MacroShader vs AstroStacker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MacroShader
Capture incredibly detailed close-up photos with advanced processing. This app enhances image resolution by combining multiple shots and offers manual camera controls for precise adjustments. It includes focus peaking and editing tools for fine-tuning your macro shots.
- Multi-frame super resolution processing
- Focus shutter with tap and hold functionality
- Focus peaking for precise focus
- Manual camera controls
- Size-specific detail enhancements
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A macro and zoom photography app for iPhone. MacroShader maximises image detail by capturing multiple photos and using advanced processing techniques to improve image resolution. Features include: - Multi-frame super resolution processing - Focus shutter: Tap, hold, focus and release to shoot a photo. Also just tap to shoot - Focus peaking - Manual camera controls - Editing tools including size-specific detail enhancements
AstroStacker
Enhance your night sky photos by stacking multiple exposures into a single, detailed image. This app automatically aligns stars, reduces noise, and offers tools to refine your astrophotography results directly on your iPhone or iPad.
- Stack multiple night sky photos
- Automatic star alignment
- Noise reduction for clearer images
- Advanced editing tools
- Support for calibration frames (Pro)
- On-device processing
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Stack your night-sky photos into one cleaner, more detailed image, right on your iPhone or iPad. Astrophotography stacking combines many exposures of the same sky. Astro Stacker finds the stars in every frame, lines them up and combines them, so random noise falls away and faint stars, the Milky Way and deep-sky targets come through. HOW IT WORKS 1. Take several separate photos of the same patch of sky from a tripod or stable surface. 2. Import them from Photos or Files into a Deep Sky Studio project. 3. Pick a stack mode and tap Stack. 4. Finish the result with Auto Stretch, styles and colour tools, then save or export. THREE SIMPLE STACK MODES - Quick: averages every frame for a fast first look. - Quality (default): rejects outliers such as plane and satellite trails, and leaves out the weakest frames. - Max Detail: the slowest and most selective mode, with finer alignment. AUTOMATIC STAR ALIGNMENT Stars are detected and matched in every frame, with sub-pixel alignment and a quality check for each frame. Stacking needs clear stars in your photos to line them up. CALIBRATION FRAMES (PRO) Add darks, flats, dark-flats and bias frames to correct hot pixels, thermal noise, vignetting and dust. Astro Stacker sorts frames by file name and exposure, so files named "dark" or "flat" are picked up for you. FINISH IN THE SAME APP - Auto Stretch to bring faint signal into view - Gradient removal for light pollution and uneven skies - Local contrast, vibrance, levels and per-channel colour balance - Styles: Natural, Nebula Pop, Cosmic Drama and Scientific, each with a strength slider - Before-and-after comparison - Quick Enhance for a single photo you've already taken FILES IN AND OUT - Import: photos from your library on Free; camera RAW, Apple ProRAW and FITS on Pro - Export: JPG, PNG, TIFF and FITS, with 16-bit export on Pro ON-DEVICE Stacking and editing run on your iPhone or iPad. You don't need a computer, and your source frames are not uploaded to stack them. An optional account backs up finished results. FREE AND PRO Free: 1 free stack with up to 10 light frames, and 3 saved results. Pro: unlimited frames and stacks, RAW, ProRAW and FITS import, calibration frames, 16-bit export and unlimited history. Choose monthly, annual or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and you can manage them in your App Store account settings. GOOD TO KNOW - Moon, planet and solar stacking (Planet Lab) is coming soon. Today's stacking needs stars to align on. - Colour FITS files from one-shot-colour cameras are not debayered yet. - Star-trail stacking isn't supported, because every stack is aligned on the stars. Guides to capturing and stacking: https://astrostacker.co/guides Privacy Policy: https://astrostacker.co/privacy Terms of Use: https://astrostacker.co/terms Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: MacroShader at 100% against AstroStacker's 0%. MacroShader also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). AstroStacker's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. AstroStacker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. MacroShader asks for nothing beyond the download.
MacroShader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AstroStacker has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of MacroShader's written reviews are positive against 0% of AstroStacker's.
MacroShader ships an update every 4 months, AstroStacker every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MacroShader | AstroStacker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 1.1 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AstroShader Limited | Ahmed Al-Mahmud |
Customer experience
MacroShader
AstroStacker
In-app purchases
MacroShader
No in-app purchases
AstroStacker
- AstroStacker app3 Days trial$12.991 Month
- AstroStacker app3 Days trial$99.991 Year
- AstroStacker app$219.00









