Comparison

MoonCatcher vs StarryLens

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

Head to head
About

MoonCatcher

Capture stunning images of the moon with advanced focus and zoom capabilities. Offers both automatic and manual modes for precise control over exposure, ISO, and white balance. Ideal for aspiring astrophotographers.

Highlights
  • Easy moon photography
  • Advanced zoom (40x)
  • Automatic focus adjustment
  • Manual focus control
  • Adjustable ISO/shutter speed
  • Multiple exposure modes
  • Night scene enhancements
Features
Read full description

This is an app that allows you to easily photograph the moon at night, including its pattern. You can also zoom easily. Usage is simple. (A) Tap the moon from the menu and tap the closest moon shape among the three. (B) Point the camera at the moon and zoom. (C) Release the shutter without moving the smartphone (tripod recommended). The shutter will fire several times, so don't let it slide until the end. If you cannot take any of the photos with the moon in focus, you can try "changing the center of focus" as many times as you like below. Tap the manual mode button (second button from the bottom right) to enter manual mode, where you can manually set focus, ISO/shutter speed, white balance, and multiple exposure parameters. ------------------------- The features of this app are (1) Fully automatic function - If you select "Moon", the exposure will be automatically darkened in response to the bright moon in the night sky, and the focus will be adjusted to the distance. Since it fires continuously while changing the focus multiple times, you can choose the best result among them. (The number of consecutive shots and the center of focus can be changed with the slider) *"Change the focus center": Tap "Moon" on the shooting screen to display the moon shape selection segment, the number of consecutive shots slider, and the focus center slider. Now you can change each value. Because the moon is far away, it is difficult to focus when zoomed in. Therefore, if you take pictures while changing the focus little by little, you can expect the moon to be in focus at some point. The focus range is from 0 (nearby) to 1 (far), but in reality, the focus is shifted by 1/5 when shooting. For example, 0.7 to 0.9 (0.8 in the center). By changing the center of focus, you can shift the focus within any range and fire continuously. - There are two types of night views. ・"Night Scene 1" brightens a dark night scene by one level. ・“Night Scene 2” brightens the image one step brighter than “Night Scene 1”. It fires continuously while changing the brightness 4 times. - If you select "HDR", multiple consecutive images with different exposures will be combined to create a pseudo-large dynamic range.  Multiple exposure 3 times. (2) Full manual function You can take photos by manually setting the focal length, exposure, white balance, photo composition method, and number of photos. ・Tap "Focus", "ISO/SS", and "WB" to select auto or manual. 
 ・Tap "Multiple Exposure" to select the multiple exposure composition method and set the number of composite images (up to 100). The synthesis methods are as following. Bright: Screen composit (Screen Blend) Normal: Comparison(light) composition (Lighten Blend) Dark: Comparison (dark) composition (Darken Blend) HDR: Special composition (Special Blend) (3) Other camera functions ・Zoom function: Achieving a zoom ratio of 40 time ・A camera position: The LCD screen side or the back camera is selectable. ・Focus position specification ・Mesh display ・Aspect selection ・Deviation correction selection (4) Filter function just after the photography To display the photograph just after photography and the following filtering are possible by slider operation. ・Purity (sharpness) ・Comparison degree (contrast) ・Luminosity (exposure) ・Display list function The photos taken in this app is stored in the camera roll and in app itself too and you can see the list of them with the shooting date and time information. ・Image processing function When you tap the image on the list, it displays the list of filters for image processing. It has about 70 filters such as 'Brightness','Contrast','Blur','Sharpening','Sepia','Monochrome','Edge detection','Sketch' and so on. *** This app include the following open sources. - GPUImage (Copyright (c) 2012, Brad Larson, Ben Cochran, Hugues Lismonde, Keitaroh Kobayashi, Alaric Cole, Matthew Clark, Jacob Gundersen, Chris Williams. All rights reserved.)

About

StarryLens

Capture breathtaking night sky photos with advanced AI and specialized modes for star-filled skies and cityscapes. Enhance low-light images, reduce noise, and achieve sharp results even without a tripod. Offers HDR fusion and a user-friendly interface for all skill levels.

