# ShowSky vs Messier Finder Charts

The clearest difference is price: ShowSky at Free against Messier Finder Charts's $0.99. ShowSky also leads on iOS requirement (9.2 vs 26.2). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

ShowSky is free to download; Messier Finder Charts costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ShowSky ships an update every 48 months, Messier Finder Charts every 41 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShowSky | Messier Finder Charts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[3.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showsky/id936737341/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 48 months | **Every 41 months** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.2** | 26.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steven Suckow](https://appshunter.io/developer/594617821) | [David Lent](https://appshunter.io/developer/490531833) |

## What reviewers say

### ShowSky

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showsky/id936737341)

Explore the night sky with this astronomy app. It provides detailed views of stars, constellations, and deep space objects, helping you understand their positions and identify them in real-time by pointing your device.

**Highlights:** 180-degree sky map with flat horizon, 360-degree visible sky map, Real-time sky tracking view, Detailed views of stars, constellations, and deep space objects, Planet identification

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Messier Finder Charts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messier-finder-charts/id1663416474)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShowSky free?

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

### Is Messier Finder Charts free?

Messier Finder Charts costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do ShowSky or Messier Finder Charts have ads?

Neither ShowSky nor Messier Finder Charts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShowSky or Messier Finder Charts?

ShowSky ships an update every 48 months, and Messier Finder Charts every 41 months. Most recently, ShowSky was updated on October 24, 2026 and Messier Finder Charts on October 20, 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.*