Comparison

AstroFileViewer vs SharpStacker

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
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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.

About

SharpStacker

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SharpStacker turns a series of night-sky exposures into a single clean, detailed image. By aligning and stacking your shots, it reduces noise and reveals faint detail — stars, the Milky Way and deep-sky objects — that a single frame can't capture. It's built to make astrophotography stacking accessible to everyone: a deliberately simple interface gives you an immediate, intuitive workflow — without the cost or complexity of traditional desktop software. Full RAW support preserves maximum quality from capture to export. The blending mask is generated automatically by a machine-learning model — or drawn by hand — and can be fine-tuned manually for full control. • Full RAW import • Automatic star alignment and stacking • Noise reduction through stacking • ML-generated mask, editable by hand • Simple, immediate workflow • iPhone, iPad and Mac • On-device processing — your photos never leave your device Import your exposures, start the stack, and export a cleaner, more detailed night sky.

Screenshots

AstroFileViewer4 screens
SharpStacker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: AstroFileViewer at 16.4 against SharpStacker's 18.6. 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AstroFileViewer ships an update every 11 days, SharpStacker fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
AstroFileViewer versus SharpStacker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstroFileViewerSharpStacker
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoerg KlaasLUIGI VANNOZZI

In-app purchases

None

AstroFileViewer

No in-app purchases

None

SharpStacker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AstroFileViewer free?
AstroFileViewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SharpStacker free?
SharpStacker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AstroFileViewer or SharpStacker have ads?
Neither AstroFileViewer nor SharpStacker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AstroFileViewer or SharpStacker?
AstroFileViewer ships an update every 11 days, and SharpStacker fortnightly. Most recently, AstroFileViewer was updated on September 19, 2026 and SharpStacker on September 28, 2026.

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