Comparison

Astro Stacker vs +Frames

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

Head to head
About

Astro Stacker

Transform your smartphone into a powerful astrophotography tool. This app uses advanced algorithms to combine multiple night sky photos, reducing noise and revealing hidden celestial details for professional-quality results.

Highlights
  • Advanced stacking algorithms (Average, Median, Maximum, Minimum)
  • Intelligent and manual image alignment
  • Real-time processing and progress tracking
  • On-device processing, no cloud upload
  • Export high-resolution stacked images
  • Detailed processing insights and logs
Features
Read full description

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: up to 10 light frames per stack, 3 stacks every 7 days 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/

About

+Frames

This app helps astrophotographers plan their shots by providing a sky atlas, equipment-specific target recommendations, and field-of-view previews. It also offers an AI assistant for personalized advice and project tracking for deep-sky objects.

Highlights
  • Sky atlas with millions of stars and deep-sky objects
  • Ranked target recommendations based on equipment and sky conditions
  • True field-of-view preview for cameras and eyepieces
  • Mosaic planning up to 4x4
  • Project tracking for exposures and filters
  • AI assistant for personalized astrophotography advice
  • Augmented Reality (AR) mode for target location
Features
Read full description

+Frames plans your night: what to shoot, when, and how. THE ATLAS The whole sky in your pocket: stars down to magnitude 21 when you zoom in, 8,800 deep-sky objects, Sun, Moon and planets, asteroids, comets and satellites moving live. Real astrophotos lie on the map, galaxies are drawn with their position angle, and every object opens a card with the numbers that matter tonight. TONIGHT'S TARGETS, RANKED The Night tab scores every object for YOUR equipment, YOUR sky and YOUR horizon: altitude, field-of-view fit, filter fit, moon, usable dark window. Grade A to E, the best target for tonight is always on top. FRAME IT Field-of-view preview for your camera or eyepiece. Rotate the frame, plan mosaics up to 4x4, check the sampling, swap camera and telescope while the frame stays on screen. Compare up to 10 frames at once with +FOV. An 8-sector horizon profile per site keeps trees and rooftops out of your plans. PROJECTS Track every target over nights: hours target per filter, subs, exposure, gain, location. Camera angle and position are saved with the project. Export the plan in ASIAIR format or as a NINA target set. Observing log for stars, lucky imaging log for Sun, Moon and planets. ASTRO BUDDY Your assistant knows the whole app, your gear, your site and tonight's sky. It does the work from the chat: creates projects, logs your nights, saves gear and locations, opens any screen. Ask what to shoot, which filter fits, how long to expose. Name a device and it looks up the specs and saves it. New here? Type "tour". AND MORE Weather on every location: clouds, dew, rain and wind for the next three nights. Calendar with moon phases, moon-free nights, eclipses and showpiece targets at their best, searchable up to 2050. Plate solving puts your own photos on the atlas. AR mode shows where a target sits in your real sky. Red night mode protects your dark adaptation. Works offline; no account, your data stays on your device (private iCloud backup). +Frames Lite is free. Premium unlocks the whole app. Languages: EN, DE, FR, ES, IT, PT, JA, KO, ZH, UK, RU, PL, TR. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ App terms: https://plus-frames.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://plus-frames.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Astro Stacker4 screens
+Frames4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: +Frames at 5.0 against Astro Stacker's 1.1. Astro Stacker's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Astro Stacker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and +Frames sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

+Frames holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Astro Stacker has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astro Stacker ships an update fortnightly, +Frames every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Astro Stacker versus +Frames: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstro Stacker+Frames
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.1 (7 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB748 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAhmed Al-MahmudLEVIN GIDEON MERANER

Customer experience

Astro Stacker

All ratings7 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral18.2%
Negative81.8%

+Frames

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Astro Stacker

Subscriptions2
  • AstroStacker app$12.991 Month
  • AstroStacker app$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • AstroStacker app$219.00
2 purchases

+Frames

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Astro Stacker free?
Astro Stacker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is +Frames free?
+Frames is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Astro Stacker or +Frames?
+Frames is rated higher. Astro Stacker averages 1.1 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while +Frames averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Astro Stacker or +Frames have ads?
Neither Astro Stacker nor +Frames shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Astro Stacker or +Frames?
Astro Stacker ships an update fortnightly, and +Frames every 2 weeks. Most recently, Astro Stacker was updated on November 9, 2026 and +Frames on November 5, 2026.

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