Key takeaways
- Four kinds of app do four different jobs: planning where things will be (PhotoPills), identifying the sky (planetarium apps), forecasting clouds (astronomy weather apps) and choosing targets, settings and checking frames (AstroNight).
- As far as we can tell from their listings, AstroNight is the only one of these that analyses the frames you take. It does not offer an augmented reality star map, telescope control or a cloud forecast, and the others do those well.
- Most photographers end up with two or three apps. A weather app plus one of the others covers most nights.
- We make AstroNight, so we are not neutral. We describe the other apps from their own store listings and published reviews, as of 9 October 2026, and prices change, so check each listing.
The best astrophotography app depends on the question you are asking. PhotoPills plans where the sun, moon and Milky Way will be, planetarium apps such as Stellarium Mobile and SkySafari identify what is in the sky, astronomy weather apps such as Astrospheric and Clear Outside forecast the clouds, and AstroNight chooses tonight's targets and settings and checks your frames. Most photographers end up using two or three of them.
A word about fairness first. We make AstroNight, so we are not neutral. To keep this comparison honest, we describe each of the other apps from its own store listing or website and from published reviews, checked on 9 October 2026, and we say plainly where they do better than we do. Prices and features change often, so check each listing before you buy or subscribe.
Four jobs, four kinds of app
| The question | The kind of app | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| What is worth shooting tonight with my gear, and with what settings? | A target and settings coach | AstroNight |
| Where and when will the sun, moon or Milky Way be over my foreground? | A map based photo planner | PhotoPills |
| What is that star, planet or galaxy, and where is it? | A planetarium | Stellarium Mobile, SkySafari, Star Walk 2, Sky Guide |
| Will the sky be clear tonight, and how steady is the air? | An astronomy weather app | Astrospheric, Clear Outside |
| Are my frames sharp, and what is wrong with them? | A frame checker | AstroNight |
The apps at a glance
| App | Best at | How it is paid for | Overlap with AstroNight |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhotoPills | Planning shots on a map, with augmented reality views of the sun, moon and Milky Way, and a set of photography calculators | A paid app. Reviews quote about US$10.99, so check the price in your store | Both use moon and sky data. PhotoPills shows where things will be, while AstroNight chooses what to shoot |
| Stellarium Mobile | A realistic planetarium that shows the sky for any date, time and place | Free to download. Full features through a one time payment or a subscription, according to its store listing | None of the planning, but it is excellent for identifying objects |
| SkySafari | A detailed planetarium, popular with telescope owners, whose Plus and Pro editions can control a telescope | Paid editions | None of the planning or frame feedback |
| Star Walk 2 and Sky Guide | Approachable, good looking sky maps. Star Walk 2 is playful, and Sky Guide is polished | Star Walk 2 is free to use at a basic level, and its full catalogue needs a subscription. Check the Sky Guide listing | A little: both can show what is up tonight |
| Astrospheric | Astronomy weather: clouds, transparency, seeing and wildfire smoke, plus the Kp index and space station passes | Free to download, with a Pro subscription for alerts and a multi-model cloud forecast | Both show aurora information, but only Astrospheric forecasts cloud |
| Clear Outside | A clean astronomy cloud forecast with low, medium and high cloud, moon and darkness times, and space station passes | Free, according to its website | None of the planning, but it answers the question that comes first |
| AstroNight | Choosing targets, starting settings, and checking your own frames | Free to download, with no ads and no account | Not applicable |
Where each app is the right tool
PhotoPills
PhotoPills is a toolbox for planning. Its map based planner shows the position of the sun, moon and Milky Way for a place and a time, its augmented reality views let you hold up the phone and see where the Milky Way will be, and it includes calculators, such as one that gives the longest exposure before the stars trail. It is widely used by landscape photographers, and it has been around since 2013. If you are composing the Milky Way over a particular lighthouse, it is the right tool. It is also an app with a lot of depth, and reviewers describe the learning curve as real.
Planetarium apps
Stellarium Mobile, SkySafari, Star Walk 2 and Sky Guide turn your phone into a window on the sky: point it upwards and it names what you see, and set a date and it shows the sky then. They are the best way to learn the constellations and to find an object such as the Andromeda Galaxy in the first place. SkySafari's Plus and Pro editions go further and can control a telescope. None of them is designed to choose a target for your camera or to look at the pictures you take.
