# Dark Sky Meter vs Drone Scanner

The clearest difference is price: Drone Scanner at Free against Dark Sky Meter's $1.99. Drone Scanner also leads on ratings volume (145 vs 6). Dark Sky Meter's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 1.8) and review sentiment (40% vs 16%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Drone Scanner is free to download; Dark Sky Meter costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Dark Sky Meter holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drone Scanner has 145 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Dark Sky Meter's written reviews are positive against 16% of Drone Scanner's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dark Sky Meter | Drone Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.8 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-sky-meter/id602989060/reviews)** | [1.8 (145 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-scanner/id1644548782/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **145** |
| Positive reviews | **40.4% of reviews** | 15.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#60** | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [DDQ](https://appshunter.io/developer/418328467) | [Dronetag](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527565212) |

## What reviewers say

### Dark Sky Meter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-sky-meter/id602989060)

**Currently charting:** #60 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

This application utilizes your device's camera to measure the brightness of the night sky. The collected data can be optionally shared with scientific researchers worldwide.

**Highlights:** Measures sky brightness, Uses device camera, Optional data sharing, Contributes to scientific research

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Drone Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drone-scanner/id1644548782)

Transform your device into a drone scanner to track nearby flights in real-time. View detailed flight information, including pilot data and location history, on an interactive map. The app is updated to comply with current EU and US regulations.

**Highlights:** Real-time drone tracking, Detailed drone information, Interactive flight map, Support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi broadcasts, Flying zone highlighting, Data export functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works as advertised
- 🚀 Great app for Android
- 💡 Excellent Remote ID scanner

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Does not work on iOS
- 🐛 Unable to detect drones
- 🔒 Privacy concerns
- 🔒 Collects personal information

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- Unable to locate drones in proximity
- Inaccurate location tracking

**Requested features**

- Add support for WiFi-based Remote ID
- Add support for more drone models
- Allow changing units from metric to imperial


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dark Sky Meter free?

Dark Sky Meter costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Drone Scanner free?

Drone Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Dark Sky Meter or Drone Scanner?

Dark Sky Meter is rated higher. Dark Sky Meter averages 3.8 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Drone Scanner averages 1.8 from 145 ratings.

### Do Dark Sky Meter or Drone Scanner have ads?

Neither Dark Sky Meter nor Drone Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dark Sky Meter or Drone Scanner?

Dark Sky Meter ships an update every 3 months, and Drone Scanner every 3 months. Most recently, Dark Sky Meter was updated on October 17, 2026 and Drone Scanner on October 15, 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.*