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Best Star Identification Apps for iPhone (2026)

17 apps ranked S through F · · Ranked by AppTierList, computed, never sold · JSON

Part of Stargazing.

Night Sky is the top-ranked of 17 star identification apps on iPhone, at S tier with 4.7/5 from 497,307 ratings.

  1. 1
    Night SkyS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 497,307 ratings · score 98
  2. 2
    Sky GuideS
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 377,350 ratings · score 98
  3. 3
    Stellarium Mobile - Star MapS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 38,664 ratings · score 95
  4. 4
    Sky Tonight - Stargazing GuideS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 76,165 ratings · score 94
  5. 5
    Star Walk 2 Plus: Live Sky MapS
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 95,884 ratings · score 94

What belongs in this list

Point the phone at the sky and find out which star or planet is which.

Not here: a stargazing news feed alone; a star-themed wallpaper pack alone; bird identification alone; a general astronomy facts list alone; a moon phase calendar alone

More lists: Best star identification apps free to download

How we pick

For this list we ask the App Store the same searches a person would, in several countries, and keep every app it returns. A model reads each app's listing and rejects the ones that only mention the use case. Every app that stays is scored out of 100 from four parts, each 0 to 100 and averaged with no weights: its App Store rating, how many people rated it, where the App Store itself ranks it for this list's searches, and how recently its current version shipped. An app showing Apple's Editors' Choice badge gets a fifth part of 100, which can only lift its score. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. The list's leader is S if it scores 80 or more. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. An app already in a tier keeps its place while the tier is at most 2 apps over a quarter; past that, only the apps over that margin go down, lowest score first. Equal scores share a tier, and no app has a better tier than an app ranked above it. An app keeps its tier until its score passes the band edge by more than 1 point, or a full tier or the order above moves it. Only the top 40 of a list get a tier. Read the full method →

S
Night SkySky GuideStellariumSky TonightStar Walk 2 PlusStar WalkStar Walk 2 Pro
A
Star GuideConstellatio…SkySafariStarMap 3DOSR Star
B
SkyView® LiteThe Constell…SkyView®
C
Star Chart
D
GoSkyWatch
F
None at F yet

Compare every app

  1. 1
    Night SkyS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 497,307 ratings · score 98 · best in class
  2. 2
    Sky GuideS
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 377,350 ratings · score 98 · best in class
  3. 3
    Stellarium Mobile - Star MapS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 38,664 ratings · score 95 · best in class
  4. 4
    Sky Tonight - Stargazing GuideS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 76,165 ratings · score 94 · best in class
  5. 5
    Star Walk 2 Plus: Live Sky MapS
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 95,884 ratings · score 94 · best in class
  6. 6
    Star Walk:Find Stars & PlanetsS
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 25,021 ratings · score 94 · best in class
  7. 7
    Star Walk 2 Pro: Sky Map LiveS
    $2.99 + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 67,287 ratings · score 92 · best in class
  8. 8
    Star Guide: Night Sky MapA
    Free download · ★ 4.5 · 4,338 ratings · score 89 · excellent
  9. 9
    Constellation Map mobileA
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 4,603 ratings · score 87 · excellent
  10. 10
    SkySafariA
    $4.99 + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 17,913 ratings · score 87 · excellent
  11. 11
    StarMap 3D+ PlusA
    $2.99 · ★ 4.8 · 6,877 ratings · score 83 · excellent
  12. 12
    OSR Star FinderA
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 4,834 ratings · score 83 · excellent
  13. 13
    SkyView® LiteB
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 18,794 ratings · score 80 · good
  14. 14
    The Constellation Star FinderB
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 4,351 ratings · score 78 · good
  15. 15
    SkyView®B
    $2.99 · ★ 4.6 · 7,704 ratings · score 71 · good
  16. 16
    Star ChartC
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 24,835 ratings · score 67 · situational
  17. 17
    GoSkyWatch PlanetariumD
    $3.99 · ★ 4.8 · 10,256 ratings · score 56 · weak

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Questions people ask

What is the best star identification app for iPhone?
Night Sky, S tier, ranked #1 of 17, rated 4.7 by 497,307 people.
Which star identification apps are free?
12 of 17 are free to download: Night Sky (S), Sky Guide (S), Stellarium Mobile - Star Map (S), Sky Tonight - Stargazing Guide (S) and more. 4 of them sell in-app purchases.
Which star identification app has the best App Store rating?
Stellarium Mobile - Star Map at 4.8 from 38,664 ratings.
How many star identification apps reach S or A tier?
12 of 17. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. The list's leader is S if it scores 80 or more. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. An app already in a tier keeps its place while the tier is at most 2 apps over a quarter; past that, only the apps over that margin go down, lowest score first. Equal scores share a tier, and no app has a better tier than an app ranked above it. An app keeps its tier until its score passes the band edge by more than 1 point, or a full tier or the order above moves it. Only the top 40 of a list get a tier.

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