Education · head to head
Clever vs SkySafari
Clever
Education
Single sign-on and roster synchronisation between district student records and classroom applications
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
SkySafari
Education
Astronomy app sold in three tiered editions, from a cheap star chart to telescope control
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Clever has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Clever coverage is built around United States district data models and state reporting patterns, so schools outside the United States often find their student information system unsupported and their local identity conventions unrepresented.; SkySafari the three tiers are separate purchases, so upgrading from Basic to Plus or Pro later means buying again rather than paying the price difference.
- They diverge on capability: Clever covers Secure Sync, SkySafari covers Tiered editions.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Clever and SkySafari actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Clever
- Secure Sync
- Clever portal
- Clever Badges
- Instant Login
- Clever IDM
- Application analytics
Only in SkySafari
- Tiered editions
- Telescope control
- Large object catalogue
- Event finder
- Observing log
- Time control
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Clever
- A district that has bought forty classroom applications and wants pupils to reach all of them without forty passwordsnot SkySafari
- Primary schools where pupils cannot yet type a password reliably and need badge loginnot SkySafari
- District IT that needs accounts created and revoked automatically as pupils enrol and leavenot SkySafari
- Evidencing to a board which licensed applications are used enough to justify renewalnot SkySafari
SkySafari
- An amateur astronomer with a motorised telescope mount who needs live control from a phone or tabletnot Clever
- A serious hobbyist who wants a deep-sky catalogue far larger than a casual sky map app providesnot Clever
- Someone planning an observing session who wants an event finder for conjunctions and eclipsesnot Clever
- A buyer choosing Basic first as a cheap star chart with no intention of telescope controlnot Clever
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Clever
- Coverage is built around United States district data models and state reporting patterns, so schools outside the United States often find their student information system unsupported and their local identity conventions unrepresented.
- Because application vendors pay and districts do not, a district has no commercial leverage when a sync breaks, and support priority follows the paying side of the market.
- Rostering is a single point of failure. One bad field mapping propagates wrong class lists to every connected application at once, and unpicking it means correcting the source system and waiting for the next sync cycle.
- Sync is scheduled rather than immediate for many connections, so a pupil who transfers mid week can sit in the wrong class in several applications for a day or more.
- Ownership moved to Kahoot! in 2021 and then to a private equity consortium in 2023, so a district is now depending on infrastructure whose long term roadmap is set by investor timelines rather than by education procurement cycles.
SkySafari
- The three tiers are separate purchases, so upgrading from Basic to Plus or Pro later means buying again rather than paying the price difference.
- Even the Basic tier costs more than a comparable free or freemium app like Star Walk 2 for a casual user.
- Telescope control only works with compatible motorised mounts, so it is useless to someone with a manual telescope or no telescope at all.
- Pricing fluctuates with frequent promotional sales, so the list price is not a reliable guide to what most buyers actually pay.
- The interface, particularly on the Pro tier, has a steeper learning curve than a simple AR sky map app aimed at casual users.
Pricing, plan by plan
Clever
Free- Clever core rostering and single sign-on$undefined/year
- Free to United States districts
- Funded by application vendors rather than the district
- Secure Sync, portal and Badges included
- Clever paid district products$undefined/year
- Identity management and account provisioning
- Multi-factor authentication for staff
- Pricing quoted per district, not published
SkySafari
On request- SkySafari Basic$4.99/one-time
- Core star chart
- Modest object catalogue
- No telescope control
- SkySafari Plus$14.99/one-time
- About 2.5 million stars and 32,000 deep-sky objects
- Telescope control
- Event finder and observing log
- SkySafari Pro$29.99/one-time
- Largest catalogue tier
- Telescope control
- Advanced observation planning tools
Which should you pick?
Choose Clever if
- You need secure sync.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, ChromeOS.
- You also want clever portal.
Choose SkySafari if
- You need tiered editions.
- You work on iOS, Android, macOS.
- You also want telescope control.
Questions people ask
- Is Clever or SkySafari better?
- Neither clearly leads. Clever starts at Free and SkySafari at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Clever or SkySafari?
- Clever has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Clever and On request for SkySafari.
- Does Clever or SkySafari run on more platforms?
- Clever runs on Web, iOS, Android, ChromeOS. SkySafari runs on iOS, Android, macOS.
- Can I use Clever for free?
- Yes. Clever has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SkySafari starts at On request.
- What is Clever best used for?
- Clever is most often used for a district that has bought forty classroom applications and wants pupils to reach all of them without forty passwords, primary schools where pupils cannot yet type a password reliably and need badge login, district it that needs accounts created and revoked automatically as pupils enrol and leave, evidencing to a board which licensed applications are used enough to justify renewal. Of those, a district that has bought forty classroom applications and wants pupils to reach all of them without forty passwords and primary schools where pupils cannot yet type a password reliably and need badge login are not what SkySafari is typically brought in for.
- What can Clever do that SkySafari cannot?
- Clever covers Secure Sync, Clever portal, Clever Badges, Instant Login. SkySafari covers Tiered editions, Telescope control, Large object catalogue, Event finder.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Clever: Does Clever really cost a district nothing?
The core rostering and single sign-on service is free to districts. Application vendors pay for the connection and build that cost into what they charge the district, so the money reaches Clever through the software bill instead of a direct invoice.
SkySafari: What is the difference between Basic, Plus and Pro?
Basic is a simple star chart, Plus adds a much larger catalogue and telescope control, and Pro adds an even larger catalogue and advanced planning tools.
Clever: Is Clever FERPA and COPPA compliant?
Clever operates as a school official under FERPA, acting on district instruction, and relies on district consent rather than parental consent for COPPA. It has signed the Student Privacy Pledge.
SkySafari: Can I upgrade from Basic to Plus later?
Not as a discounted upgrade; each tier is sold as a separate one-time purchase.
Clever: What happens if we leave Clever?
Every connected application loses its roster feed and needs a replacement method, either a competing rostering service or manual CSV uploads per application. That is why districts rarely switch once more than a handful of applications depend on it.
SkySafari: Does it work with any telescope?
Only telescopes with compatible motorised mounts and a supported connection method can be controlled from the app.
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