Comparison

PhotoPills vs DragonLight Mobile

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

Head to head
About

PhotoPills

Plan and capture stunning photos of the sun, moon, and Milky Way. This app helps you visualize celestial events and landscape compositions with advanced planning tools and augmented reality.

Highlights
  • 2D Map-Centric Planner (Sun, Moon, Milky Way)
  • 3D Augmented Reality Views
  • Celestial Event Finder
  • Photo Plans Manager
  • Location Scouting Tool
  • Calculators (Long Exposure, Timelapse, etc.)
Features
Read full description

Unlock your creative potential! Discover how to easily turn any Sun, Moon and Milky Way scene you imagine into a real picture… and start shooting truly legendary photos every time you pick up the camera! Whether your passion is to capture beautiful landscapes, immortalize the infinite night sky, surprise the bride and the groom in their happiest day... or to travel the world, PhotoPills will make you love exploring new artistic possibilities to tell visual stories in a way it wasn’t possible before. * All in one app PhotoPills is your iPhone and iPad personal assistant in all photographic matters. It provides tasty remedies to answer most of the questions when planning and shooting your creative ideas: - The First 2D Map-Centric Planner: Sun, Moon, Milky Way - Sun, Moon Alignments Fast Finder - 3D Augmented Reality: Sun, Moon, Milky Way, Celestial Equator, Polaris, DoF, FoV - Photo Plans Manager - Location Scouting Tool - Key information: Sunrise/set, Twilights, Golden Hour, Blue Hour, Moonrise/set, Supermoon dates, Moon Calendar - Calculators: Long Exposure, Timelapse, Spot Stars, Star Trails, Hyperfocal Table, DoF, FoV - Widgets: Sun, Moon, Milky Way - PhotoPills Awards… and much more! * Endorsed by Masters “PhotoPills is an invaluable tool which I use every time I plan a shoot.” – Mark Gee, Astronomy Photographer of the Year. “A tool every photographer should have.” – Kevin Raber, Luminous-landscape.com. “It pays off! Using such a tool ensures that we are repeatedly capable of quickly planning powerful shots; leaving maximum opportunity for more creative ruminations.” – José B. Ruiz, Innovation Award, Wildlife Photographer of the Year. * How it works Have you ever walked around a place and thought: "What a pity the Moon isn't EXACTLY right there... I would have captured a great photo!"? What about the Sun? And the Milky Way? Well, now you can let your imagination fly and calculate when this specific magic moment happens in just a few seconds: - IMAGINE: the Milky Way arching over a powerful landscape, a giant full Moon appearing from behind a nearby hill or a sunset between two rocks on a magic beach... The only limit is your imagination! - PLAN: easily calculate the exact date and time the scene you’ve imagined happens. Work smarter, not harder! - SHOOT: just get out there, immerse yourself in the great outdoors, and enjoy living and capturing unique moments. * Become a Legend Because we know the huge amount of time, energy and love you put in your photos. We want to HONOR them, SHOW them to the World, and REWARD you with up to $6,600 in cash prizes. It's easy and FREE! Just submit your creative photos from PhotoPills and join the Legacy! * Never waste an unmissable scene again Create a To-Do list of planned photos and get to the location on time. * Get it right Adjust your frame for the best composition before you shoot. Use the 3D Augmented Reality Views to see whether Sun, Moon and Milky Way will be at the desired position when pressing the shutter. * Explore, discover great places and create your own database of locations If you come across a location you’d like to remember, save it as a Point of Interest. * Enjoy all daily information in just one swipe with the Widgets Just swipe down from the top of the screen to get all the Sun, Moon and Milky Way events for your current location and date, in addition to your upcoming photo plans. * Get more than an app Our goal is not only to help you plan your shots, but also to help you nail them. Whenever you need help, take a look at our How-To articles and videos, join our free online courses or just contact us! “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take PhotoPills – you stay in Wonderland and we show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. Remember: all we’re offering are Legendary Photos and Goosebumps in your skin, nothing more.”

