satisfied? With the premium subscription, you can activate many additional spaceflights and orbits as well as additional knowledge sections of "Discover astronomy". Here you can find more spectacular images and videos of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. There is also an eclipse calendar with all solar and lunar eclipses between 1900 and 2100 and a guided tour of the U.S. MARS 2020 mission. This tour includes images and animations of the landing on Mars, as well as of the environment at the landing site of the Mars rover Perseverance. ***** Questions or suggestions for improvements: Mail to support@redshiftsky.com We are looking forward to your feedback! For more information on news and updates: redshiftsky.com www.redshiftsky.com/terms-of-use-the-sky/ *****
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Sky Guide at 374K against The Sky by Redshift's 811. Sky Guide also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (86% vs 69%). The Sky by Redshift's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Sky Guide sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and The Sky by Redshift sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 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 — 4.8 for Sky Guide against 4.7 for The Sky by Redshift. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sky Guide has 374K ratings behind it against 811, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Sky Guide's written reviews are positive against 69% of The Sky by Redshift's.
Sky Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, The Sky by Redshift every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sky Guide | The Sky by Redshift |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (374K ratings) — better | 4.7 (811 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.0% of reviews — better | 69.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 374K — better | 811 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #22 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 379 MB | 472 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fifth Star Labs LLC | United Soft Media Verlag GmbH |
Customer experience
Sky Guide
The Sky by Redshift
User reviews
Sky Guide
From 374K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 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
Room to improve
- 🧭 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
The Sky by Redshift
From 811 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Expertly done
- 👍 Works well
- 👍 Beautiful and accurate
- 👍 Fun to use
Room to improve
- 🔍 Too many ads
- 🔍 Intrusive advertising
- 🔍 Information banner not useful
Bugs and requests
Sky Guide
Reported bugs
2 issues- App freezes when near polar regions
- Occasional crashes or performance issues
Requested features
5 requests- 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
The Sky by Redshift
Reported bugs
1 issue- Unauthorized access to private systems
Requested features
3 requests- Red light option to preserve night vision
- Smaller, less obtrusive pointer
- More features and accurate information
In-app purchases
Sky Guide
- PLUS$4.991 Month
- PRO$8.991 Month
- PLUS7 Days trial$39.991 Year
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- PRO7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- All Constellations$1.99
- PRO Lifetime$249.99
The Sky by Redshift
- The Sky Premium 1 Month$0.991 Month
- The Sky Premium 1 Year$3.991 Year
Questions
Is Sky Guide free?
Is The Sky by Redshift free?
Which has better reviews, Sky Guide or The Sky by Redshift?
Do Sky Guide or The Sky by Redshift have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sky Guide or The Sky by Redshift?
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