Sky Map vs Sideris
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sky Map
Identify stars, planets, and constellations by pointing your device at the sky. Offers offline functionality, multiple visual styles, and real-time ISS and meteor shower tracking. Includes Apple Watch and widget support.
- Live star and planet identification
- Offline functionality
- ISS and meteor shower tracking
- Multiple visual sky styles
- Apple Watch integration
- 13 customizable widgets
- 100% red night mode
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Point your phone at the sky — and know. Sky Map identifies every star, planet, constellation and deep-sky object you point at, instantly and fully offline. 115,000+ real stars and all 88 constellations render at buttery frame rates, aligned to your exact horizon. FIRST ON THE APP STORE • ISS Pass Live Activity — a countdown and pass arc right on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Never miss a flyover again. • Meteor-shower peak nights and darkness countdowns as Live Activities too. THE SKY, YOUR WAY — 8 STYLES Realistic, Chart, Atlas (engraved gold), Red Night, Astro-photo, Aurora, Ink & Paper, Minimal Mono. Your chosen look follows you across the app, all 13 widgets and Apple Watch. BUILT FOR REAL NIGHTS • True 100% red night mode — protects your dark adaptation on every screen • Stargazing Index: one 0–10 score from clouds, Moon and light pollution • Drag-to-align compass correction + magnetic-interference detection • Stars twinkle. Planets don't. (That's real physics — and how you tell them apart.) ON YOUR WRIST Wrist-guided ISS spotting with a live bearing ring, a whole-sky dial, a solar-system orrery you can scrub through time, and Smart Stack complications that surface exactly at dusk. 13 WIDGETS Live sky chart, 360° horizon panorama, Moon phase calendar, solar system now, constellation of the day, aurora Kp index, the Sun live from NASA SDO, event countdowns with a one-tap reminder bell, and a red Nightstand mode for StandBy. HONEST BY DESIGN • Works 100% offline — airplane mode, backcountry, anywhere • No account. Your location never leaves your device. • The free tier stays free, forever. Premium adds depth: the 115,000-star deep catalog, 450+ NGC/IC objects, satellites, comets, event reminders, observation lists with FREE iCloud sync, and every style. The sky is out tonight. Go look up. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. • Terms of use: https://deeplyai.app/terms.html • Privacy policy: https://deeplyai.app/privacy.html Support & Contact Need help? • Rate us! Got feedback? info@deeplyai.app
Sideris
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Point your camera at the night sky and know exactly what you captured. Sideris is a plate-solving companion and interactive star map built for astrophotographers with simple gear: a camera, a lens, and a star tracker. No go-to mount required. Take a photo of the sky and Sideris solves it: it identifies the exact patch of sky in the frame and reports where the camera is pointing, in real celestial coordinates. The photograph is then overlaid on the star map, at the right angle and the right size, among the stars and deep-sky objects that surround it. STAR MAP AND PLATE SOLVING - Interactive star map: pan and zoom across a live map of stars, planets, and the Moon. - Messier catalog: all 110 Messier objects, each with a real NASA and ESA photograph and an altitude curve showing when it climbs highest and when the sky is dark enough to shoot it. - Plate solving: identify any night-sky photo and get its true celestial coordinates. - Photo on the sky map: the solved picture appears exactly where it points, with the surrounding sky in view. - Distance to target: pick the object you were aiming for and see how far the center of the frame sits from it. TOOLS FOR THE FIELD - Polar alignment scope: a built-in reticle for aligning your star tracker. - Night mode: a red-light theme that turns on automatically after dark and preserves night vision. - White screen: a dimmable white panel for shooting flat frames. - Moon phase calendar: phases, illumination and moonrise times for any night, whether the Moon is the problem or the subject. NO TELESCOPE REQUIRED Solving works fully offline. No signal needed at your dark site. Sideris is built for the DSLR and tracker setup that most beginning and traveling astrophotographers use, without a go-to mount or an observatory. TRY IT FREE Start with free plate solves to try it out. When you are ready for more, unlock unlimited solving with a single one-time purchase. No subscription, ever. Clear skies.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Sideris at none against Sky Map's shown. Sideris also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Sky Map sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Sideris sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sky Map ships an update every 3 weeks, Sideris every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sky Map | Sideris |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 127 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DEEPLY AI | Loris BERT |
In-app purchases
Sky Map
- Sky Map Premium Weekly$1.997 Days
- Sky Map Premium Monthly$5.991 Month
- Sky Map Premium Yearly$24.991 Year
- Sky Map Premium Lifetime$79.99
Sideris
- Unlimited Plate Solving$9.99









