Comparison

Night View vs Starry Map

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

Head to head
About

Night View

Features
Read full description

Have you ever looked up in the sky and wondered what was staring back at you? Have you ever wanted to identify the constellations and find our planets? Then Night View is for you. Night View's fast interface makes it easy for you to navigate the night sky. Just point your iPhone or iPad anywhere in the sky and Night View will display the constellations and planets you can see. If you'd like to navigate with your fingers instead, just drag the sky, and zoom in and out naturally. *** Note that Night View needs your current location to display the sky correctly *** Night View uses a true spherical projection that astronomers are familiar with which allows you to see a full 180° view of the sky. Turn on and off constellation names, planet names, and star names. If you don't want to view the current sky, you can pick any vantage point on earth and any point in time. Now you can see what the sky looked like the day and place you were born or when you met your first love. Night View also shows you what our planets look like up close and gives you some useful information. *** Note that this app has a banner ad which you can remove with an in-app purchase ***

About

Starry Map

Identify stars, constellations, and satellites by pointing your phone at the night sky. Augmented reality overlays display celestial names in real-time. Receive notifications for upcoming satellite passes and meteor showers.

Highlights
  • AR celestial identification
  • Constellation and star catalog
  • Satellite tracking and alerts
  • Meteor shower notifications
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Point your smartphone at the night sky to instantly identify constellations, stars, and satellites. AR overlays show celestial names on the live camera view, and you can swipe to explore any direction. Get alerts for visible ISS passes and meteor showers. Includes: ・88 constellations (with Hevelius illustrations) ・Solar system planets, dwarf planets, asteroids ・Stars up to magnitude 12 ・About 100 Messier objects (nebulae and clusters) ・Over 10,000 satellites ・More than 300 comets ・Meteor showers and asterisms (Summer/Winter Triangle, Big Dipper, etc.) ・Satellite pass alerts (ISS, Hubble) ・Meteor shower peak notifications Works offline (satellite data won't update). Terms of Service https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Night View3 screens
Starry Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Night View at none against Starry Map's shown. Night View also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.0). Starry Map's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 33 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Night View sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Starry Map sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Night View ships an update every 33 months, Starry Map every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Night View versus Starry Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNight ViewStarry Map
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.5 (246 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—62.4% of reviews
Number of ratings—246 — better
Update frequencyEvery 33 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB102 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSpherical Horizon, LLCにゃんこソフトウェア

Bugs and requests

Night View

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Starry Map

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App crashes on launch after updates
  • Date/time setting resets to 1970
  • Black screen upon opening the app
  • Ads not disappearing even after purchase
  • App closes when selecting specific objects (e.g., Comet Neowise)
Show 8 more
  • Location accuracy issues
  • App closes after update
  • App not working on older iOS versions
  • Data connection not allowed error
  • AR view constantly spinning
  • ISS and Starlink not displaying after update
  • App crashes when switching night mode
  • App crashes when selecting NEOWISE comet

Requested features

8 requests
  • Reflect weather and light pollution in star visibility
  • Include stories/episodes related to constellations
  • Separate 1st to 3rd magnitude stars in display options
  • Simplify solar system display for beginners
  • Option to hide background stars or make them less prominent
Show 3 more
  • Add comet Atlas to the catalog
  • More user-friendly tutorials on usage
  • Search functionality for star names

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Night View

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
5 purchases

Starry Map

Subscriptions4
  • Unlock Features2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Unlock Features7 Days trial2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Unlock Features$3.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Unlock Features7 Days trial$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock Features (Lifetime)$9.99

Questions

Is Night View free?
Night View is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starry Map free?
Starry Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Night View or Starry Map have ads?
Starry Map shows ads; Night View does not.
Which is updated more often, Night View or Starry Map?
Night View ships an update every 33 months, and Starry Map every 2 weeks. Most recently, Night View was updated on September 12, 2026 and Starry Map on October 13, 2026.

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