Sky Guide vs Stellarium: which stargazing app fits your phone

The Sky Guide vs Stellarium choice starts with your phone: Sky Guide runs only on Apple devices, while Stellarium Mobile runs on iPhone and Android and has the more generous free version. Sky Guide is the prettier, simpler app for casual iPhone stargazing. Stellarium is the better pick for Android users, mixed-device households and anyone who wants to control a telescope. Prices and features below are as of November 2026.

Quick verdict

• Beginner with an iPhone: either works, but Sky Guide is the more inviting first app, and its free version is enough to start.
• Android owner, or a family with both kinds of phone: Stellarium Mobile, because Sky Guide has no Android version.
• Telescope owner: Stellarium with the Plus upgrade, which adds telescope control over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and a much deeper star catalog.
• Tight budget: Stellarium's free tier has no ads and covers more than most beginners need.

Both apps sit near the top of their store categories. You will find Sky Guide filed under Reference and Stellarium Mobile under Education.

Sky Guide vs Stellarium at a glance

	Sky Guide	Stellarium Mobile
Developer	Fifth Star Labs	Noctua Software
Platforms	iPhone, iPad, Mac	iPhone and Android (Stellarium also has free desktop and web versions)
Free version	Yes, with in-app purchases	Yes, no ads
Paid options	PLUS $4.99 or $39.99; PRO $8.99 or $59.99; PRO Lifetime $249.99	Stellarium Plus: one-time unlock or subscription ($18.99 and $1.99 reported in September 2026)
AR or camera mode	Yes	Yes
Works offline	Yes	Yes
Telescope control	Not confirmed	Yes, with Plus (Wi-Fi or Bluetooth)
Catalog depth	Not published in the sources we checked	Plus: over a billion stars, down to magnitude 22
Planning extras	ISS and event alerts	Time simulation; with Plus, eyepiece view, observability predictions, events and satellite pass calendar
Look and feel	Very polished, widely called the most beautiful	Realistic but plainer

Sky Guide prices come from the US App Store listing, checked on November 10, 2026.

Platforms: Apple-only vs everywhere

This is the deciding point for many people. Sky Guide is built for Apple hardware only: iPhone, iPad and, according to SternGucker's roundup, the Mac. There is no Android version, and nothing suggests one is coming.

Stellarium is a family of apps rather than a single one. The mobile app, made by Noctua Software, runs on iOS and Android. The original Stellarium desktop program at stellarium.org is free and open source, and Stellarium Web runs in any browser at stellarium-web.org.

That spread matters in practice. You can plan a session on a laptop with Stellarium desktop or Stellarium Web, then take the phone outside and see the same style of sky. If your partner uses Android and you use an iPhone, Stellarium is the only one of the two you can both install.

Free tier: what you get without paying

Stellarium Mobile free

Stellarium's free version is the stronger of the two. It shows a realistic sky, names stars, planets and constellations as you point your phone, and works with no signal. It carries no ads, and it includes a red-light mode to protect your night vision.

Several roundups call it the best free stargazing app overall. SternGucker counted Reddit answers to 'which astronomy app?' across 13 threads from 2024 to 2026: Stellarium came up 41 times in 115 replies. Sky Guide, Sky Tonight and Star Walk together got just eight mentions.

Sky Guide free

Sky Guide's free version lets you hold up your iPhone and identify stars, planets, constellations and passing satellites. It also works offline. The App Store lists it as free with in-app purchases, rated 4+ and available in English plus 17 other languages.

The paywall is more present than in Stellarium. Extra items, such as an All Constellations add-on for $1.99, sit alongside the two subscription tiers. For a first look at the sky, though, the free app does the core job well.

Paid tiers: Sky Guide PLUS and PRO vs Stellarium Plus

This is where most comparison pages go wrong, because Sky Guide's prices have changed and many reviews still quote old ones.

Sky Guide PLUS, PRO and Lifetime

Sky Guide sells two subscription levels plus a lifetime option. On the US App Store, as of November 10, 2026, the listed prices are:

• PLUS: $4.99 and $39.99
• PRO: $8.99 and $59.99
• PRO Lifetime: $249.99, a one-time purchase
• All Constellations: $1.99

Earlier coverage described the two PLUS and PRO prices as monthly and yearly plans. Older reviews, including Space.com's, list lower figures from before the latest price change, so ignore those. Space.com also reported a one-week trial for both PLUS and PRO.

One detail matters for longtime users. If you bought Sky Guide before August 17, 2021, you own Sky Guide LEGACY and keep every feature you paid for, without a subscription.

Stellarium Plus

Stellarium Plus is a single upgrade sold either as a one-time unlock or as a subscription. Outer Space Trip reported US App Store prices of $18.99 and $1.99 as of September 2026, while Space.com's current roundup lists $19.99. Check the store before buying, since the exact figure varies by listing and date.

