AstroFileViewer vs AstroPlan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AstroFileViewer
View astronomical image files like FITS and XISF on your iPhone or iPad. Get an early impression of your data with PixInsight-compatible auto-stretching, gradient control, and noise reduction. Fun and useful for astrophotographers.
- Open FITS and XISF files from various sources
- PixInsight-compatible STF auto-stretch
- Mono and RGB image support with OSC debayer
- Dark point and contrast sliders
- Color saturation adjustment
- GPU bilateral denoise
- Gradient correction
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AstroFileViewer lets you open and view astronomical image files (FITS and XISF) directly on your iPhone or iPad. Whether you receive a sub-exposure via AirDrop, download one from Safari, or browse your imaging files in the Files app — AstroFileViewer displays them with a proper PixInsight-compatible STF auto-stretch so you can actually see what's in your data. Why stretching, gradient control and denoising on an iPhone? Simple. You get an early impression of how your data could look after post-processing. And it's simply fun too. Features: - Open FITS and XISF files from Files, Safari, AirDrop, email, Google Drive, or any share sheet - PixInsight-compatible Screen Transfer Function (STF) auto-stretch for proper visualization of linear astronomical data - Supports mono and RGB images from all major astro cameras, including OSC debayer (RGGB, GRBG, GBRG, BGGR) - Dark point slider — clip noisy backgrounds, just like AstroBlink on macOS - Contrast slider — S-curve with logarithmic response for fine control - Color saturation slider — boost Ha reds and OIII blues in your OSC data - GPU bilateral denoise — edge-preserving noise reduction, up to 300% strength - Gradient correction — auto-detects and removes linear light pollution gradients - Auto-rotate — landscape images automatically fill your screen in portrait mode - File history with swipe navigation — swipe left/right to flip through recently opened files, even after restarting the app - Recent files on start screen — thumbnail grid of your last 6 images for quick access - Tap-to-fullscreen — single tap hides all UI for distraction-free viewing - Pinch-to-zoom up to 10x with smooth panning - SNR and star count shown in the status bar - FITS/XISF header inspector — view all keywords with important ones highlighted - Save to Photos as a stretched JPEG with all adjustments baked in - Full compression support: LZ4, LZ4HC, zlib, zstd, fpack (Rice, GZIP), ByteShuffle - Persistent settings — all sliders and toggles remembered between sessions - Built-in help section — tap the ? icon anytime - All processing happens on the GPU. All sliders respond in real-time. AstroFileViewer registers as a handler for .xisf, .fits, .fit, and .fts files on your device. No account required. No internet connection needed. Your files stay on your device. Built by an astrophotographer, for astrophotographers.
AstroPlan
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Plan your night under the stars with AstroPlan. Discover the best targets for your location, see when and where they’ll be visible, and make the most of every clear night. Whether you’re observing visually or capturing deep-sky images, AstroPlan helps you choose what to shoot, when to start, and how long you’ll have. Now featuring a built-in Astro AI Chat agent to help you choose targets, plan imaging sessions, understand equipment, and get quick answers to your astronomy questions. Clear skies. Better planning. Smarter imaging. FREE • Tonight's ranked target list • Home dashboard with moon, Bortle, cloud, wind, and darkness • Calendar planning (day, week, month, year) • Sky Map with disc view • AR sky map (7-day trial, then limited daily sessions) • Popular catalogue targets and favourites ASTROPLAN PRO • Full Messier, NGC, and planet catalogue • Unlimited AR sky map • Save telescope and camera rigs with field-of-view preview • Detailed tonight's outlook and guides on every target • Hourly conditions and 7-night forecast • Pro imaging and About guides tuned to your rig No account required. Core astronomy runs on your device. Weather from Open-Meteo. Optional Pro AI when online. User guide: https://astroplan.p2apps.com Terms of Use: https://astroplan.p2apps.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AstroFileViewer at none against AstroPlan's 4. AstroPlan's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 11 days). 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. AstroPlan sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. AstroFileViewer asks for nothing beyond the download.
AstroFileViewer ships an update every 11 days, AstroPlan every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AstroFileViewer | AstroPlan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joerg Klaas | Martin Wilcox |
In-app purchases
AstroFileViewer
No in-app purchases
AstroPlan
- AstroPlan Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- AstroPlan Pro AI Monthly$9.991 Month
- AstroPlan Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
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- AstroPlan Pro AI Yearly$79.991 Year







