Comparison

ARITAKA vs Harmonograph

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

Head to head
About

ARITAKA

Explore astrological concepts with detailed visualizations of planets, signs, and houses from multiple perspectives. Understand celestial motion and chart interpretations through interactive 3D simulations and traditional astrological tools.

Highlights
  • Sphere View: celestial sphere visualization
  • Sky Chart View: 3D horizon and meridian projection
  • Stereographic View: free sky navigation
  • Solar System View: objective chart vantage point
  • Multiple house systems and ayanamsha options
  • Direct date/time editing with VCR controls
  • Screenshot and URL sharing
Features
Read full description

Astronomy for Astrologers ARITAKA bridges astrology and the celestial sphere. View the horoscope from four distinct perspectives to deepen your understanding of planets, the 12 signs, and the 12 houses. Why do the summer solstice Sun and winter solstice Full Moon appear at their highest point? Why do some signs rise steeply while others ascend obliquely? Why do certain house systems break down at high latitudes? Traditional textbooks rely on flat diagrams and formulas, but grasping three-dimensional celestial motion from two dimensions alone is an enormous challenge. ARITAKA serves as an aid to that understanding. โ—† Sphere View Displays planets, fixed stars, the 12 signs, and the 12 houses on the celestial sphere. Switch your viewpoint between inside and outside โ€” like a traditional celestial globe, with orthographic projection. โ—† Sky Chart View Projects the horizon and meridian in 3D onto a two-dimensional horoscope. Read planetary positions near the horizon and meridian that flat charts cannot represent. Inspired by the astrology software Placidus. โ—† Stereographic View Freely navigate the sky and horizon to simulate planetary and stellar positions. Display and interaction design drawn from the astronomy simulator Stellarium. Includes rise, transit, and set times. โ—† Solar System View Projects the horoscope onto a 3D simulation of the solar system, offering an objective vantage point for the chart. โ—† Key Features ยท 7 house systems (Placidus, Regiomontanus, Campanus, Koch, Topocentric, Equal, Whole Sign, Alcabitius) ยท Tropical / Sidereal with multiple ayanamsha options ยท Fixed stars, constellation lines, and planet labels ยท 12 reference lines including horizon, meridian, prime vertical, ecliptic and equatorial grids ยท Direct date/time editing with VCR controls ยท Place search and saved observer locations ยท Screenshot sharing and URL sharing ยท Japanese / English interface A free Web version is also available at aritaka.com. The iPad version adds extra house systems, color customization, and unlimited saved profiles.

About

Harmonograph

Features
Read full description

โ—† One-of-a-kind geometric art, drawn by a pendulum Harmonograph recreates a classic 19th-century drawing machine: two swinging pendulums whose overlapping motion traces a glowing line that slowly spirals toward the center of the screen. Every drawing starts with slightly different parameters, so the same pattern never appears twice. What you see being drawn is truly one of a kind. โ—† Discover, collect, and decorate DISCOVER - A new pattern is drawn before your eyes every time you start - Watch the glowing pen tip as each line is born - Tap "Again" to meet the next one-of-a-kind pattern - Pause anytime to enjoy the moment COLLECT - Save your favorites to the gallery with a name of your choice - Patterns are classified into 4 types (petal, star, spiral, loop) with a rarity from 1 to 5 stars - 20 combinations in total: can you discover them all? DECORATE - Export saved patterns as iPhone-sized wallpapers (1290 x 2796) - Choose from 5 background themes: navy, jet black, deep green, wine, and ink purple - Composed to stay clear of the clock and icons on your lock screen โ—† Designed for quiet moments - Works fully offline (network is used only to show ads) - No account required, no personal information collected - Your saved recipes stay on your device only Harmonograph is free, supported by a small banner ad and an occasional full-screen ad when saving wallpapers. Sit back and enjoy the trail of light drawn by the pendulum.

Screenshots

ARITAKA4 screens
Harmonograph4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Harmonograph at Free against ARITAKA's $9.99. ARITAKA's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). On in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Harmonograph is free to download; ARITAKA costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ARITAKA ships an update every 4 days, Harmonograph every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
ARITAKA versus Harmonograph: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARITAKAHarmonograph
Price$9.99Free โ€” better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 4 days โ€” betterEvery 10 days
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size22 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DevelopercharaplaTakashi Nemoto

In-app purchases

None

ARITAKA

No in-app purchases

None

Harmonograph

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ARITAKA free?
ARITAKA costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Harmonograph free?
Harmonograph is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ARITAKA or Harmonograph have ads?
Harmonograph shows ads; ARITAKA does not.
Which is updated more often, ARITAKA or Harmonograph?
ARITAKA ships an update every 4 days, and Harmonograph every 10 days. Most recently, ARITAKA was updated on October 9, 2026 and Harmonograph on October 2, 2026.

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