CloudScape vs Sun Path & Shadow Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CloudScape
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CloudScape is the only app that combines 16-day photography weather forecasting, AI-powered shoot planning, interactive sun and night sky maps, and a full suite of 10 photography calculators — everything you need to plan and execute the perfect shot. PHOTOGRAPHY-GRADE WEATHER See beyond basic forecasts. CloudScape delivers 16-day hourly predictions across 10 metrics that matter to photographers: cloud cover, visibility, humidity, precipitation probability, wind speed, temperature, dew point, pressure, UV index, and fog risk. The interactive heat map lets you scan conditions at a glance and find your ideal shooting window. GOLDEN SHOT SCORE Stop guessing whether sunrise or sunset will deliver. CloudScape's 7-component Golden Shot scoring algorithm evaluates high, mid, and low cloud layers, visibility, wind, rain risk, and horizon clarity to predict the quality of golden and blue hour conditions — days in advance. AI ASSISTANT - On Device Contextual AI analysis of shooting conditions with personalised recommendations tailored to your location and forecast. MULTI-MODEL COMPARISON Compare GFS and ECMWF forecasts side by side. See where models agree and diverge to assess confidence before committing to a location. SUN & NIGHT SKY MAPS Interactive maps show sun direction lines, golden hour windows, and blue hour timing overlaid on your location. Scrub through a 24-hour timeline to preview light conditions at any time. VR SKY Augmented reality camera showing sun, moon, Milky Way, and planets in real time — point your phone at the sky for instant on-location scouting. ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SCORE A 5-component score evaluating moon phase interference, cloud cover, darkness hours, atmospheric transparency, and Milky Way core visibility. Plan your deep-sky shoots with confidence. MOON CALENDAR & PHASE A 30-day lunar calendar showing phase progression, moonrise and moonset times, and illumination percentage. Never miss a new moon window again. 10 PHOTOGRAPHY CALCULATORS Professional tools with 6+ sensor presets built in: • Depth of Field — near/far focus limits, hyperfocal distance • Hyperfocal Distance — maximize sharpness front to back • ND Filter — long exposure shutter speed with any ND combination • Star Trails & NPF Rule — 500 Rule and precision NPF for sharp stars or intentional trails • Time Lapse — shot count, duration, and storage estimation • Field of View — angular coverage and frame size at distance • Exposure Triangle — EV-based equivalent exposure combinations • Reciprocal Rule — minimum handheld shutter speed with IS compensation • Panorama — shot count and overlap strategy for single and multi-row panos • Focus Stacking — calculate shots needed for full-depth sharpness FOG PREDICTION Fog type classification and probability forecasting based on dew point spread, humidity, wind, and temperature trends. Find the misty morning conditions that make landscape photos magical. TIDE DATA Coastal photographers: see tide times and heights integrated directly into your forecast timeline. Plan your seascape compositions around low tide access and dramatic high tide action. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Golden Shot and Heat Map widgets keep your next shooting opportunity visible at a glance. FREE VS PRO Free: 2-day forecast, all 10 calculators, basic sun and astro views. Pro: 16-day forecast, unlimited saved locations, Golden Shot notifications, tide data, full astrophotography score, shareable forecast cards, and multi-model comparison. PRIVACY CloudScape uses location data solely for weather forecasts and sun/moon calculations. No accounts, no tracking, no data sold. Your photography plans stay yours. https://cloudscapeapp.netlify.app/privacy END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Sun Path & Shadow Tracker
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Where the sun will be and where the shadow will fall, for any place at any hour. Bearing, height above the horizon and shadow length, computed on your phone: offline, no account. For photographers chasing golden hour, gardeners, and anyone choosing an apartment, a campsite or a terrace table. THE THREE NUMBERS • Bearing — the compass direction the sun is in, right now • Height — how far above the horizon it stands, in degrees • Shadow — how long a shadow anything casts, in meters or feet They are the largest type on the screen, because they are the answer to the question you opened the app to ask. DRAG THROUGH THE DAY Take hold of the timeline and the sundial moves under your thumb. The shadow sweeps around the ground — short at noon, long at dusk — and vanishes the moment the sun sets. It is the fastest way to understand a day's light without reading a chart. HOLD IT UP TO THE SKY Point the camera at the horizon and the sun's whole arc is drawn over the view: where it rose, where it stands now, where it will set. It uses the compass and the tilt of your phone. No photo is taken, saved or sent. THE MAP Drop a pin anywhere and see the shadow direction for that exact spot. Useful before you view an apartment, plant a tree, book a table, or carry a tripod up a hill for nothing. SUN PATH PLANNING Look around Sun Path before you decide: it shows where the sun is for you right now. Everything else needs Sun Path Planning: a one-time purchase or a monthly subscription. It covers everything above, and: • Any date — next Tuesday, next June, or the morning of a wedding two years out • Any location on earth, not only where you are standing • Save the places you keep coming back to WHO IT IS FOR • Photographers and film crews chasing the golden hour and the blue hour • Gardeners working out which corner gets afternoon light • Architects, builders and solar installers checking overshadowing • Anyone choosing an apartment, a hotel room, a campsite or a terrace table HOW ACCURATE IT IS, AND WHAT IT ASSUMES The position is computed with the NOAA solar algorithm and is precise to a fraction of a degree. It assumes a level, unobstructed horizon: it knows nothing about hills, buildings, trees, cloud or weather. Sunrise and sunset are ideal-horizon times and will differ from what you see from your window. Treat it as a very good first answer, not a survey. Not for navigation, aviation or maritime use. It says nothing about UV — it is not a health or sun-exposure app. PRIVACY No ads. No analytics. No tracking. Your location is used on your phone to compute the sun and is never sent to me. The full policy is at the address below. BUILT BY ONE PERSON I read and answer every email, usually within two business days. If the sun looks wrong where you are, tell me the place, the date and the time and I will look — solar position is exact geometry, so a real error is reproducible and fixable. Support and privacy: https://anilsancarr-web.github.io/sunpath-site/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://anilsancarr-web.github.io/sunpath-site/privacy/ Bali photograph by Zexsen Xie, CC BY 2.0.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Sun Path & Shadow Tracker at 16.4 against CloudScape's 26.0. 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. CloudScape sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Sun Path & Shadow Tracker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CloudScape ships an update every 2 weeks, Sun Path & Shadow Tracker every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CloudScape | Sun Path & Shadow Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alcasoniq | anil sancar |
In-app purchases
CloudScape
- Cloudscape Pro$1.991 Month
- CloudScape Pro$9.991 Year
Sun Path & Shadow Tracker
- Sun Path Planning — Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Sun Path Planning — Lifetime$9.99
Questions
Is CloudScape free?
Is Sun Path & Shadow Tracker free?
Do CloudScape or Sun Path & Shadow Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, CloudScape or Sun Path & Shadow Tracker?
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