Comparison

PicoStar vs GuideWatch

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

Head to head
About

PicoStar

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Calibrate any telescope using true-to-scale planetary images.

About

GuideWatch

Features
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GuideWatch puts your PHD2 guiding session on your wrist. If you run NINA to control your astrophotography rig, you already know the drag of walking back to the laptop every few minutes just to check whether guiding is still holding steady. GuideWatch connects directly to either PHD2 or NINA over your local Wi-Fi network and shows you what matters, right on your Apple Watch: โ€ข Live guiding graph: see RA/Dec error trends update in real time, just like the graph in PHD2 itself โ€ข RMS error and key guiding stats at a glance, with optional haptic alerts if guiding fails โ€ข Simple connection status, so you know instantly if guiding has dropped out โ€ข A quick settings screen to connect to PHD2 or NINA on your controller's IP address and port No need to keep walking back to a screen, break your dark adaptation, or leave a laptop running somewhere inconvenient (just glance at your wrist). GuideWatch also includes a simulation mode, so you can explore the app and its guiding display before connecting it to a live session. Requirements: GuideWatch needs either PHD2 or a NINA instance with the Advanced API module running on the same local network. GuideWatch does not control PHD2, NINA or your imaging session; it's a read-only guiding monitor designed to keep you informed without needing to touch your imaging laptop.

Screenshots

PicoStar3 screens
GuideWatch1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GuideWatch at none against PicoStar's 1. GuideWatch also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months). PicoStar's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PicoStar ships an update every 7 months, GuideWatch fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
PicoStar versus GuideWatch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPicoStarGuideWatch
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsFortnightly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better26.5
Further details โ€” not scored
Size16 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyan RudesCambridge AI Works Ltd.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PicoStar

One-time1
  • Planetary Expansion Pack$9.99
None

GuideWatch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PicoStar free?
PicoStar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GuideWatch free?
GuideWatch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PicoStar or GuideWatch have ads?
Neither PicoStar nor GuideWatch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PicoStar or GuideWatch?
PicoStar ships an update every 7 months, and GuideWatch fortnightly. Most recently, PicoStar was updated on October 2, 2026 and GuideWatch on October 8, 2026.

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