Comparison

Sun Path & Shadow Tracker vs SolarDays

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

Head to head
About

Sun Path & Shadow Tracker

Features
Read full description

Where the sun will be and where the shadow will fall, for any place at any hour. Bearing, height above the horizon and shadow length, computed on your phone: offline, no account. For photographers chasing golden hour, gardeners, and anyone choosing an apartment, a campsite or a terrace table. THE THREE NUMBERS • Bearing — the compass direction the sun is in, right now • Height — how far above the horizon it stands, in degrees • Shadow — how long a shadow anything casts, in meters or feet They are the largest type on the screen, because they are the answer to the question you opened the app to ask. DRAG THROUGH THE DAY Take hold of the timeline and the sundial moves under your thumb. The shadow sweeps around the ground — short at noon, long at dusk — and vanishes the moment the sun sets. It is the fastest way to understand a day's light without reading a chart. HOLD IT UP TO THE SKY Point the camera at the horizon and the sun's whole arc is drawn over the view: where it rose, where it stands now, where it will set. It uses the compass and the tilt of your phone. No photo is taken, saved or sent. THE MAP Drop a pin anywhere and see the shadow direction for that exact spot. Useful before you view an apartment, plant a tree, book a table, or carry a tripod up a hill for nothing. SUN PATH PLANNING Look around Sun Path before you decide: it shows where the sun is for you right now. Everything else needs Sun Path Planning: a one-time purchase or a monthly subscription. It covers everything above, and: • Any date — next Tuesday, next June, or the morning of a wedding two years out • Any location on earth, not only where you are standing • Save the places you keep coming back to WHO IT IS FOR • Photographers and film crews chasing the golden hour and the blue hour • Gardeners working out which corner gets afternoon light • Architects, builders and solar installers checking overshadowing • Anyone choosing an apartment, a hotel room, a campsite or a terrace table HOW ACCURATE IT IS, AND WHAT IT ASSUMES The position is computed with the NOAA solar algorithm and is precise to a fraction of a degree. It assumes a level, unobstructed horizon: it knows nothing about hills, buildings, trees, cloud or weather. Sunrise and sunset are ideal-horizon times and will differ from what you see from your window. Treat it as a very good first answer, not a survey. Not for navigation, aviation or maritime use. It says nothing about UV — it is not a health or sun-exposure app. PRIVACY No ads. No analytics. No tracking. Your location is used on your phone to compute the sun and is never sent to me. The full policy is at the address below. BUILT BY ONE PERSON I read and answer every email, usually within two business days. If the sun looks wrong where you are, tell me the place, the date and the time and I will look — solar position is exact geometry, so a real error is reproducible and fixable. Support and privacy: https://anilsancarr-web.github.io/sunpath-site/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://anilsancarr-web.github.io/sunpath-site/privacy/ Bali photograph by Zexsen Xie, CC BY 2.0.

About

SolarDays

Features
Read full description

SolarDays helps you check sunrise, sunset, sun altitude, direction, and daily solar information in a clear, simple way. Use your current location or select another place to see today's solar movement and calendar-based sun information. It is useful for travel, photography, walks, outdoor plans, and everyday scheduling. Main features: - Today's sunrise and sunset times - Sun altitude and direction visualization - Calendar view for daily solar information - Location selection from a map - Sunrise and sunset notifications - Weather summary around sun events Location is used to calculate sunrise and sunset times for your current place. You can also choose a location manually from search or the map.

Screenshots

Sun Path & Shadow Tracker4 screens
SolarDays3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SolarDays at none against Sun Path & Shadow Tracker's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Sun Path & Shadow Tracker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. SolarDays asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
Sun Path & Shadow Tracker versus SolarDays: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSun Path & Shadow TrackerSolarDays
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeranil sancarkotobaz

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Sun Path & Shadow Tracker

Subscriptions1
  • Sun Path Planning — Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Sun Path Planning — Lifetime$9.99
None

SolarDays

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sun Path & Shadow Tracker free?
Sun Path & Shadow Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SolarDays free?
SolarDays is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sun Path & Shadow Tracker or SolarDays have ads?
Neither Sun Path & Shadow Tracker nor SolarDays shows ads.

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