# PicoStar vs AstroVitals

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AstroVitals at none against PicoStar's 1. AstroVitals also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PicoStar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. AstroVitals asks for nothing beyond the download.

PicoStar ships an update every 7 months, AstroVitals every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PicoStar | AstroVitals |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrovitals/id6789724589/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3** |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 16 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ryan Rudes](https://appshunter.io/developer/1698870132) | [MAXIMILIAN BOTEV](https://appshunter.io/developer/6789724591) |

## What reviewers say

### PicoStar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/picostar/id6444901007)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Planetary Expansion Pack | $9.99 | one-time |


### AstroVitals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrovitals/id6789724589)

Monitor your telescope's vital signs remotely from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. View guiding, focus, image quality, and sequence progress on a glanceable dashboard. Receive smart alerts and optionally control your imaging session.

**Highlights:** Live guiding graphs and stability scores, Autofocus V-curve visualization, Full sequence tree with progress, 3D mount position and target altitude, Apple Watch app and complications, Home and lock screen widgets, Smart alerts for image quality and guiding

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PicoStar free?

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

### Is AstroVitals free?

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

### Do PicoStar or AstroVitals have ads?

Neither PicoStar nor AstroVitals shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PicoStar or AstroVitals?

PicoStar ships an update every 7 months, and AstroVitals every 3 weeks. Most recently, PicoStar was updated on October 25, 2026 and AstroVitals on October 24, 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.*