Astronomy weather apps
A forecast comes first. Astrospheric forecasts cloud, transparency and seeing, and it is notable for including wildfire smoke in its transparency report. Clear Outside concentrates on cloud cover in low, medium and high layers, with moon and darkness times and space station passes. As the aurora article says, the best forecast in the world does not help under a lid of cloud, so a weather app belongs in almost every set of apps.
AstroNight
AstroNight is the coach. It starts from your gear, the date, the place, the moon and the sky darkness, and it picks one to three targets with a reason for each. It gives starting settings that suit your setup, it measures vignetting, colour cast, gradient and sharpness on a frame you import, and it keeps a log so that you can compare two sessions of the same target. The photo analysis runs on your device. You can read about each of these ideas in our launch article.
What AstroNight does that the others do not
As far as we can tell from their listings and reviews, none of the other apps in this article analyses the pictures you take. That is the biggest difference. A few more:
- It is gear aware. Targets that your equipment cannot frame, or that the moon would wash out, are left off the list, and a phone does not get aperture advice.
- It explains itself. Every suggestion has a plain-English reason, and beginners and experienced shooters get different levels of detail.
- It is honest about uncertainty. It says when one frame cannot separate soft focus from trailing, and that the sky darkness class is an estimate.
- It is private and light. There is no account, no ads, and the analysis stays on your device. The download is about 6.5 megabytes.
What the others do better
- Augmented reality and identification. PhotoPills, Stellarium Mobile and the other planetarium apps let you point at the sky. AstroNight does not.
- Telescope control. SkySafari and Stellarium's paid editions can drive a telescope. AstroNight cannot.
- Cloud and seeing forecasts. Astrospheric and Clear Outside forecast the weather. AstroNight does not.
- Map based planning. PhotoPills lets you plan an exact alignment over a real place.
- A long track record. AstroNight has only just launched. Several of the others have been refined for a decade or more.
Which combination fits you?
| You are | Start with | Add |
|---|---|---|
| A beginner with a phone or a DSLR | AstroNight | A free weather app such as Clear Outside |
| A landscape photographer composing the Milky Way over a foreground | PhotoPills | Clear Outside, and AstroNight for settings and frame checks |
| A telescope owner | SkySafari or Stellarium Mobile | Astrospheric for forecasts, and AstroNight to check your frames |
| Someone who mostly wants to learn the sky | Stellarium Mobile, Star Walk 2 or Sky Guide | A weather app |
| A photographer chasing the aurora | AstroNight or Astrospheric for the forecast | A cloud forecast for your own location |
How to choose any astrophotography app
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What does it cost over a year? | A one time purchase and a subscription can differ a lot in the end |
| Does it work offline? | Dark sky sites often have no signal |
| Where do my photos and my location go? | Some apps send them to a server, and some keep them on the device |
| Does it explain its numbers? | A suggestion you understand teaches you something |
| Does it admit uncertainty? | An honest estimate is better than false confidence |
| Does it solve the job I actually have? | A great planetarium is no help if you need a frame checker |
The best app is the one that answers the question you are actually asking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best astrophotography app for iPhone?
It depends on the job. PhotoPills is the usual choice for planning shots on a map, Stellarium Mobile and SkySafari for identifying the sky, Astrospheric and Clear Outside for the weather, and AstroNight for choosing targets, starting settings and checking your frames. Many photographers combine two or three.
Is AstroNight a replacement for PhotoPills?
No. PhotoPills plans where the sun, moon and Milky Way will be over a particular place, with maps and augmented reality. AstroNight chooses what to shoot for your gear and the conditions, gives starting settings and checks your frames. They overlap very little and work well together.
Do I need a weather app as well as AstroNight?
Yes, it is a good idea. AstroNight does not forecast cloud cover, while Astrospheric and Clear Outside are built for exactly that. Check the forecast first, and then let AstroNight plan the night.
Is Stellarium Mobile free?
It is free to download, and according to its store listing the full features can be unlocked with a one time payment or a subscription. Check the listing in your own store for the current options.
Which app tells me whether my photos are any good?
As far as we can tell, AstroNight is the only app in this comparison that analyses your own frames. It measures vignetting, colour cast, gradient and sharpness on your device and tells you what to fix while the night is still going.
Sources and further reading
AstroNight is now on the App Store. The free planner and coach for astrophotography works on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later, offline, with no account. Get it on the App Store.
