Comparison

MOON vs Albedo

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

Head to head
About

MOON

Track lunar cycles with this comprehensive moon phase calendar. Get notifications for key events, view moon phases for any date, and share lunar imagery with friends. Features offline access and home screen widgets.

Highlights
  • Current moon phase viewing
  • Lunar event notifications
  • Home screen widget
  • Moon phase lookup for any date
  • Social sharing of moon imagery
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

MOON is your personal lunar portal. ++ Best User Experience - Webby Awards 2017 Honoree ++ Never be caught off-guard by moon-related craziness again. View the current moon phase or what the moon will look like on a certain date, see countdowns to moon events, receive notifications with enough time to avoid unpleasantness, and share what the moon looks like on any day with your friends. MOON is the most thoughtful moon phase calendar available. It becomes increasingly useful the more you use it. Enjoy. Features * Works offline, never be stranded without lunar positioning * Notifications before Full Moons, New Moons, and other special lunar events * Widget for your Home Screen * Share the current moon with the iMessage app * View what the moon looks like on any date * Share what the moon looks like on any date to Facebook, Twitter, iMessage etc. * Save current moon image to camera roll * Lunar illumination percentage * Countdown to upcoming New and Full Moons * Beautiful animated, layered spacescape * Hemisphere setting * Universal app * Support for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch * Built for iOS 12+ * Shake for Star Harp Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://moonapp.me/privacy.html

About

Albedo

Features
Read full description

Albedo turns your screen into a window to the moon. Built with 720 real NASA lunar frames, it renders the moon's current phase in stunning detail — accurate to the hour, beautiful enough to stare at. Whether you're timing a golden hour shoot, tracking moonrise for a night hike, or simply wondering what the moon looks like tonight, Albedo puts precise astronomical data inside an interface designed to feel like cinema. REAL NASA MOON, FRAME BY FRAME 720 high-resolution lunar images map every hour of the 29.5-day synodic cycle. Scrub through time with a precision slider and watch the moon wax and wane in front of you. Each frame is a real photograph — not a rendering. GOLDEN HOUR & BLUE HOUR TRACKER Know exactly when the light is perfect. Albedo calculates morning and evening golden hour and blue hour windows for your location, displayed on a beautiful 24-hour light chart. Plan your next shoot down to the minute. MOON CALENDAR Browse lunar phases across any month from 2000 to 2100. Each day shows a thumbnail of the moon's appearance, making it easy to plan around full moons, new moons, and everything in between. MOON JOURNAL Attach notes and photos to any date on the calendar. Record observations, mark shooting conditions, or keep a lunar diary. Your entries are stored securely on-device with SwiftData. AR MOON FINDER Point your camera at the sky and find the moon. Albedo places an accurate 3D moon at the real lunar position using ARKit, with a guide arrow when the moon is off-screen. INTERACTIVE 3D MOON Explore a textured 3D lunar globe you can rotate freely. Examine the surface up close, from the Sea of Tranquility to the Tycho crater. MOONRISE, MOONSET & DISTANCE Precise moonrise and moonset times for your location, plus real-time lunar distance. All calculations adapt as you scrub through time. SMART NOTIFICATIONS Get notified before full moons, new moons, and evening golden hours so you never miss a moment. Customizable alerts delivered at the right time. LOCATION-AWARE Albedo uses your GPS for accurate local calculations, or let you search and set any location manually. All solar and lunar times adjust instantly. DESIGNED FOR DARK A pure black interface with glassmorphism accents and cinematic serif typography. Albedo is built for night use — easy on the eyes, beautiful in the dark. WORKS EVERYWHERE Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. Your moon, on every screen. Albedo Pro unlocks the full experience: Calendar, Journal, 3D Moon, AR Moon Finder, and notifications. The core moon phase viewer and light tracker are free. Download Albedo and see the moon like never before.

Screenshots

MOON4 screens
Albedo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: MOON at weekly against Albedo's every 5 months. MOON also leads on chart position (#48 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. MOON sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per year and Albedo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MOON ships an update weekly, Albedo every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
MOON versus Albedo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMOONAlbedo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (30K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings30K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#48 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size143 MB84 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMOON CALENDARTINAC Inc.

Bugs and requests

MOON

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Widget not working for some users
  • Moon phase information inaccurate on certain dates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add moon rise and set times
  • Include information on lunar events like eclipses
  • Allow customization of notification sounds
  • Provide Southern Hemisphere moon phase view

Albedo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

MOON

Subscriptions8
  • MOON Pro Yearly (NT)$11.991 Year
  • MOON Pro Yearly3 Days trial$11.991 Year
  • MOON Pro Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 5 more
  • MOON Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
  • MOON Limited Time Offer$19.991 Year
  • MOON Pro Yearly 50% Off3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • MOON Pro (Yearly)3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • MOON Pro (Yearly NT)$24.991 Year
One-time3
  • MOON Ambassador$4.99
  • MOON Supporter$9.99
  • MOON Patron$49.99
1 purchases

Albedo

One-time1
  • Albedo Pro$3.99

Questions

Is MOON free?
MOON is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Albedo free?
Albedo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MOON or Albedo have ads?
Neither MOON nor Albedo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MOON or Albedo?
MOON ships an update weekly, and Albedo every 5 months. Most recently, MOON was updated on November 1, 2026 and Albedo on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons