Comparison

Seestar vs The Phenom App

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

Head to head
About

Seestar

Explore the universe with a smart telescope that simplifies stargazing. Automatically find, focus, and capture celestial objects without professional guidance. Observe stars, the sun, and even landscapes with intuitive app control.

Highlights
  • Wireless control of telescope
  • Automatic celestial object finding and tracking
  • Solar observation with filter
  • Scenery mode for terrestrial viewing
  • Built-in sky atlas and encyclopedia
  • Stargazing index and recommendations
  • Share observations with community
Features
Read full description

Take the first step in exploring the universe! The Seestar smart telescope will give you a stargazing experience like never before. No need for professional guidance, just tap on the screen and you are ready to observe and capture the stars. Seestar is a smart device that integrates the functions of an altazimuth mount, telescope, and camera, with both hardware and software applications. With the Seestar App, you can easily control this multifunctional device and explore the infinite world of stars. Key features: - Wireless control: Control with Seestar device through wireless connection. - Stargazing Mode: Automatically find and focus on celestial objects, intelligently identify stars and track them for automatic capturing and image processing. - Solar Mode: Support auto-scan and solar tracking. Use the included Solar Filter to observe the unique sun. - Scenery mode: Manually control the telescope direction and auto-focus, so you can enjoy observing birds and landscapes. -Sky Atlas: Built-in curated celestial object database AND a rich astronomical knowledge encyclopedia,help you easily understand the mystery of starry sky. - Stargazing Index forecasts and popular Recommendations: Stay updated with popular information, making you an expert in astronomical events. - Share Your Work in the Square: Engage and exchange insights with astronomy enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing your observational achievements. - Adaptation Model: It will work with all Seestar models. Seestar is your ideal companion for exploring the universe, observing the stars and sharing experiences. Download Seestar App now and Explore the universe with Seestar.

About

The Phenom App

This app serves as a global intelligence tool for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and other unexplained events. Users can report sightings with real-time data, and others can corroborate these reports. It aims to promote cooperation and education on anomalous phenomena through evidence-based analysis.

Highlights
  • Real-time sighting alerts
  • Upload photos and videos
  • Location-based reporting
  • Corroborate user reports
  • View global sightings map
  • Access to detailed website resources
Features
Read full description

The Phenom App is the tool for experiencers. For the first time, the world is willing to listen. Congressional hearings. Declassified footage. Career scientists and military witnesses saying out loud what experiencers have lived with for decades. But disclosure only counts if the accounts behind it hold up. That is the gap The Phenom App closes. It turns what happened to you into a record that survives scrutiny: sealed the instant you capture it, and impossible to quietly alter afterward. If you have seen something, this is where it goes on the record. BUILT FOR EXPERIENCERS, NOT FOR CONTENT Your phone seals each recording at the moment you make it, with your location, heading, altitude and motion locked in alongside the video. Anyone can verify afterward that the file is the original and that it came from your device. Your account stops being an anecdote and becomes data. WHAT THE PHENOM APP RECORDS - Tamper evident video, sealed with a cryptographic signature as you capture it. Built on C2PA, the content authenticity standard backed by Adobe, the BBC and major camera makers. - Synchronized GPS location, compass heading, altitude and motion, captured continuously while you film and carried inside the sealed file. - Precise timestamps, so your account can be placed alongside other accounts of the same night. - A data overlay you can show or hide on playback. Your original footage is never altered. TRIM WITHOUT LOSING THE PROOF Shorten a clip and The Phenom App seals it again, with the original still on record. Nothing about its history goes missing. MORE THAN LIGHTS IN THE SKY The Phenom App is built for the full range of the unexplained: UAP encounters, contact and experiencer accounts, paranormal activity, cryptids, and magnetic, infrasound and ultrasound anomalies. YOU ARE NOT ALONE Post what you recorded to a community that takes it seriously, see what others have documented, and add your record to an archive built to outlast the ridicule. YOU STAY IN CONTROL Sign in with Apple or Google. Save a draft and finish it later. Keep a recording to yourself or post it. Delete your account from inside the app. The witnesses were never the problem. The record was. Make yours count.

Screenshots

Seestar4 screens
The Phenom App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: The Phenom App at free against Seestar's paid. The Phenom App also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2). Seestar's advantage is review sentiment (62% vs 25%) and ratings volume (354 vs 6). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Phenom App holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Seestar has 354 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of Seestar's written reviews are positive against 25% of The Phenom App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Seestar ships an update monthly, The Phenom App every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Seestar versus The Phenom App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSeestarThe Phenom App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (354 ratings)4.5 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.7% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings354 — better6
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.3 GB96 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSuZhou ZWO Co., LtdPhenom LLC

Customer experience

Seestar

All ratings352 ratings
Positive79.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative16.8%
Written reviews183 reviews
Positive61.7%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.6%

The Phenom App

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative62.5%

Bugs and requests

Seestar

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Firmware update cycle preventing settings changes
  • Tracking errors and star trailing issues
  • App crashing on startup
  • Inability to connect to telescope
  • Forced firmware updates during use

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add equatorial mode support
  • Provide fine control of exposure time
  • Implement mosaic mode for wider FOV
  • Add support for iPad landscape mode
  • Integrate with other astronomy apps

The Phenom App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Seestar

No in-app purchases

None

The Phenom App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Seestar free?
Seestar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Phenom App free?
The Phenom App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Seestar or The Phenom App?
The Phenom App is rated higher. Seestar averages 4.2 out of 5 from 354 ratings, while The Phenom App averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.
Do Seestar or The Phenom App have ads?
Neither Seestar nor The Phenom App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Seestar or The Phenom App?
Seestar ships an update monthly, and The Phenom App every 3 months. Most recently, Seestar was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Phenom App on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons