Polar Scope Align vs SynScan Photo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Polar Scope Align
This app calculates the precise position of celestial poles in your telescope's polar scope reticle for accurate alignment. It supports a wide range of reticles and corrects for atmospheric refraction, offering precision even at lower latitudes. Features include night mode, moon phase, and astronomical databases.
- Polaris/Sigma Octantis position calculation
- Atmospheric refraction correction
- Reticle centering error correction
- Supports numerous reticle types
- Red-color night mode
- Moon phase and astronomical databases
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Polar Scope Align is a free, ad-supported polar alignment app for iPhone and iPad. It calculates the position of Polaris or σ Octantis in your polar scope reticle for your location, date and time, helping you get a quick and accurate polar alignment with an equatorial mount. POLAR SCOPE ALIGNMENT • Accurate Polaris and Sigma Octantis position for your date and location • Atmospheric refraction correction for better accuracy, especially at lower latitudes - readings may differ slightly from simpler apps that skip this correction, but will agree with precise sources (USNO, scientific software) • Automatic time and location • Manual location support • Reticle centering-error measurement and correction • Zero-position help for common Celestron / Sky-Watcher / Orion style reticles • Full red night-mode interface SUPPORTED RETICLES Polar Scope Align supports 35+ polar scope and finder reticle types, including: iOptron, Astro-Physics RAPAS & PASILL, Takahashi (EM-10/11/200/400/500, NJP, PM-1, P2-Z), Sky-Watcher / Orion (including EQ6/AZ-EQ and Star Adventurer), Celestron, Meade, EXOS2, Bresser, Vixen (Atlux/SX/SXD/SXP/AXD/GP/GP-DX, Polarie), Astrotrac, Losmandy, Kenko, Avalon, Konus, Telrad, Rigel QuikFinder, and several older polar finders (Tuthill, Explore Scientific, Meade 9x60, Vixen Polaris, Celestron 7x50, Carton Optical). OBSERVING TOOLS The free version also includes: • Moon phase • Messier, Caldwell and bright-star database • DSS image downloads for included database objects • Saved, editable and printable DSO lists • 8 astronomy calculators for observing and imaging • Sample Pro tools available from Settings, including aurora forecast • iOptron WiFi Connect - report mount status, set mount Time/Date/Location LOOKING FOR ALIGNMENT WITHOUT A POLAR SCOPE? Polar Scope Align Pro adds the advanced tools many users search for: • Daytime / No Polar Scope Alignment • Camera Azimuth Calibration using the Sun, Moon, planets or bright stars • Laser / Hop Align for night alignment when Polaris is blocked • Push To / manual GoTo for non-GoTo telescopes • Live sky maps for Daytime Alignment, Laser / Hop Align, Push To and Hop To • Full 22,000+ object DSO database • Xasteria astro weather, aurora, satellite passes and widgets • 30+ calculators • Bubble level, compass and iOptron WiFi mount control • Apple Watch companion app • No ads If you only need accurate polar-scope alignment, this free version is a capable tool. If you want alignment without a polar scope, observing planning, weather and field tools, Pro is the complete version.
SynScan Photo
Control Skywatcher AZ-Mounts for astrophotography tasks like panoramas and time-lapses. Requires a mount with a Wi-Fi module and specific firmware version.
- Control Skywatcher AZ-Mounts
- Perform panoramic photography
- Create time-lapse sequences
- Execute multiple-point scans
- Wi-Fi module required
- Firmware version 3.20+ needed
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SynScan Photo can control a Skywatcher AZ-Mount(i.e. AZ-GTi、Star Discovery、SynScan AZ80...)to perform multiple photographic tasks, including panorama, time-lapse or multiple-points scan. Note: A mount with a built-in Wi-Fi module must be used, and the motor firmware of the mount is version 3.20 or higher.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Polar Scope Align at 4.7 against SynScan Photo's 2.0. Polar Scope Align also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 50%) and ratings volume (173 vs 2). SynScan Photo's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Polar Scope Align sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. SynScan Photo asks for nothing beyond the download.
Polar Scope Align holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Polar Scope Align has 173 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Polar Scope Align's written reviews are positive against 50% of SynScan Photo's.
Polar Scope Align ships an update every 2 months, SynScan Photo every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Polar Scope Align | SynScan Photo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (173 ratings) — better | 2.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 173 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dimitrios Kechagias | SynUe Tech. Co., Ltd |
Customer experience
Polar Scope Align
SynScan Photo
Bugs and requests
Polar Scope Align
Reported bugs
6 issues- Date and time dial do not match correctly
- GMT and LST times appear to be switched
- App crashes or fails to initialize for some users
- Alignment accuracy varies inconsistently between sessions
- Location detection issues with cell tower vs GPS
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- Reticle display not rendering properly in some cases
Requested features
7 requests- Online video tutorials demonstrating all features
- Remove or reduce center dot size in reticle
- Larger, bolder font options for better readability
- Brighter star options for southern hemisphere alignment
- Smaller ad button or ad customization
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- Better beginner onboarding and instructions
- More robust alternative alignment methods for southern hemisphere
SynScan Photo
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Polar Scope Align
- Tip 1x$0.99
- Tip 4x$3.99
- Tip 10x$9.99
SynScan Photo
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Polar Scope Align free?
Is SynScan Photo free?
Which has better reviews, Polar Scope Align or SynScan Photo?
Do Polar Scope Align or SynScan Photo have ads?
Which is updated more often, Polar Scope Align or SynScan Photo?
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