Comparison

Celestial Navigator vs EZ Celestial Navigation

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

Head to head
About

Celestial Navigator

This app assists with celestial navigation training by providing a perpetual almanac, star finder chart with animation, and tools for calculating lines of position and meridian passages. It can utilize device sensors for real-time chart positioning, though a marine sextant is still required for actual navigation.

Highlights
  • Perpetual almanac
  • Animated star finder chart
  • Line of position calculation
  • Meridian passage calculation
  • Real-time sensor integration
  • Celestial object data
Features
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Celestial Navigation Calculator with - perpetual Almanac - star finder chart with animation. Use phone sensor for altitude. - calculation of lines of position ( intercept/delta ) - celestial object data - meridian passage calculation - running fix support - astronomical position calculations with two or more altitude observations - Hipparchus 150 star catalog - World chart with lines and position Program can be set to use device's sensors (gyro, compass) to position the star finder chart in real time. Capture celestial object approximate altitude. Correct Altitude with a Marine Sextant reading (not included). You still need a marine sextant to do celestial navigation, but the phone sensors may be used for training. Software for iPhone and iPad, with the same features. e-book with manual and celestial navigation tutorial.

About

EZ Celestial Navigation

This app simplifies celestial navigation using a sextant, providing tools to calculate your position at sea. It offers automated calculations or manual table access, with features for observation archiving and compass checks. Ideal for learning and practicing traditional navigation methods.

Highlights
  • Automated sight reduction and LOP plotting
  • Manual Nautical Almanac and Pub. 229 table access
  • Observation archiving and restoration
  • Compass check functionality
  • Printable Nautical Almanac pages and reports
  • Universal app for iOS and macOS
Features
Currently charting
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Celestial navigation has never been easier! With ezAlmanacOne and a sextant you will be finding your fix like a pro in no time! ezAlmanacOne is an evolution of the iPad version of ezAlmanac with the modern user interface used in the Windows 10 version of ezAlmanac. All of the features of ezAlmanac plus new features including: - Universal app runs on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and the new MacBook with M1 processor. - Supports all device orientations. All screens support zoom and pan. - Make bearing observations to perform compass checks. - Archive saved observations and restore observation data from an archive. - Includes quick start guide, usage examples, and other documentation to learn celestial navigation. - Print/Output Nautical Almanac pages, observation reports, and other app documentation. ezAlmanacOne will help you perform celestial navigation exactly as it has been done for hundreds of years. It produces all Nautical Almanac (1960-2059) and Pub. 229 tables exactly as you are used to seeing them in the printed form. All tables can be accessed directly for manual usage if you choose to do so. Since they are produced by the software they support zooming and panning, and you can highlight in the tables to easily find the correct value to use. Most users, however, will prefer to let ezAlmanacOne do all of the work. Simply enter the basic sight parameters, make and enter your observations, and ezAlmanacOne will do the rest. It performs all of the steps to correct your observation, find GP of the object, do the sight reduction, and plot the LOP. No steps are skipped and all details are shown. Click where the LOPs cross in the plot and you have found your fix! Besides finding your fix, ezAlmanacOne is one of the best tools available to perform compass checks from a bearing observation of one of the navigational bodies. The compass check function supports checking up to 5 devices from a single bearing observation. ezAlmanacOne will also create a report of your compass check that can be saved as a PDF file or printed for the ships records. Celestial navigation instructors love ezAlmanacOne because it does celestial navigation exactly as they teach it. Values obtained from the Nautical Almanac and Pub. 229 are clearly identified with an icon of the book. When you press the book icon you are taken to the page that has that value with the row, column and value highlighted. Even when ezAlmanacOne is doing all the work, it can teach you how to do it manually using the books. For manual celestial navigation you can generate and print Nautical Almanac pages to use as a backup on a passage. You can even print the sight reduction forms and plotting sheets you will need. ezAlmanacOne performs all astronomical calculations using the NOVAS 3.1 software from the US Naval Observatory (USNO) and a JPL ephemeris that covers the years 1960 through 2059. It also implements WMM-2020, the latest World Magnetic Model software available from NOAA, to compute magnetic declination. Since all calculations are performed in the software, ezAlmanacOne is fully functional with no dependency on the internet.

Screenshots

Celestial Navigator4 screens
EZ Celestial Navigation4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: EZ Celestial Navigation at 100% against Celestial Navigator's 43%. EZ Celestial Navigation also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.0) and update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months). Celestial Navigator's advantage is price (Free vs $29.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Celestial Navigator is free to download; EZ Celestial Navigation costs $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

EZ Celestial Navigation holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EZ Celestial Navigation has 26 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Celestial Navigator's written reviews are positive against 100% of EZ Celestial Navigation's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Celestial Navigator ships an update every 9 months, EZ Celestial Navigation monthly. The most recent releases landed on August 12, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Celestial Navigator versus EZ Celestial Navigation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCelestial NavigatorEZ Celestial Navigation
PriceFree — better$29.99
Rating2.0 (3 ratings)4.9 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings326 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#57 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB153 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOmar reisEZ Celestial LLC

Customer experience

Celestial Navigator

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%

EZ Celestial Navigation

All ratings26 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Celestial Navigator

No in-app purchases

None

EZ Celestial Navigation

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Celestial Navigator free?
Celestial Navigator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is EZ Celestial Navigation free?
EZ Celestial Navigation costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Celestial Navigator or EZ Celestial Navigation?
EZ Celestial Navigation is rated higher. Celestial Navigator averages 2.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while EZ Celestial Navigation averages 4.9 from 26 ratings.
Do Celestial Navigator or EZ Celestial Navigation have ads?
Neither Celestial Navigator nor EZ Celestial Navigation shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Celestial Navigator or EZ Celestial Navigation?
Celestial Navigator ships an update every 9 months, and EZ Celestial Navigation monthly. Most recently, Celestial Navigator was updated on August 12, 2026 and EZ Celestial Navigation on September 16, 2026.

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