# MessierMate vs Orbiting Sky

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MessierMate at none against Orbiting Sky's 1. MessierMate also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). Orbiting Sky's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Orbiting Sky sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MessierMate asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MessierMate against 5.0 for Orbiting Sky. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

MessierMate ships an update monthly, Orbiting Sky every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | MessierMate | Orbiting Sky |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messiermate-night-sky-tracker/id6782169332/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbiting-sky/id6798188213/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 70 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CosmicFlow Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1882544353) | [PrairieSoft LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1861856568) |

## What reviewers say

### MessierMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messiermate-night-sky-tracker/id6782169332)

This free astronomy app helps deep-sky observers track celestial objects. It shows what's visible in your sky tonight, sorted by urgency, and allows you to plan future observing sessions and log your observations. It features a dark theme and red night mode for preserving night vision.

**Highlights:** Track 110 Messier objects, Real-time altitude and azimuth, Urgency-based object sorting, Monthly planning calendar, Session logging with notes and photos, Offline functionality, Red Night mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Orbiting Sky

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbiting-sky/id6798188213)

Visualize celestial movements and shadows on an interactive map. Explore daylight, moonlight, twilight, and eclipses by moving through time and location. Understand solar and lunar positions, shadow lengths, and lunar phases.

**Highlights:** Interactive sky map, Daylight and twilight visualization, Sun and Moon elevation/azimuth, Shadow projection and length, Lunar phase and illumination, Eclipse browser and visualization, Time travel control

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Orbiting Sky Pro Lifetime | $7.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MessierMate free?

MessierMate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Orbiting Sky free?

Orbiting Sky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MessierMate or Orbiting Sky?

MessierMate and Orbiting Sky are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do MessierMate or Orbiting Sky have ads?

Orbiting Sky shows ads; MessierMate does not.

### Which is updated more often, MessierMate or Orbiting Sky?

MessierMate ships an update monthly, and Orbiting Sky every 5 days. Most recently, MessierMate was updated on October 31, 2026 and Orbiting Sky on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*