SkyScope vs AstroNebulous
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SkyScope
Identify stars and constellations from photos using AI. Explore celestial objects, compare matches, and learn astronomy facts. Offers free basic identification with an optional premium upgrade for more detailed context.
- AI-assisted photo identification
- Constellation and star naming
- Astronomy facts
- Object comparison
- Exploration tab for celestial bodies
- Observation context
Read full descriptionHide full description
SkyScope is free to download and works without an account. Take or import a night-sky photo for an AI-assisted identification. No AR calibration or compass setup is needed. WHAT'S INSIDE • Scan: take a new photo or import one from your library; see the primary constellation, confidence explanation, object counts, named stars, and a concise astronomy fact • Compare candidates when the visual match is uncertain • See location and time as observation context, separate from the visual estimate • Explore tab: browse planets, stars, constellations, and deep-sky objects by category FREE RESULT shows the primary constellation, stats, an astronomy fact, and the first two named stars. Premium adds observing context, all named stars, planet candidates, and moon details when detected. IMPORTANT SkyScope is an astronomy and reference app — not an astrology app. Results are estimates; use the suggested photo and candidate checks before treating a match as certain. Premium is available as a Weekly Premium auto-renewable subscription or Lifetime Premium (one-time purchase), depending on your App Store region. Prices may vary by country or region. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://skyscope.skybringup.com/privacy/
AstroNebulous
Read full descriptionHide full description
AstroNebulous is a powerful new astronomical tool which takes all of the hard work out of identifying and filtering available astronomical targets, making the planning of every astronomy or astrophotography session as easy as possible. Simple to use, this app takes a wealth of astronomical data and allows you to see what objects are visible in the night sky at your exact location and time. As any astronomer or astrophotographer knows, much of observation planning is determining what objects of the required magnitude (brightness) are visible at what time and at what altitude. AstroNebulous removes the need for all of this time-consuming planning by automatically using your exact location and time to show you what astronomical objects are visible. If you are looking for objects above a certain magnitude (brightness) - just slide the Faintest Magnitude slider to where you want it and AstroNebulous will automatically filter the results for you. If you are looking for objects above a certain altitude - just slide the Minimum Altitude slider to where you want it and AstroNebulous will automatically filter the results. It's really easy to plan observing sessions for any date and time or location, by simply adjusting the date and time and AstroNebulous will do all of the hard work for you. AstroNebulous will even send you notifications when astronomical viewing in your area is especially good - just switch on the Great Viewing Nights function and you can relax knowing that you will never miss a good night of astronomy. A highly detailed and incredibly useful app, AstroNebulous also includes the following incredible features: + Moon phase and brightness. + A huge astronomical database, AstroNebulous can identify and track 122 objects from the Curated Messier catalog and 10,383 objects from the OpenNGC extended catalog - a total of 10,494 astronomical objects ! + Each object has detailed information including Atl-Az and Equatorial Coordinates, best viewing time, highest point in the sky, constellation, apparent magnitude, angular size, Messier number, NGC/IC Designation and a selection of viewing tips for your location. + A red screen night mode. + A Favourites function so you can save and return to your your favourite astronomical objects. + You can filter the objects that is shows for your area by galaxy, globular cluster, open cluster, nebula, planetary nebula, supernova remnant, double star, asterism and all other catalogues objects, so you only see the objects that you are interested in viewing. + You can set the sky brightness (Bortle Number) for your exact location. + AstroNebulous can save data for not just your location but any number of other favourite locations you set. All of the objects that are visible are adjusted accordingly and automatically when you change location. + You can also set your observation data and time for any time in the future and AstroNebulous will take care of everything for you. + You can specify your telescope and observing equipment and AstroNebulous will adjust the viewing capability and live camera view to replicate your field of view. + AstroNebulous generates a 10 day weather forecast for planning your astronomy for when conditions are just right, with a summary of each night telling you if it is likely to be Poor, Marginal, Fair, or Perfect for astronomy. + The long-term forecasting feature gives you a 3-hourly or 6-hourly assessment of all of the following which could affect your astronomy session: - Average cloud cover - Moon phase - Maximum chance of precipitation - Low temperature - Average wind speed - Max wind gusts - Time of astronomical darkness - Estimate of the astronomical seeing There is no subscription or other fees - buy once and own forever. AstroNebulous will soon become an essential tool for your observation sessions - no other app for astronomy and astrophotography is so powerful yet so simple to use !
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SkyScope at Free against AstroNebulous's $4.99. SkyScope also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). AstroNebulous's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 weeks). On ads and device support 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
SkyScope is free to download; AstroNebulous costs $4.99 up front. SkyScope sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. AstroNebulous asks for nothing beyond the download.
SkyScope ships an update every 4 weeks, AstroNebulous every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SkyScope | AstroNebulous |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | skybringup | David Anderson |
In-app purchases
SkyScope
- Weekly Premium$1.997 Days
- Lifetime Premium$6.99
AstroNebulous
No in-app purchases







