Comparison

Solar Weather vs Stargaze Tonight

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

Head to head
About

Solar Weather

Monitor magnetic storms and moon phases with real-time magnetosphere data and forecasts. Receive push notifications for disturbed magnetosphere conditions and track full and new moon times.

Highlights
  • Magnetic storm monitoring
  • Magnetosphere scale (1-10)
  • 3-day magnetosphere history
  • 24-hour magnetosphere forecast
  • 27-day magnetosphere forecast
  • Push notifications for disturbed magnetosphere
  • Moon phase tracking
Features
Read full description

Solar Weather brings real-time space weather monitoring to your pocket. Track the planetary Kp-index, forecast magnetic storms, and follow moon phases — all in one beautifully designed app. SOLAR WIND See the solar wind that drives it all — speed, plus the all-important Bz and Bt magnetic field straight from NOAA's DSCOVR satellite, with a 24-hour Bz trend. A southward Bz is the earliest sign that a storm and aurora are building. NOAA STORM SCALES Follow the three official NOAA scales at a glance — geomagnetic storms (G), solar radiation storms (S) and radio blackouts (R) — with a 3-day outlook. Turn on alerts for radiation storms and radio blackouts, too. REAL-TIME KP-INDEX Monitor the current geomagnetic activity level on a clear 0–9 scale with color-coded status. See hourly charts for the last 24 hours and spot trends at a glance. STORM FORECASTS View 24-hour and 27-day geomagnetic forecasts sourced from NOAA. Know when the next magnetic storm is coming before it affects your health, electronics, or aurora visibility. MOON PHASE CALENDAR Browse an interactive monthly calendar showing the moon phase for every day. Tap any date to see the lunar day, illumination percentage, and days until the next full or new moon. SMART NOTIFICATIONS Choose exactly which alerts matter to you: • Magnetosphere excited (Kp 2–3) • Magnetic storm detected (Kp 4+) • Severe storm warning (Kp 7+) • Full moon — 2 days, 1 day, or day-of • New moon — 2 days, 1 day, or day-of EDUCATIONAL ARTICLES Learn what the magnetosphere is, how K-index works, how geomagnetic storms affect health, and why the aurora borealis happens. ASK SIRI Just ask Siri — “Is there a magnetic storm?”, “What's the moon phase?” or “What's the solar activity?” — for an instant answer. The same shortcuts work from Spotlight and the Shortcuts app. WIDGETS & LIVE ACTIVITY Keep the current Kp-index, aurora chance, and moon phase on your Home and Lock Screen. When a magnetic storm is underway, a Live Activity shows live readings on your Lock Screen and in StandBy. FEATURES • Real-time Kp-index with hourly bar charts • 24-hour and 27-day storm forecasts from NOAA • Interactive moon phase calendar • 11 configurable push notification types • Real-time solar wind (speed, Bz, Bt) with a 24-hour trend • Official NOAA G/S/R storm scales with a 3-day outlook • Offline moon calculations — works without internet • Dark theme designed for space weather • Available in 17 languages • Ask Siri & Spotlight — storms, moon phase, solar activity • Home Screen & Lock Screen widgets, plus a storm Live Activity • Apple Watch app • Optimized for iPhone and iPad • Built-in knowledge hub with an illustrated glossary • No ads. No tracking. Free forever.

About

Stargaze Tonight

Features
Read full description

Can you go stargazing tonight? This app answers that one question. It combines cloud cover, moonlight and twilight into a single verdict for tonight: Good, Fair or Poor. This is not a star map. It is an observing conditions forecast. ■ Hour by hour It doesn't stop at "cloudy today". You see cloud cover hour by hour, so you know it clears at 11pm. That is what actually decides whether you go out. ■ Compare sites Save up to 5 observing sites and compare them side by side. "Overcast at home, clear 40 minutes away" becomes obvious. ■ Forecast range Today, tomorrow and the day after are always free. Days 4 to 7 unlock after watching one ad. ■ So what should you look at Tonight's Moon and planets, plus upcoming meteor showers and eclipses with their dates. You can find them on the sky chart, which has a red mode so it won't ruin your night vision outdoors. ■ Honestly · Every feature is free. Nothing is locked. · No account. No sign-up. · All astronomy is computed on your device. Location is used only to fetch weather. ■ Data sources · Weather: Apple Weather · Star data: HYG Database (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Constellation boundaries: IAU

Screenshots

Solar Weather4 screens
Stargaze Tonight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Solar Weather at none against Stargaze Tonight's shown. Solar Weather also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Stargaze Tonight's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solar Weather ships an update every 2 months, Stargaze Tonight weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Solar Weather versus Stargaze Tonight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar WeatherStargaze Tonight
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrey SapunovJIHWAN SEOK

In-app purchases

None

Solar Weather

No in-app purchases

None

Stargaze Tonight

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar Weather free?
Solar Weather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stargaze Tonight free?
Stargaze Tonight is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Solar Weather or Stargaze Tonight have ads?
Stargaze Tonight shows ads; Solar Weather does not.
Which is updated more often, Solar Weather or Stargaze Tonight?
Solar Weather ships an update every 2 months, and Stargaze Tonight weekly. Most recently, Solar Weather was updated on November 1, 2026 and Stargaze Tonight on October 25, 2026.

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