xSky vs First Light
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
xSky
Explore the cosmos with a virtual telescope. Point your device at the sky to identify celestial bodies. Zoom in for detailed views and use a search function to locate specific objects.
- Virtual telescope functionality
- Identify Sun, Moon, Planets, Stars, Galaxies
- Zoom up to a million times
- Screen lock to stop motion
- Object search arrow
- Soft music and sound effects
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xSky is a simple to use virtual telescope app. Just look at the sky through your device. Lock the screen and zoom in to explore in more detail. Features: • Sun, Moon, Planets, Galilean Moons, Stars, Constellations and Galaxies. • Pinch the screen to zoom up to a million times. • Use lock button to stop motions. • Search arrow will help to locate any object in the sky. • Soft music and sound effects.
First Light
Explore the universe's earliest light with real cosmic microwave background data. Pan across the oldest light in the universe, switch between satellites, and observe shifts in frequency bands. This educational app brings real science and cosmic history to your mobile device.
- Explore cosmic microwave background data
- Immersive sky exploration via phone movement
- Switch between COBE, WMAP, and Planck satellites
- Adjust frequency bands to see universe shifts
- Utilizes real scientific data
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Look up. What you're seeing isn't the night sky. It's the afterglow of the Big Bang, captured by three of the most important space missions ever launched. First Light turns real cosmic microwave background data from COBE, WMAP, and Planck into an immersive sky you can explore by simply moving your phone. Pan across the oldest light in the universe. Switch between satellites. Dial through frequency bands and watch the universe shift. This is real data. Real science. And it fits in your pocket.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: First Light at 5.0 against xSky's 4.3. First Light also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). xSky's advantage is ratings volume (80 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
First Light holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: xSky has 80 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of xSky's written reviews are positive against 100% of First Light's.
xSky ships an update every 3 months, First Light every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | xSky | First Light |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (80 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 79.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 80 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Oleg Sur | Thomas Sola |
Customer experience
xSky
First Light
Bugs and requests
xSky
Reported bugs
9 issues- App keeps crashing
- Location services not working/picking a country
- App closes immediately upon opening
- App is glitchy and moves by itself
- Search button not working in horizontal position
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- App not working on iPhone 12
- App out of sync with reality
- Sun located incorrectly at noon
- Mercury in retrograde causing app to not open
Requested features
9 requests- Camera feature for high-quality photos
- Ability to turn down exposure for photos
- Facts read aloud about celestial objects
- Traditional constellation names (e.g., Virgo, Taurus)
- Show International Space Station or other satellites
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- Option to turn off constellation lines
- Improve search button size and usability
- Fix search button in horizontal mode
- More mythological graphics and information about stars
First Light
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
xSky
No in-app purchases
First Light
No in-app purchases
