Comparison

Armillary vs AstroGuide LogBook

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

Head to head
About

Armillary

Features
Read full description

Armillary โ€” your pocket stargazing guide. Raise your phone to the sky and instantly identify the constellations, planets, and bright stars overhead. Whether you're a seasoned astronomer or looking up for the very first time, Armillary makes stargazing effortless and fun. KEY FEATURES REAL-TIME SKY MAP Powered by your gyroscope and compass, the star map follows wherever you point. Constellation lines and planet labels are clear at a glance. AR STARGAZING Open your camera and watch constellation lines and celestial labels overlay the real night sky in real time โ€” what you see is what's there. SEARCH & NAVIGATE Looking for a particular star or constellation? Type its name, follow the arrow, and locate your target with ease. TIME TRAVEL Drag the timeline to see the sky at any moment, past or future. Relive last night's meteor shower or preview next week's planetary conjunction. CELESTIAL ENCYCLOPEDIA Tap any object to see its name, apparent magnitude, distance, home constellation, and more. ASTRONOMICAL EVENT CALENDAR Meteor showers, solar and lunar eclipses, planets at opposition... See upcoming astronomical events at a glance, with reminder notifications so you never miss a spectacular sky. NIGHT MODE A full red-light filter protects your dark-adapted vision โ€” designed for real observing out in the field. WORKS OFFLINE 9,000+ bright stars, all 88 constellations, and planetary ephemeris data are built in โ€” no connection needed. Dark-sky sites rarely have signal, and that's exactly what Armillary was built for. Armillary is inspired by the armillary sphere devised by Zhang Heng, an astronomer of the Eastern Han dynasty (c. 78โ€“139 CE) โ€” one of humanity's earliest models of the celestial sphere. We hope to carry that same curiosity and wonder into the modern age.

About

AstroGuide LogBook

Features
Read full description

AstroGuide is an app for planning, photographing, and remembering your astronomy observation sessions. Explore upcoming events such as eclipses, meteor showers, conjunctions, planetary oppositions, and Moon phases. Each event includes practical information to help you decide when to observe, what to expect, and how to prepare your gear. The app combines an astronomical calendar, visibility maps, reminders, and an integrated astrophotography guide. For each event, youโ€™ll find suggested aperture, ISO, shutter speed, and recommended equipment such as tripod, telescope, or wide-angle lens. AstroGuide also includes an observation logbook where you can save your sessions, attach photos, record the gear you used, note sky conditions, and keep useful metadata such as date, location, and Moon phase. Your observations, custom events, and reminders can sync across devices with iCloud. Main features: โ€ข Astronomical event calendar. โ€ข Separate sections for major events and Moon phases. โ€ข Visibility maps when data is available. โ€ข Photography guide for each event. โ€ข Configurable reminders. โ€ข Observation logbook with photos and notes. โ€ข Custom events. โ€ข iCloud sync. โ€ข Real Night Mode with deep red accents for dark-sky use. โ€ข Optimized interface for iPhone and iPad. AstroGuide is designed for observers, night photographers, and astronomy enthusiasts who want to plan each night-sky session with more confidence.

Screenshots

Armillary4 screens
AstroGuide LogBook4 screens

Verdict

The call

Armillary and AstroGuide LogBook are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Armillary versus AstroGuide LogBook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArmillaryAstroGuide LogBook
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDailyโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 โ€” better18.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size13 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerๆ™— ๆž—Jose Gea

In-app purchases

None

Armillary

No in-app purchases

None

AstroGuide LogBook

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Armillary free?
Armillary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AstroGuide LogBook free?
AstroGuide LogBook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Armillary or AstroGuide LogBook have ads?
Neither Armillary nor AstroGuide LogBook shows ads.

Other comparisons