Smart Telescope Planner vs Apphemeride Precise Astronomy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Smart Telescope Planner
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Plan your next smart telescope observing session with Smart Telescope Planner, shown as BigSky Planner inside the app. Choose an observing site and telescope setup, find suitable targets, and organize a timed plan for tonight or a future date. FIND TARGETS FOR YOUR NIGHT Browse and filter a bundled astronomy catalog by object type, magnitude, catalog, time, azimuth, and altitude. Explore galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae, with target cards showing first view time, duration in view, and sky position. The bundled catalog is curated to magnitude 17 or brighter; actual visibility depends on your site, conditions, and equipment. BUILD A PRACTICAL OBSERVING PLAN Keep checked targets together while changing filters and object types. Build Plan chains observation times within the selected telescope and Clear Sky windows. A compact card with Remove from Plan remains where a selected target came from, making it easy to undo a selection. Review and adjust observation windows, including sessions that cross midnight. Save and reopen plans, use the compact Quick Ref report, and print or share observing information. SET UP YOUR WAY Save observing sites using GPS or manual entry. Select a smart telescope and accessories, choose a planning date, and define Clear Sky viewing openings. Optional weather and lookup features use an internet connection. HELP AT THE TELESCOPE Compact text Help and a complete 46-page illustrated PDF guide are included in the app. Follow detailed steps and callouts from first start through planning and output, with linked contents, an alphabetical index, and a catalog-count addendum. Read the guide offline or share a copy to Files. TRIAL AND FULL ACCESS Start the free 20-day trial by confirming it with Apple. After it expires, planning features require the separate one-time, non-consumable Full Access purchase. There is no subscription and no automatic charge. Restoring or reinstalling does not restart the trial. Earlier paid-app customers retain permanent access without paying again; use Restore Purchases with the original Apple Account. No app login or activation code is required. Trial expiry does not delete saved sites or plans. Smart Telescope Planner supports iPhone and iPad. It is a planning companion: it does not control your telescope or replace the telescope manufacturer's app.
Apphemeride Precise Astronomy
This app provides precise astronomical data for sky analysis, including eclipses, Moon motion, and planetary positions. It offers location-based calculations and visual tools to understand celestial events and their visibility.
- Precise sky analysis
- Eclipse and Moon motion tracking
- Location-based celestial calculations
- Horizon Tracker for celestial body movement
- Detailed planetary and solar system data
- Solar and lunar eclipse simulations
- Configurable data display
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Your sky. Your perspective. Explore the Sun, Moon, planets and more than 2.5 million stars with Apphemeride. Plan observations, follow celestial events and understand the sky through detailed data, interactive maps and a 3D solar system. BUILD YOUR OWN DASHBOARDS Bring together personal lists, your favorite objects and the details that matter to you. Arrange cards with the new layout system and choose the values, units and formats you want to see. TRAVEL THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM Explore our solar system in 3D. Move between celestial objects and connect their positions in space with what you see in the sky. MAP YOUR NEXT OBSERVATION Explore the sky with constellations and coordinate grids. Use observation and Earth visibility maps to study where an object is above the horizon. Choose which astronomical guides and values appear in your views. GET TO KNOW EACH OBJECT The redesigned object view brings visual exploration and detailed parameters together. Depending on the object, examine rise, transit and set times, altitude, azimuth, coordinates, phase, illumination, brightness, angular size and distance. Search the expanded star catalog by TYC, HIP or HD identifier. FOLLOW EVENTS AND ECLIPSES Study solar and lunar eclipse visibility with maps and simulations. Find upcoming celestial events for a selected location, open them on the sky map, and follow objects in personal watchlists. Set alerts for the astronomical values you want to track. UNDERSTAND THE LOCAL HORIZON Use the Horizon Tracker to compare the paths of the Sun, Moon and planets over a day, month or year. Explore different times and locations to plan observations, travel or astrophotography. AT HOME IN 17 LANGUAGES English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Hungarian, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Hindi, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Indonesian. Core astronomical calculations and bundled catalogs work offline. Online features such as address search, map imagery and current sunspot data require an internet connection. Explore the Sun and Moon for free. Try all features free for three days, then unlock the full version permanently with a one-time in-app purchase. Existing paid customers keep their permanent access.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Apphemeride Precise Astronomy at Free against Smart Telescope Planner's $9.99. Smart Telescope Planner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 weeks). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Apphemeride Precise Astronomy is free to download; Smart Telescope Planner costs $9.99 up front. Apphemeride Precise Astronomy sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Smart Telescope Planner asks for nothing beyond the download.
Smart Telescope Planner ships an update every 10 days, Apphemeride Precise Astronomy every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart Telescope Planner | Apphemeride Precise Astronomy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free β better |
| Positive reviews | β | 100.0% of reviews |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days β better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No β better | Yes |
| Monetization | β | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 β better | 26.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 442 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Richard Derry | Csaba Lengyel |
In-app purchases
Smart Telescope Planner
No in-app purchases
Apphemeride Precise Astronomy
- 3-day TrialFree
- Apphemeride Full Unlock$49.99