Highlights
  • AI-enhanced low-light photography
  • Star Mode for clear starry skies
  • City Mode for urban night scenes
  • HDR fusion for balanced exposure
  • Advanced image stabilization
  • Powerful noise reduction
  • Customizable shooting parameters
Features
Read full description

StarryLens: The Ultimate Night Sky Camera App If you are passionate about photography and love capturing the beauty of the night sky, StarryLens is the app for you. With exclusive AI and advanced technologies, StarryLens provides clear, sharp, and breathtakingly beautiful images for your night photography. Designed for capturing stunning starry skies, StarryLens comes equipped with AI that enhances images in extremely low-light conditions, helping you capture more and clearer stars in dark environments. Additionally, for city night scenes, the app comes with specialized algorithms to tackle the challenges of urban lighting and light pollution, enabling you to capture stunning night shots with ease. FEATURES: - Star Mode: StarryLens's star mode is designed to help you capture clear, bright photos in extreme low-light conditions, giving you a better chance to capture stunning starry sky photos. It also solves the challenges of star shooting in cities with light pollution. - City Mode: For city night scenes, the app comes with AI to solve the challenges of urban lighting and insufficient light to capture dark details, enabling you to capture stunning night shots with ease. - HDR fusion: StarryLens's HDR fusion algorithm effectively solves the problems of underexposure and overexposure in night photography, presenting clear and detailed images with enhanced brightness and clarity while effectively avoiding overexposure from lighting sources. - Advanced image stabilization algorithm allows you to capture sharp images even without a tripod, reducing the need for additional equipment and making night photography more accessible. - Powerful Noise Reduction: To enhance image quality, StarryLens includes powerful noise reduction capabilities, helping you reduce noise and blur in low-light photos, resulting in crisp and clear images. - Auto adjustments of shooting parameters based on ambient light: Reducing the need for manual adjustments, the app also allows for manual adjustments of ISO, white balance, and other parameters, giving you complete control over your photos. - Rich filters and presets: The app includes a wide range of color palettes and filter options, allowing you to produce stunning photos with ease, even without the need for post-processing. You can also adjust photo parameters such as brightness, contrast, and saturation to perfect your photos. - User-friendly interface: With its easy-to-use interface, StarryLens is accessible to everyone, from amateur photographers to professionals. The app is designed to provide a seamless and intuitive user experience. StarryLens is an exceptional app designed for night photography enthusiasts, professionals, and anyone who wants to capture stunning starry skies and beautiful night scenes with their smartphone. Whether you're an experienced photographer or a beginner, StarryLens is the perfect choice for taking your night photography to the next level. StarryLens Pro Subscription - Join StarryLens Pro to access all pro features. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscriptions will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your account will be charged for renewal, in accordance with your plan, within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. - You can manage or turn off auto-renew in your Apple ID account settings any time after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://www.yuanye.ai/static/starrylens/privacy_en.html Terms of Use: https://www.yuanye.ai/static/starrylens/terms_en.html

Screenshots

MoonCatcher4 screens
StarryLens4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: StarryLens at Free against MoonCatcher's $0.99. StarryLens also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (39% vs 29%). MoonCatcher's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On ads 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

StarryLens is free to download; MoonCatcher costs $0.99 up front. StarryLens sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MoonCatcher asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MoonCatcher ships an update every 4 months, StarryLens every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
MoonCatcher versus StarryLens: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoonCatcherStarryLens
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating—4.2 (134 ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews39.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—134 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHIROFUMI MARUOYuanye Technology

Customer experience

MoonCatcher

Written reviews21 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral4.8%
Negative66.7%

StarryLens

All ratings123 ratings
Positive82.9%
Neutral4.9%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive39.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative57.1%

In-app purchases

None

MoonCatcher

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

StarryLens

Subscriptions3
  • Early Subscription(Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Early Subscription(Annual)3 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • Special Offer(Annual)1 Year trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove watermarks$1.99

Questions

Is MoonCatcher free?
MoonCatcher costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is StarryLens free?
StarryLens is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MoonCatcher or StarryLens have ads?
Neither MoonCatcher nor StarryLens shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MoonCatcher or StarryLens?
MoonCatcher ships an update every 4 months, and StarryLens every 3 weeks. Most recently, MoonCatcher was updated on November 6, 2026 and StarryLens on November 7, 2026.

Other comparisons