# xSky vs Night View

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: xSky at none against Night View's 1. xSky also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 33 months). Night View's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Night View sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. xSky asks for nothing beyond the download.

xSky ships an update every 3 months, Night View every 33 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | xSky | Night View |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (80 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xsky/id850941042/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **80** | — |
| Positive reviews | 79.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 33 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Oleg Sur](https://appshunter.io/developer/1454732575) | [Spherical Horizon, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/552702946) |

## What reviewers say

### xSky

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xsky/id850941042)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔭 Realistic space simulation
- ✨ Beautiful visuals and music
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 💡 Great for learning astronomy
- 💯 Highly accurate object identification

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashing issues
- 🧭 Location services not working
- 🔄 Inconsistent with reality (out of sync)
- 📱 Not optimized for all devices (e.g., iPhone 12)
- 🎛️ Hard to control

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Night View

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-view/id928995160)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is xSky free?

xSky is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Night View free?

Night View is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do xSky or Night View have ads?

Neither xSky nor Night View shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, xSky or Night View?

xSky ships an update every 3 months, and Night View every 33 months. Most recently, xSky was updated on October 20, 2026 and Night View on September 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*