Comparison

Telescope Assist vs APOD Explorer

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

Head to head
About

Telescope Assist

Features
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This app helps to align your telescope with the target celestial object.ย  Input target's equatorial coordinates, then this app can convert equatorial coordinates to horizontal coordinates using device's geolocation and orientation data. Once you align your phone with telescope, your can compare the coordinates and phone orientation. Enjoy your celestial photo shooting! The azimuth angle starts from the North.

About

APOD Explorer

Features
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Every day, NASA publishes a new astronomy picture or video, with an explanation written by a professional astronomer. APOD Explorer brings it to you with an experience built for exploring the universe, not just looking at it. THE FULL ARCHIVE SINCE 1995 Over 11,000 photos and videos, from the very first APOD to today. Full-text search across titles and explanations, curated tag collections (galaxies, nebulae, eclipses, Earth from space, and many more), and an "On This Day" section showing what was published on this date across the years. READINGS TAILORED TO YOU, ON DEVICE With Apple Intelligence, every explanation can be generated at different reading levels: quick, general, for kids, or for experts. NASA's original explanation can also be translated right on your device โ€” nothing is sent to any server. FAVORITES THAT SYNC Save the photos you love and access them from any of your devices through iCloud. No one else can see them. WIDGETS AND LOCK SCREEN Two widgets โ€” "Picture of the Day" and "Today's Sky" โ€” that refresh themselves every morning, on the Lock Screen too. SHARE WHAT YOU DISCOVER Share the photo or, when the day's APOD is a video, a poster generated from it, straight from the detail view or from the widgets extension. NO ACCOUNTS, NO ADS, NO TRACKING APOD Explorer doesn't require sign-up and doesn't show ads. If you enjoy the app, you can leave a voluntary tip from Settings โ€” a gesture of support that never unlocks features. A daily window into the universe, with NASA's complete archive always in your pocket.

Screenshots

Telescope Assist3 screens
APOD Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Telescope Assist at none against APOD Explorer's 3. Telescope Assist also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.4 vs 26.0). APOD Explorer's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price 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. APOD Explorer sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Telescope Assist asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Telescope Assist ships an update every 3 days, APOD Explorer every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
Telescope Assist versus APOD Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTelescope AssistAPOD Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days โ€” betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad โ€” better
Requires iOS17.4 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size18 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuki HagiwaraDiego Carrera Alonso

In-app purchases

None

Telescope Assist

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

APOD Explorer

One-time3
  • Lunar tip$1.99
  • Planetary tip$3.99
  • Stellar tip$8.99

Questions

Is Telescope Assist free?
Telescope Assist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is APOD Explorer free?
APOD Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Telescope Assist or APOD Explorer have ads?
Telescope Assist shows ads; APOD Explorer does not.
Which is updated more often, Telescope Assist or APOD Explorer?
Telescope Assist ships an update every 3 days, and APOD Explorer every 6 weeks. Most recently, Telescope Assist was updated on October 30, 2026 and APOD Explorer on October 31, 2026.

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