Planetary Guide vs Sky Today
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Planetary Guide
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Daily Planetary Guide showing exact timing of transits for selected locations / timezones (additional timezones can be added on request. This app provides all the information that you would expect in a daily planetary guide to assist with finding the best time for opportunities. Includes many techniques used by Mundane astrologers. Planetary Guide provides: - exact transit timing (to the minute) of planets, including retrogrades and ingresses - choice of either tropical or sidereal zodiacs defaults - variety of default locations / timezones to choose from - full /new moons, solar /lunar eclipse - retrogrades, ingresses and outer planet transit for extended periods - current longitude of planets and for the sidereal zodiac navamsha and nakshatra for each planet is included - current longitude by degree - this assists users to identify planets at close degrees, planets combust Sun or planets about to leave a sign - current aspects with orbs - current aspects to midpoints - ephemeris tables - longitude and declination - 30 and 45 degree graphical ephemeris - 2 options: All planets - 15 days, Outers - 90 days - annual retrogrades - eclipse dates for a 1 year period - aspects to new and full moons - 30 days prior and post selected date - moon void of course for next 30 days - 2 heat maps - current for the next 20 days and biannual for the next 180 days. Ingresses and Direct/Retrogrades can be overlayed to each heat map - transit chart for selected locations in both round and diamond format. The diamond format used by Sidereal Astrologers has a 9th harmonic chart and a listing of planetary strengths, aspects, combustion with the Sun - sort strip for a 15 degree equivalent longitude degree - solar lunar calendar - lunar cycle - planetary cycles - select a planetary pair to show their planetary cycle by way of a pie-chart. Also includes a summary listing of various planets and their current phase in their respective cycle - add notes - aspect / retrograde / ingress / planet to degree search for a 1 year period - Watch List capability so users can add / delete selected aspects / retrogrades / ingresses / degree from the Search menu option. Items can also be added to the Watch List from Moon, Ingresses, Retro , Outers tabs and Eclipses - date picker so user can select other time periods for all calculations - high precision calculations based on the latest Swiss Ephemeris The app is easy to use with clear, concise tables setting out the information
Sky Today
Visualize the current positions of all planets in the zodiac with real-time orbital data. Explore planetary movements, aspects, and upcoming celestial events. Offers a premium subscription for advanced time-travel and detailed planet information.
- Live planetary positions on zodiac orbits
- Time-travel scrubbing through celestial movements
- Detailed aspect information with exact times
- Unified timeline of celestial events
- Individual planet detail with motion trails
- Observatory-grade design with customizable controls
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The sky, right now: live planetary transits, Mercury retrograde dates, Moon phases and void-of-course Moons in one astrology calendar. Sky Today shows where every planet stands on the zodiac at this moment, Sun through Pluto plus the lunar node, to the arcminute. There is no birth chart, no sign-up and nothing to enter. Today's transits are the same for everyone, so the app works the moment you open it. THE LIVE SKY A zodiac wheel with every planet at its true position, retrograde planets marked ℞, and the major aspects drawn between them. Below it: live countdowns to the next retrograde station, the next New or Full Moon and the next void-of-course Moon, plus every position with its daily speed. MERCURY RETROGRADE AND EVERY OTHER RETROGRADE See Mercury retrograde, Venus retrograde and Mars retrograde coming: pre-shadow, the station, the station direct and the post-shadow, each with its date, time and degree. A year chart shows every retrograde period for every planet, Jupiter, Saturn and the outer planets included, at a glance. SKY VIEW Point your phone at the sky and see the planets, the Moon, bright stars and constellations where they really are, with the zodiac drawn across them. Tap a planet to glide to it and see its sign and degree. Premium adds retrograde loops, aspect lines, the sign rising now, a camera view and time scrubbing. Your location stays on your device. TIME TRAVEL Drag the time ruler, step by day, week or month, or press play, and the whole sky moves with you. Positions, aspects and the next event are recomputed for any moment, past or future. ASPECTS, EXACT TO THE MINUTE Every aspect between the planets (conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition), with its orb and whether it is applying or separating, sorted by orb or shown as a grid. Minor aspects are one switch away. MOON PHASE CALENDAR Tonight's Moon phase and illumination, the Moon sign, the Moon's path through its current sign, void-of-course periods with a live countdown, and the upcoming New, First Quarter, Full and Last Quarter Moons. EVENTS AND ALERTS An astrology calendar of retrograde stations, sign ingresses, New and Full Moons and conjunctions in one list. Turn on alerts for stations, lunations, void-of-course Moons and ingresses, at the moment or an hour or a day before. WIDGETS Home-screen widgets for the next retrograde countdown, the Moon and the live wheel, plus lock-screen widgets on iPhone. APPLE WATCH The live wheel on the Digital Crown, the next retrograde countdown with a reminder, tonight's Moon and the next events. MADE LIKE AN INSTRUMENT Calm, dark design with Night and Ink backgrounds and a choice of accent colours. Mean or true node, adjustable orb, 24-hour clock and decimal degrees. Every position is computed on your device with the Swiss Ephemeris: geocentric, tropical and apparent. Sidebar layouts on iPad, side-column controls on iPhone Duo and fold-aware layouts on foldables. FREE AND PREMIUM Free: the live sky, Sky View with every planet and bright star, every position, the Moon tonight, the next-retrograde countdown, aspects by orb, events for the next 7 days and time travel 7 days either side of today. Premium adds Sky View's astrology layer and camera, watch complications, time travel to any date, every countdown, the full events list, alerts, the aspect grid, planet detail, next year's retrogrades, widgets and extra accent colours. Premium is an auto-renewing subscription, billed yearly or monthly, with no free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation. It renews automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the period; manage or cancel anytime in your Account Settings. Terms: https://myoracular.com/terms/ Privacy: https://myoracular.com/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sky Today at Free against Planetary Guide's $9.99. Sky Today also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Planetary Guide's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, 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
Sky Today is free to download; Planetary Guide costs $9.99 up front. Sky Today sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Planetary Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Planetary Guide | Sky Today |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Allyson Jane Bunting | Oracular |
In-app purchases
Planetary Guide
No in-app purchases
Sky Today
- Monthly$4.991 Month
- Annual$24.991 Year
Questions
Is Planetary Guide free?
Is Sky Today free?
Do Planetary Guide or Sky Today have ads?
Which is updated more often, Planetary Guide or Sky Today?
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