Comparison

LookStar vs SkyCue

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

Head to head
About

LookStar

Features
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LookStar is an AR astronomy app that shows stars and constellations in real-time when you point your phone at the sky. Features: โ€ข AR Mode: View constellations overlaid on your camera view โ€ข 88 Constellations: All official IAU constellations included โ€ข Solar System: Track Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and more โ€ข Famous Stars: Find Sirius, Vega, Betelgeuse and other bright stars โ€ข Search: Look up any constellation or planet with direction guidance โ€ข Magnitude Filter: Adjust star visibility by brightness โ€ข Night Mode: Protect your eyes in the dark From beginners to astronomy enthusiasts, explore the night sky with LookStar!

About

SkyCue

Features
Read full description

SkyCue is a beginner-first stargazing app for the moment when you look up and wonder what you are seeing. Point your iPhone at the night sky, let the app choose the centered object, and read one plain-English cue instead of opening a heavy astronomy encyclopedia. Made for campers, parents, walkers, and new observers: - Use Point Mode to identify a bright star or constellation area - Read one short explanation written for beginners - Browse a starter catalog of easy night-sky objects - See Tonight Quick Picks after unlocking - Save objects and recent identifications locally - Use a manual city instead of precise location if you prefer - Learn with bundled sky data, not live web pages or AI text - Home screen widget with the bright catalog stars above your horizon right now (medium size; extra-large size on iOS 27) - Sky objects in Spotlight search, plus a Shortcuts action to open the sky overhead SkyCue is intentionally narrow. It is not a full planetarium, astronomy news app, satellite tracker, telescope planner, or camera AR overlay. The widget projects the bundled star catalog for your location and does not show planet or Moon positions; above the horizon does not guarantee visibility in daylight or clouds. Location is optional and used only to calculate the visible sky. Saved objects stay on your device, and there is no account or cloud sync. The Lifetime Unlock adds the full v1 bright-object catalog, all constellation lines, complete beginner cues, Tonight Quick Picks, and saved objects. No subscription, no ads.

Screenshots

LookStar4 screens
SkyCue3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SkyCue at none against LookStar's shown. LookStar's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and in-app purchases 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. LookStar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SkyCue sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LookStar ships an update fortnightly, SkyCue every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
LookStar versus SkyCue: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLookStarSkyCue
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly โ€” betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size49 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSandpiaZcode

In-app purchases

1 purchases

LookStar

One-time1
  • Remove All Ads$1.59
1 purchases

SkyCue

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$2.99

Questions

Is LookStar free?
LookStar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SkyCue free?
SkyCue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LookStar or SkyCue have ads?
LookStar shows ads; SkyCue does not.
Which is updated more often, LookStar or SkyCue?
LookStar ships an update fortnightly, and SkyCue every 3 months. Most recently, LookStar was updated on October 31, 2026 and SkyCue on October 30, 2026.

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