Polar Scope Align vs Renewly
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.
Renewly
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Keep what you love. Let the rest go. Meet Ree, the friendly green receipt who brings a little clarity before your next renewal. See what is coming, check the evidence, and make room for subscriptions that are still worth keeping. Completely free. All features included, with no paywalls or in-app purchases. Renewly is a private subscription tracker and renewal reminder for people who want an evidence-backed timeline of receipts, trial dates, local reminders, price changes, and cancellation steps without connecting a bank account or inbox. Use Renewly to: - Track subscriptions, recurring bills, free trials, annual plans, and renewal decisions - See upcoming renewals, trial endings, and cancellation reminders in a timeline and calendar - Add manual entries or import receipt text, emails, screenshots, PDFs, files, URLs, and camera scans - Keep source evidence behind each amount, date, provider, price change, and edit - See confidence labels: Verified, Parsed, Estimated, or Manual - Schedule local reminder notifications before a payment, renewal, or trial end - Review local insights for spend, cadence, categories, payment labels, trials, and price changes - Store safe payment method labels without full card numbers, CVV, or login data - Check the Next Renewal widget from the Home Screen - Follow self-serve cancellation guide steps and support links - Export and import Renewly JSON without a purchase - Turn on optional private iCloud sync after explicit opt-in Why it feels different: Renewly is not a bank-linked finance dashboard. It does not build a budget, read your inbox, negotiate bills, or automatically cancel anything. Instead, it helps you keep a focused renewal notebook: what renews, when it renews, what changed, how confident the date is, and what evidence supports it. You get evidence-backed renewal clarity without turning a small utility into a full finance app. Private by default: - No bank linking - No inbox OAuth - No ads - No automated cancellation - No bill negotiation - No full card numbers or CVV - No account required - No analytics or tracking SDKs - Works offline Perfect for: - Trial reminders - Annual subscriptions - Software renewals - Streaming services - App subscriptions - Shared household renewals - Price increase receipts - Cancellation decisions you want to keep with the evidence Renewly helps you make renewal decisions with better timing and less guesswork. Add what you know today, attach evidence when you have it, and let local reminders keep the next charge visible. Terms of Use (EULA): https://getrenewly.vercel.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://getrenewly.vercel.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Renewly at none against Polar Scope Align's shown. Renewly also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). Polar Scope Align's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price and in-app purchases 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 and Renewly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Polar Scope Align ships an update every 6 weeks, Renewly fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Polar Scope Align | Renewly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (173 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 91.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 173 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dimitrios Kechagias | Peter Hlavatik |
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
Renewly
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
Renewly
- Renewly Sync+ Annual$14.991 Year
- Renewly Pro Lifetime$24.99









