# AstroOwl vs Starlapse

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Starlapse at none against AstroOwl's 3. Starlapse also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AstroOwl sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Starlapse asks for nothing beyond the download.

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

AstroOwl ships an update fortnightly, Starlapse weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AstroOwl | Starlapse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astroowl/id6785291857/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starlapse/id6801191027/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 69 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yong Tze Chi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789609348) | [Rustam SALAVATOV](https://appshunter.io/developer/1872989980) |

## What reviewers say

### AstroOwl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astroowl/id6785291857)

This app helps night photographers plan and capture stunning Milky Way shots. It provides tools for predicting optimal shooting nights, composing shots with realistic simulations, and even controlling compatible cameras remotely.

**Highlights:** Best-nights calendar with weather and light pollution data, Milky Way core position and visibility prediction, Field of view simulation for chosen camera and lens, Exposure recipe suggestions with NPF-aware limits, AR mode for overlaying targets on live camera view, Remote Sony Alpha camera control (Pro feature), Multi-frame sequence shooting on camera (Pro feature)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AstroOwl Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| AstroOwl Pro Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| AstroOwl Pro Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |


### Starlapse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starlapse/id6801191027)

Capture stunning long-exposure night sky photos with advanced manual controls and frame stacking. This app offers precise focus on starlight, a meteor detector, and celestial aiming overlays for astrophotography on your phone.

**Highlights:** Manual camera controls (ISO, shutter, focus, white balance), Autofocus on starlight, Frame stacking for long exposures, Pinpoint stars and star trails modes, Night time-lapse creation, Meteor detector, Celestial aiming overlays

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AstroOwl free?

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

### Is Starlapse free?

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

### Which has better reviews, AstroOwl or Starlapse?

AstroOwl and Starlapse are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do AstroOwl or Starlapse have ads?

Neither AstroOwl nor Starlapse shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, AstroOwl or Starlapse?

AstroOwl ships an update fortnightly, and Starlapse weekly. Most recently, AstroOwl was updated on October 13, 2026 and Starlapse on October 16, 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.*