Comparison

Seestar vs +Frames

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

+Frames

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
Read full description

+Frames plans your night: what to shoot, when, and how. THE ATLAS The whole sky in your pocket: stars down to magnitude 21 when you zoom in, 8,800 deep-sky objects, Sun, Moon and planets, asteroids, comets and satellites moving live. Real astrophotos lie on the map, galaxies are drawn with their position angle, and every object opens a card with the numbers that matter tonight. TONIGHT'S TARGETS, RANKED The Night tab scores every object for YOUR equipment, YOUR sky and YOUR horizon: altitude, field-of-view fit, filter fit, moon, usable dark window. Grade A to E, the best target for tonight is always on top. FRAME IT Field-of-view preview for your camera or eyepiece. Rotate the frame, plan mosaics up to 4x4, check the sampling, swap camera and telescope while the frame stays on screen. An 8-sector horizon profile per site keeps trees and rooftops out of your plans. PROJECTS Track every target over nights: hours target per filter, subs, exposure, gain, location. Camera angle and position are saved with the project. Export the plan in ASIAIR format or as a NINA target set. Observing log for stars, lucky imaging log for Sun, Moon and planets. ASTRO BUDDY Your assistant knows the whole app, your gear, your site and tonight's sky. It does the work from the chat: creates projects, logs your nights, saves gear and locations, opens any screen. Ask what to shoot, which filter fits, how long to expose. Name a device and it looks up the specs and saves it. New here? Type "tour". AND MORE Weather on every location: clouds, dew, rain and wind for the next 48 hours. Calendar with moon phases, moon-free nights, eclipses and showpiece targets at their best, searchable up to 2050. Plate solving puts your own photos on the atlas. AR mode shows where a target sits in your real sky. Red night mode protects your dark adaptation. Works offline; no account, your data stays on your device (private iCloud backup). +Frames Premium unlocks the whole app, 7-day free trial. Languages: EN, DE, FR, ES, IT, PT, JA, KO, ZH, UK, RU, PL, TR. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ App terms: https://plus-frames.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://plus-frames.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Seestar4 screens
+Frames4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: +Frames at 5.0 against Seestar's 4.2. +Frames also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). Seestar's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (355 vs 1). On price, ads and device support 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. +Frames sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Seestar asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

+Frames holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Seestar has 355 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Seestar ships an update monthly, +Frames every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Seestar versus +Frames: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSeestar+Frames
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (355 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings355 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.3 GB746 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSuZhou ZWO Co., LtdLEVIN GIDEON MERANER

Customer experience

Seestar

All ratings352 ratings
Positive79.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative16.8%
Written reviews187 reviews
Positive62.0%
Neutral7.5%
Negative30.5%

+Frames

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

+Frames

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Seestar

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

+Frames

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Seestar free?
Seestar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is +Frames free?
+Frames is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Seestar or +Frames?
+Frames is rated higher. Seestar averages 4.2 out of 5 from 355 ratings, while +Frames averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Seestar or +Frames have ads?
Neither Seestar nor +Frames shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Seestar or +Frames?
Seestar ships an update monthly, and +Frames every 10 days. Most recently, Seestar was updated on October 30, 2026 and +Frames on October 24, 2026.

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