# Sky Guide vs StarPlanner

The clearest difference is chart position: Sky Guide at #16 against StarPlanner's unranked. Sky Guide also leads on device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sky Guide sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and StarPlanner sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Sky Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, StarPlanner every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sky Guide | StarPlanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (379K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sky-guide/id576588894/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **379K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 86.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | — |
| Size | 380 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fifth Star Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/451087546) | [PETRO VAKULENKO](https://appshunter.io/developer/6795234946) |

## What reviewers say

### Sky Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sky-guide/id576588894)

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Free · Reference, #30 Top Grossing · Reference (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Automatic celestial object identification, Augmented reality sky overlay, Satellite tracking and notifications, Time travel for past/future viewing, Personalized astronomical event calendar, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PLUS | $4.99 | per month |
| PRO | $8.99 | per month |
| PLUS | $39.99 | per year |
| PRO | $59.99 | per year |
| All Constellations | $1.99 | one-time |
| PRO Lifetime | $249.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🧭 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

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes when near polar regions
- Occasional crashes or performance issues

**Requested features**

- 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


### StarPlanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starplanner-stargazing/id6806637140)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| StarPlanner Pro Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Support Development — Small | $2.99 | one-time |
| Medium Support Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Support Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| StarPlanner Pro (Lifetime) | $16.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sky Guide free?

Sky Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is StarPlanner free?

StarPlanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Sky Guide or StarPlanner have ads?

Neither Sky Guide nor StarPlanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sky Guide or StarPlanner?

Sky Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, and StarPlanner every 9 days. Most recently, Sky Guide was updated on November 9, 2026 and StarPlanner on November 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*