Comparison

+Frames vs Nightfall Atlas

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

Head to head
About

+Frames

This app helps astrophotographers plan their shots by providing a sky atlas, equipment-specific target recommendations, and field-of-view previews. It also offers an AI assistant for personalized advice and project tracking for deep-sky objects.

Highlights
  • Sky atlas with millions of stars and deep-sky objects
  • Ranked target recommendations based on equipment and sky conditions
  • True field-of-view preview for cameras and eyepieces
  • Mosaic planning up to 4x4
  • Project tracking for exposures and filters
  • AI assistant for personalized astrophotography advice
  • Augmented Reality (AR) mode for target location
Features
Read full description

+Frames plans your night: what to shoot, when, and how. THE ATLAS The whole sky in your pocket: stars down to magnitude 21 when you zoom in, 8,800 deep-sky objects, Sun, Moon and planets, asteroids, comets and satellites moving live. Real astrophotos lie on the map, galaxies are drawn with their position angle, and every object opens a card with the numbers that matter tonight. TONIGHT'S TARGETS, RANKED The Night tab scores every object for YOUR equipment, YOUR sky and YOUR horizon: altitude, field-of-view fit, filter fit, moon, usable dark window. Grade A to E, the best target for tonight is always on top. FRAME IT Field-of-view preview for your camera or eyepiece. Rotate the frame, plan mosaics up to 4x4, check the sampling, swap camera and telescope while the frame stays on screen. Compare up to 10 frames at once with +FOV. An 8-sector horizon profile per site keeps trees and rooftops out of your plans. PROJECTS Track every target over nights: hours target per filter, subs, exposure, gain, location. Camera angle and position are saved with the project. Export the plan in ASIAIR format or as a NINA target set. Observing log for stars, lucky imaging log for Sun, Moon and planets. ASTRO BUDDY Your assistant knows the whole app, your gear, your site and tonight's sky. It does the work from the chat: creates projects, logs your nights, saves gear and locations, opens any screen. Ask what to shoot, which filter fits, how long to expose. Name a device and it looks up the specs and saves it. New here? Type "tour". AND MORE Weather on every location: clouds, dew, rain and wind for the next three nights. Calendar with moon phases, moon-free nights, eclipses and showpiece targets at their best, searchable up to 2050. Plate solving puts your own photos on the atlas. AR mode shows where a target sits in your real sky. Red night mode protects your dark adaptation. Works offline; no account, your data stays on your device (private iCloud backup). +Frames Lite is free. Premium unlocks the whole app. Languages: EN, DE, FR, ES, IT, PT, JA, KO, ZH, UK, RU, PL, TR. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ App terms: https://plus-frames.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://plus-frames.com/privacy.html

About

Nightfall Atlas

Plan your next astrophotography session with equipment-aware recommendations, observing conditions, and a camera-based sky preview. Scout targets, check field risks like weather and obstructions, and receive alerts for optimal imaging windows. Spend less time guessing and more time capturing the night sky.

Highlights
  • Equipment-aware target recommendations
  • Observing conditions and field risk analysis
  • Camera-based sky preview (Scout)
  • Nightly and weekly planning
  • Target path and visibility tracking
  • Native alerts and calendar integration
  • Offline target path calculation
Features
Read full description

Make the most of your next clear night. Nightfall Atlas helps you choose what to photograph, when to photograph it, and where to set up—with equipment-aware target recommendations, observing conditions, and Scout’s camera-based sky preview. PLAN YOUR NEXT IMAGING SESSION Plan around your location, gear, sky conditions, Moon phase, darkness windows, and target visibility. Check practical field risks like wind, dew, freezing temperatures, clouds, and precipitation before setting up. Build tonight or week-ahead plans, save target windows, export plan cards, add sessions to your calendar, and get native alerts when conditions or saved targets line up. SCOUT YOUR SKY BEFORE YOU SET UP What could you photograph through that gap in the trees—and where will it be later tonight? Scout brings target discovery and planning into your phone’s camera view. • Discover targets where you’re pointing. Explore recommendations for your observing site, night, and equipment, or browse nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, solar-system objects, and saved targets. • Follow a target through the night. Overlay its approximate path and observing times on your surroundings to help judge where trees, roofs, or nearby buildings might get in the way. • Explore another night. Preview future dates, compare paths, and watch deep-sky target paths change through the season. • Save your setup idea. Capture a snapshot with the target’s path and time labels to revisit later. • Take prepared paths off-grid. With your catalog and observing site loaded beforehand, Scout can calculate cached deep-sky target paths without a connection. Solar-system targets require internet access. Scout works in daylight or under cloudy skies—no visible stars or star alignment required. Pointing is approximate and depends on your device’s sensors; Scout does not automatically detect obstructions. MORE TOOLS FOR YOUR NIGHT • Tonight and week-ahead astrophotography planning • Target visibility and imaging-window recommendations • Weather, Moon, darkness, and field-risk signals • Saved target and saved plan reminders • Native widgets and observing alerts • Plan sharing and image export • Equipment-aware planning for common astrophotography workflows From your backyard to your next dark-sky trip, Nightfall Atlas helps you spend less time guessing and more time imaging.

Screenshots

+Frames4 screens
Nightfall Atlas4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nightfall Atlas at none against +Frames's 2. Nightfall Atlas also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. +Frames sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Nightfall Atlas asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

+Frames ships an update every 2 weeks, Nightfall Atlas every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
+Frames versus Nightfall Atlas: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter+FramesNightfall Atlas
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size748 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLEVIN GIDEON MERANERBuilder of Things Studio LLC

Customer experience

+Frames

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Nightfall Atlas

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

+Frames

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Yearly$29.991 Year
None

Nightfall Atlas

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is +Frames free?
+Frames is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nightfall Atlas free?
Nightfall Atlas is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, +Frames or Nightfall Atlas?
+Frames and Nightfall Atlas are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do +Frames or Nightfall Atlas have ads?
Neither +Frames nor Nightfall Atlas shows ads.
Which is updated more often, +Frames or Nightfall Atlas?
+Frames ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nightfall Atlas every 2 days. Most recently, +Frames was updated on November 5, 2026 and Nightfall Atlas on November 10, 2026.

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