# PhotoPills vs +Frames

The clearest difference is price: +Frames at Free against PhotoPills's $10.99. +Frames also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). PhotoPills's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 1). On ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

+Frames is free to download; PhotoPills costs $10.99 up front. +Frames sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. PhotoPills asks for nothing beyond the download.

+Frames 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.

PhotoPills ships an update every 2 months, +Frames every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PhotoPills | +Frames |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $10.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photopills/id596026805/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plus-frames/id6787722445/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 84.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 41 MB | 743 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PhotoPills S.L.](https://appshunter.io/developer/596026808) | [LEVIN GIDEON MERANER](https://appshunter.io/developer/6787722447) |

## What reviewers say

### PhotoPills

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photopills/id596026805)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Paid · Photo & Video, #70 Top Paid (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Comprehensive planning tools
- 🚀 Powerful features for astrophotography
- 💡 Excellent tutorials and support
- 🌟 Indispensable for photographers
- ⭐ Incredible value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Steep learning curve
- 🤯 Overwhelming complexity
- 🤖 Confusing user interface
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🗺️ Inaccurate location tracking

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### +Frames

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plus-frames/id6787722445)

This app helps astrophotographers plan their shots by providing a sky atlas, equipment-specific target recommendations, and field-of-view previews. It also offers an AI assistant for personalized advice and project tracking for deep-sky objects.

**Highlights:** Sky atlas with millions of stars and deep-sky objects, Ranked target recommendations based on equipment and sky conditions, True field-of-view preview for cameras and eyepieces, Mosaic planning up to 4x4, Project tracking for exposures and filters, AI assistant for personalized astrophotography advice, Augmented Reality (AR) mode for target location

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PhotoPills free?

PhotoPills costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is +Frames free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PhotoPills or +Frames?

+Frames is rated higher. PhotoPills averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while +Frames averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do PhotoPills or +Frames have ads?

Neither PhotoPills nor +Frames shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PhotoPills or +Frames?

PhotoPills ships an update every 2 months, and +Frames every 8 days. Most recently, PhotoPills was updated on October 20, 2026 and +Frames on October 12, 2026.

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