# Night View vs Starry Map

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Night View | Starry Map |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.5 (246 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starry-map/id1176591850/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **246** |
| Positive reviews | — | 62.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 33 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 35 MB | 102 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Spherical Horizon, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/552702946) | [にゃんこソフトウェア](https://appshunter.io/developer/1843663669) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Starry Map

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starry-map/id1176591850)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Features | $0.99 | per month |
| Unlock Features | $0.99 | per month |
| Unlock Features | $3.99 | per year |
| Unlock Features | $3.99 | per year |
| Unlock Features (Lifetime) | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and understand
- ✨ Beautiful and visually appealing interface
- 🔭 AR feature for real-time sky viewing
- 🛰️ Useful for tracking satellites (ISS, Starlink)
- 💡 Informative with links to Wikipedia

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Many features are paid/locked
- 💸 Increased monetization and paid features
- 📉 Some users feel it was better before monetization
- 🤔 Unclear how to use certain features
- 📱 Inconsistent performance across devices/OS versions

**Reported bugs**

- 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)

**Requested features**

- 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


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