About

DragonLight Mobile

This app transforms your mobile device into a professional flat field illumination panel for astrophotography. It helps remove image artifacts like dust spots and vignetting, enabling cleaner, more professional-looking deep sky and planetary images.

Highlights
  • Precision brightness control with 4,096 levels
  • Full automation with astronomy software integration
  • Remote brightness control via web interface
  • Adjustable aperture mask for even illumination
  • Network device finder
  • Red flashlight mode for night vision
Features
Read full description

DragonLIGHT Mobile transforms your iPhone or iPad into a professional flat field illumination panel for astrophotography. WHAT ARE FLAT FRAMES? When you photograph deep sky objects, your images contain dust spots, vignetting, and optical imperfections. Flat frames are calibration images that let your processing software remove these artifacts, revealing clean, professional astrophotographs. WHY DRAGONLIGHT? Instead of buying expensive dedicated flat panel hardware, use the device you already own. DragonLIGHT delivers professional results at a fraction of the cost. KEY FEATURES • Precision Control — 4,096 brightness levels ensure you can dial in the perfect exposure for any optical system • Full Automation — Integrates with N.I.N.A., Sequence Generator Pro, Voyager, and other astronomy software through the industry-standard ASCOM Alpaca protocol • Remote Operation — Control brightness from your imaging computer via built-in web interface or automation software • Adjustable Aperture Mask — On-screen sizing adapts to different telescope apertures for even illumination • Device Finder — Easily locate DragonLIGHT on your network using QR code or automatic UDP discovery • Red Flashlight Mode — Preserve your night vision with a red light utility • Portable — Lightweight and perfect for remote imaging sites PERFECT FOR • Deep sky imagers capturing nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters • Planetary imagers needing clean calibration frames • Anyone tired of carrying extra equipment to dark sites AUTOMATION MADE EASY DragonLIGHT speaks ASCOM Alpaca, the standard protocol used by astronomy automation software. Connect once, and your imaging software can automatically control brightness during your flat frame sequences—no manual intervention required. Download DragonLIGHT and start capturing better astrophotographs tonight.

Screenshots

PhotoPills4 screens
DragonLight Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PhotoPills at every 2 months against DragonLight Mobile's every 28 months. PhotoPills also leads on ratings volume (1.5K vs 1) and chart position (#12 vs unranked). DragonLight Mobile's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 85%). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

PhotoPills costs $10.99 and DragonLight Mobile $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DragonLight Mobile holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PhotoPills has 1.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of PhotoPills's written reviews are positive against 100% of DragonLight Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhotoPills ships an update every 2 months, DragonLight Mobile every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
PhotoPills versus DragonLight Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhotoPillsDragonLight Mobile
Price$10.99$9.99 — better
Rating4.7 (1.5K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 28 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#12 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB19 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPhotoPills S.L.Dark Dragons Astronomy

Customer experience

PhotoPills

All ratings1,525 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral1.5%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews482 reviews
Positive84.9%
Neutral4.1%
Negative11.0%

DragonLight Mobile

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PhotoPills

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when using depth of field calculator
  • Location settings not persisting between sessions
  • Milky Way position not aligning correctly

Requested features

5 requests
  • User guide in multiple languages
  • Improved integration with other apps
  • More customization options
  • Weather forecast integration
  • Apple Watch companion app

DragonLight Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PhotoPills

No in-app purchases

None

DragonLight Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PhotoPills free?
PhotoPills costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DragonLight Mobile free?
DragonLight Mobile costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PhotoPills or DragonLight Mobile?
DragonLight Mobile is rated higher. PhotoPills averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while DragonLight Mobile averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PhotoPills or DragonLight Mobile have ads?
Neither PhotoPills nor DragonLight Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PhotoPills or DragonLight Mobile?
PhotoPills ships an update every 2 months, and DragonLight Mobile every 28 months. Most recently, PhotoPills was updated on November 1, 2026 and DragonLight Mobile on October 30, 2026.

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