Comparison

My Sky vs APOD Explorer

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

Head to head
About

My Sky

Features
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My Sky is a personal astronomy star map for deep-sky observers. Photograph a nebula, galaxy, star cluster, or planet, then pin it onto a live night-sky chart where it belongs. Browse a private deep-sky album, search stars and deep-sky objects, and set your observing site so the map matches tonight’s sky. β€’ Interactive star map with constellations and coordinate grid β€’ Pin your own nebula, galaxy, and planet photos to the sky β€’ Private album for deep-sky and solar-system images β€’ Search stars, planets, Messier objects, and other DSOs β€’ Region and language settings β€’ Optional watermark when you save No account required. Your astronomy photos stay on your device.

About

APOD Explorer

Features
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Every day, NASA publishes a new astronomy picture or video, with an explanation written by a professional astronomer. APOD Explorer brings it to you with an experience built for exploring the universe, not just looking at it. THE FULL ARCHIVE SINCE 1995 Over 11,000 photos and videos, from the very first APOD to today. Full-text search across titles and explanations, curated tag collections (galaxies, nebulae, eclipses, Earth from space, and many more), and an "On This Day" section showing what was published on this date across the years. READINGS TAILORED TO YOU, ON DEVICE With Apple Intelligence, every explanation can be generated at different reading levels: quick, general, for kids, or for experts. NASA's original explanation can also be translated right on your device β€” nothing is sent to any server. FAVORITES THAT SYNC Save the photos you love and access them from any of your devices through iCloud. No one else can see them. WIDGETS AND LOCK SCREEN Two widgets β€” "Picture of the Day" and "Today's Sky" β€” that refresh themselves every morning, on the Lock Screen too. SHARE WHAT YOU DISCOVER Share the photo or, when the day's APOD is a video, a poster generated from it, straight from the detail view or from the widgets extension. NO ACCOUNTS, NO ADS, NO TRACKING APOD Explorer doesn't require sign-up and doesn't show ads. If you enjoy the app, you can leave a voluntary tip from Settings β€” a gesture of support that never unlocks features. A daily window into the universe, with NASA's complete archive always in your pocket.

Screenshots

My Sky4 screens
APOD Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: APOD Explorer at none against My Sky's 1. APOD Explorer also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months). My Sky's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. My Sky sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. APOD Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

My Sky ships an update every 3 months, APOD Explorer every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
My Sky versus APOD Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMy SkyAPOD Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS16.0 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size62 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerε“² ζ΄ͺDiego Carrera Alonso

In-app purchases

1 purchases

My Sky

One-time1
  • Donate to the Developer$0.99
None

APOD Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is My Sky free?
My Sky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is APOD Explorer free?
APOD Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do My Sky or APOD Explorer have ads?
Neither My Sky nor APOD Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, My Sky or APOD Explorer?
My Sky ships an update every 3 months, and APOD Explorer every 4 weeks. Most recently, My Sky was updated on October 14, 2026 and APOD Explorer on October 10, 2026.

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