Comparison

Astro Locator vs PopStick

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

Head to head
About

Astro Locator

This app assists astronomers in quickly and easily achieving polar alignment for their telescopes. It helps locate key stars like Polaris or Sigma Octantis, displaying essential astronomical data for setup and viewing. Ideal for mobile astronomers who frequently set up and pack down their equipment.

Highlights
  • Quick polar alignment
  • Locate Polaris/Sigma Octantis
  • Display elevation, latitude, longitude
  • Show moon phase
  • Sunrise/sunset times
  • Astro twilight times
  • Today Extension widget
Read full description

Spend less time setting up and more time observing. Astro Locator helps you quickly and accurately polar align your equatorial mount by showing the precise position of Polaris or Sigma Octantis. Designed for both visual astronomy and astrophotography, it makes polar alignment fast, simple and reliable wherever you observe. Whether you’re setting up in your garden or under dark skies, Astro Locator provides all the information you need on a single, easy-to-read screen. Features include: • Accurate Polaris and Sigma Octantis positioning • Compass direction and correct elevation for your location • Latitude, longitude and altitude • UTC and local time • Sunrise and sunset times • Astronomical twilight start and end times • Current moon phase • Clean, uncluttered interface designed for fast setup Astro Locator is ideal for astronomers who assemble and pack away their equipment for each observing session, helping you spend less time setting up and more time enjoying the night sky. Trusted by amateur astronomers since 2014.

About

PopStick

Transform your photos into unique mini stickers with this creative studio app. Easily crop, add frames, text, and adjust your images before printing them with a compatible thermal printer. Designed for safety and privacy, it offers a straightforward creative experience.

Highlights
  • Photo to sticker conversion
  • Customizable shapes and frames
  • Add text with various fonts
  • Image adjustment tools
  • Supports multiple mini thermal printers
  • Ad-free and privacy-focused
Features
Read full description

PopStick is a cute, pocket-sized creative studio for your mini thermal printer. Use it to turn a favourite photo into a tiny sticker that you can print and share with your friends. PopStick walks you through it in three simple steps: pick your photo, make it pop, print—so anyone can get creative right away. Try it out with five prints that are completely free, then you can unlock the app and all the creative assets with one small purchase. This gives you access to everything in the app. There are no further in-app purchases to unlock more stickers or functionality. Express your creativity! • Shape — classic crops plus fun cutouts like circle, heart, and star • Frames — a border that reads on paper, with line styles you can play with * Stickers — to add some sparkle • Text — say something cute, pick a font, dial the size • Adjust — brightness and contrast so thermal prints look their best This app is all about creating: no ads, no ad tracking, no in-app purchases. No account, no “tell us your life story,” and no data shared outside the app—just you ideas, your pics on your device, and the printer. It's created by a parent who understands how important it is to make apps that keep kids safe. Printers we know work well with the app: • cat printers / eSynic (PD01, X5h, M02L, JK01, LX-DO2) • Memoking / Phomemo (Q02, T02, M02) • HUIJUTCHEN Mini Printer (MXW01) • HuiJuKeJi Mini Printer (X5h) • Photo creator printers (X6H–E1E4) • OrgBro X3 Otherwise, compatibility can vary by device and firmware. Got one that isn't listed here? Drop us an email on our support page and we can try to add it. This app is designed for BLE printers, not classic bluetooth, outside of that we are game to try and support anything.

Screenshots

Astro Locator2 screens
PopStick4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PopStick at Free against Astro Locator's $3.99. PopStick also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

PopStick is free to download; Astro Locator costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astro Locator ships an update every 3 months, PopStick every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Astro Locator versus PopStick: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstro LocatorPopStick
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (68 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings68 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB192 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperProgress Concepts LimitedHelen Emerson

Customer experience

Astro Locator

All ratings68 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive77.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.7%

PopStick

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Astro Locator

No in-app purchases

None

PopStick

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Astro Locator free?
Astro Locator costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PopStick free?
PopStick is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Astro Locator or PopStick have ads?
Neither Astro Locator nor PopStick shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Astro Locator or PopStick?
Astro Locator ships an update every 3 months, and PopStick every 3 weeks. Most recently, Astro Locator was updated on November 6, 2026 and PopStick on October 31, 2026.

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