Touch vs GuideWatch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Touch
Control your astrophotography sessions remotely from your mobile device or Mac. Manage imaging, focus, guiding, and polar alignment. This open-source tool enhances your workflow without ads or in-app purchases.
- Remote imaging session launch
- Focus control
- Guiding performance monitoring
- Three Point Polar Alignment
- Connected device control
- Open source
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Touch-N-Stars brings the core features of the popular astrophotography software N.I.N.A. right to your phone, tablet, or Apple Silicon Mac. Start imaging sessions, adjust focus, monitor guiding, or perform a Three Point Polar Alignment – all from the palm of your hand. Key Features: - Launch imaging sessions and control focus remotely - Monitor guiding performance in real time - Perform Three Point Polar Alignment (requires N.I.N.A. v2.2.2.0+) - Control all connected devices such as the dome or flat panel - 100% open source. No ads. No in-app purchases. Requirements: - A running N.I.N.A. instance on your imaging PC - Advanced API Plugin enabled (Port 1888, API v2) - Touch'N'Stars Plugin Touch-N-Stars is a companion tool – not a full replacement for the desktop experience. Enhance your astrophotography workflow and stay flexible – wherever you are.
GuideWatch
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GuideWatch puts your PHD2 guiding session on your wrist. If you run NINA to control your astrophotography rig, you already know the drag of walking back to the laptop every few minutes just to check whether guiding is still holding steady. GuideWatch connects directly to either PHD2 or NINA over your local Wi-Fi network and shows you what matters, right on your Apple Watch: • Live guiding graph: see RA/Dec error trends update in real time, just like the graph in PHD2 itself • RMS error and key guiding stats at a glance, with optional haptic alerts if guiding fails • Simple connection status, so you know instantly if guiding has dropped out • A quick settings screen to connect to PHD2 or NINA on your controller's IP address and port No need to keep walking back to a screen, break your dark adaptation, or leave a laptop running somewhere inconvenient (just glance at your wrist). GuideWatch also includes a simulation mode, so you can explore the app and its guiding display before connecting it to a live session. Requirements: GuideWatch needs either PHD2 or a NINA instance with the Advanced API module running on the same local network. GuideWatch does not control PHD2, NINA or your imaging session; it's a read-only guiding monitor designed to keep you informed without needing to touch your imaging laptop.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Touch at 16.6 against GuideWatch's 26.5. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Touch | GuideWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 26.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Johannes Maier | Cambridge AI Works Ltd. |
In-app purchases
Touch
No in-app purchases
GuideWatch
No in-app purchases








