Comparison

HINATA vs Sun Path & Shade

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

Head to head
About

HINATA

Visualize sun position, direction, and shadow trends on a map. Understand how light changes by time and season for various locations. Ideal for home viewing, gardening, and scouting photo spots.

Highlights
  • Sun position and direction on map
  • Time slider for light changes
  • Seasonal solstice presets
  • Satellite and 3D map support
  • Shadow trend visualization
Features
Read full description

“Will this place get enough sunlight?” HINATA lets you check sun position, direction, and shadow trends on a map. Visualize how light changes by time and season, and quickly understand when and where sunlight reaches your location. Great for - Home/apartment viewing before visits - Balcony or gardening light checks - Photo/video location scouting Main features - Sun position and direction on map - Time slider to compare light changes - Summer/Winter solstice presets - Satellite and 3D map support Notes - Calculations are based on map center coordinates and selected time - Results are guidance only and not guaranteed real-world sunlight - Sun icon altitude is optimized for 2D view (3D focuses on direction) Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sun Path & Shade

Features
Read full description

Will winter morning sun reach the living room? Enter an address and turn seasonal sun paths and shadows into a report you can hand over. No ads. Enter an address or coordinates to overlay the sun paths of the summer and winter solstices and the equinoxes on an aerial photo. Place neighbors and trees by hand and watch their shadows move through the day. Export it all as one report (PDF or image) and send it by email. WHO IT'S FOR - Architects and designers: show a client, with a chart and a table, whether winter morning sun reaches the living room - Landscape designers: attach planting and shade studies to your estimates - Location scouts: know in advance whether shadows will help or spoil the shot WHAT IT DOES - Export reports as PDF and image: aerial photo, seasonal sun paths, hourly shadow length and direction, site photos and notes - Overlay solstices, equinoxes and any date at once - Season table: sunrise, solar noon, sunset and noon altitude (checked against the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan almanac) - Place obstacles by hand: poles (trees, utility poles) and boxes (buildings, walls with width, depth, height and angle). Box shadows are drawn as areas - Search by address, or enter coordinates directly (even if the satellite image is out of date, coordinates put the site in the right place) - Save sites with photos and edit them later - Live view: overlay the sun and shadow directions on the camera view (true north, accuracy warning, manual correction) - Times are shown in the site's time zone, so sites abroad show local time WHAT IT DOESN'T DO (up front) - It does not detect building shapes automatically. You place obstacles on the map yourself, with their height and size - The ground is treated as level and buildings as flat-roofed boxes - No weather or cloud forecasts FREE TO TRY - Today's sun path at your current location, or at coordinates you type in - One obstacle and its shadow - Live view (sun and shadow directions over the camera view, and site photos) - Season table for today (sunrise, solar noon, sunset and hourly shadows) Report export, address search, other seasons and dates, more than one obstacle, and saved sites come with Pro. Try it before you upgrade. All calculations run on your device. Only the map and address search use the network. Reports can be made in airplane mode (an offline diagram replaces the aerial photo). ■ Pricing and auto-renewal - Pro Monthly (3-day free trial) - Pro Yearly (3-day free trial) - Pro Lifetime: one payment, for the paid features available today Your local price is shown before you buy. The free trial is available once per person, for Monthly and Yearly only. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and the renewal is charged within 24 hours before the period ends. You can turn off auto-renewal or cancel at any time in Settings > your Apple Account > Subscriptions. If you move to a paid plan during a free trial, the remaining free period is forfeited. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sunpath.irodori-labo.com/privacy/

Screenshots

HINATA3 screens
Sun Path & Shade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Sun Path & Shade at none against HINATA's shown. HINATA's advantage is iOS requirement (17 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, 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. HINATA sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Sun Path & Shade sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HINATA ships an update every 5 days, Sun Path & Shade weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
HINATA versus Sun Path & Shade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHINATASun Path & Shade
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroto Endoryo muranaka

In-app purchases

2 purchases

HINATA

Subscriptions2
  • Proプラン(月)$2.991 Month
  • Proプラン(年)$24.991 Year
3 purchases

Sun Path & Shade

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is HINATA free?
HINATA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sun Path & Shade free?
Sun Path & Shade is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HINATA or Sun Path & Shade have ads?
HINATA shows ads; Sun Path & Shade does not.
Which is updated more often, HINATA or Sun Path & Shade?
HINATA ships an update every 5 days, and Sun Path & Shade weekly. Most recently, HINATA was updated on October 30, 2026 and Sun Path & Shade on November 11, 2026.

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