What Plus adds is clear, according to Outer Space Trip's Stellarium coverage:

• A catalog of more than a billion stars, down to magnitude 22
• Telescope control
• An eyepiece view that previews a target through your own scope
• Observability predictions
• A calendar of events and satellite passes

On cost alone, Stellarium's one-time unlock is far cheaper than any long-term Sky Guide plan. Over two years, even Sky Guide PLUS at the higher price would cost several times more.

AR mode and pointing accuracy

Both apps have a camera or AR mode: you lift the phone, and the sky map follows where you point it. Sky Guide is known for smooth, polished movement and attractive overlays. Telescope Advisor describes Stellarium's AR identification as smooth too, and its realism is the reason many people pick it.

No source we found has tested the two side by side for pointing accuracy. That is not surprising, because accuracy depends more on your phone's compass and motion sensors than on the app. If one app seems off by a few degrees, the other usually is too on the same phone, at the same spot.

Getting a good compass reading

Most pointing errors come from the magnetometer, so a few habits help with either app:

• Recalibrate by moving the phone slowly in a figure-eight before you start.
• Step away from cars, metal railings, fences and power boxes.
• Remove magnetic accessories, such as MagSafe wallets or cases with metal plates.
• On iPhone, keep Compass Calibration switched on in Location Services, under System Services.
• Use a bright, known object like the Moon or a planet to check alignment before hunting faint targets.

For dark-site use, Stellarium's red-light mode is a practical plus. Pointing apps behave the same way in daylight, too: if you like this kind of tool, PeakFinder does it for mountain skylines, as covered in our guide to the best app to identify mountains on iPhone.

Telescope control

This is the clearest split. Stellarium Plus can control a compatible GoTo telescope over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which Space.com confirms in its stargazing app roundup. You tap a target on your phone and the mount slews to it.

One ranked list claims Stellarium mobile has no direct telescope control. That is wrong for the Plus version, and two other sources contradict it.

We could not confirm whether Sky Guide can connect to or control a telescope at all. None of the pages we checked describe such a feature. If driving a mount from your phone is the reason you are shopping, Stellarium is the safe choice. Serious observers also look at SkySafari, which is the usual alternative in telescope forums.

Star catalog and planning tools

Depth of the database

Stellarium Plus goes much deeper than a casual app needs. Space.com puts its database at more than 1.69 billion stars, plus all known planets, natural satellites, comets and around 10,000 asteroids. That depth only pays off with binoculars or a telescope, since the naked eye stops around magnitude 6 even under dark skies.

Sky Guide does not publish a comparable catalog figure in the sources we checked. Its focus is on what you can see and enjoy, rather than on faint deep-sky targets.

Planning a night out

Stellarium lets you move time forward or backward to see where things will be later tonight or next month. With Plus, the eyepiece view shows how a galaxy or cluster will look in your specific scope, and the events calendar lists conjunctions and satellite passes. Space.com notes a few rough edges: the time controls are fiddly to reset, zooming can distort the view, and object descriptions are thin.

Sky Guide leans on alerts instead. It can notify you about ISS passes and sky events, which suits people who want a nudge to go outside rather than a planning tool. Before any session, check cloud cover with a weather map app like Windy.com or Ventusky; our Windy vs Ventusky comparison explains the differences. CARROT Weather is another option if you want detailed hourly forecasts.

Interface and looks

Sky Guide is widely described as the most beautiful stargazing app. The constellation art, transitions and sound design make it pleasant to open even on a hazy night. For a child or someone who has never looked for Orion, that polish lowers the barrier.

Stellarium aims for a realistic sky, with accurate star colors, atmosphere and landscape. SternGucker's verdict is that its interface is plainer than Sky Guide's or Star Walk's. It is still easy to pick up, but it feels more like a tool than a show.

Neither app is hard to learn. The difference is tone: Sky Guide invites you to explore, while Stellarium hands you an accurate map and lets you get on with it.

Which should you choose?

Here is how the Sky Guide vs Stellarium decision plays out for different readers.

Beginner with an iPhone

Start with Sky Guide's free version. It is the friendliest way to learn the main constellations and spot the ISS, and it works offline. Only pay for PLUS or PRO if you find yourself opening it most clear nights. If you would rather never see a paywall, Stellarium free is an equally valid first app.

Android owner or mixed-device household

Pick Stellarium Mobile. Sky Guide is not an option on Android, and Stellarium's free tier is ad-free and capable. Everyone in the house gets the same app, and Stellarium Web works on a shared computer.

Telescope owner

Get Stellarium Mobile and buy the Plus upgrade, ideally as the one-time unlock. Telescope control, the deep catalog and the eyepiece view are aimed squarely at you. If you outgrow it, SkySafari is the usual next step.

Longtime Sky Guide users

If you bought Sky Guide before August 17, 2021, you have LEGACY access and keep your features. There is little reason to switch unless you need telescope control or an Android device.

Other options

Space.com picks Night Sky as its best app for Apple users, and Star Walk 2 is another polished cross-platform choice. If you mistake a moving light for a satellite, it may be a plane: Flightradar24 can identify it, as explained in our guide on how to identify planes flying overhead.