Education · head to head
Hapara vs Sky Guide
Hapara
Education
Classroom visibility and workflow layer over Google Workspace for Education
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Sky Guide
Education
iOS astronomy app that moved from a one-time purchase to a free-to-download, subscription-tiered model
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Sky Guide has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Hapara the product is a Google Workspace companion, so a district that moves to Microsoft 365 or runs mixed platforms loses most of the value it paid for.; Sky Guide it is iOS-only, unlike SkySafari which also covers Android and desktop.
- They diverge on capability: Hapara covers Highlights, Sky Guide covers Light pollution forecasting.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hapara and Sky Guide 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 Hapara
- Highlights
- Teacher Dashboard
- Workspace
- Filter
- Guided browsing sessions
- Activity snapshots
Only in Sky Guide
- Light pollution forecasting
- Meteor shower prediction
- Camera and gyroscope sky view
- Deep-sky object catalogue
- Extreme zoom
- Satellite tracking
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Hapara
- A Chromebook district where teachers cannot see what pupils are doing during independent worknot Sky Guide
- Schools running differentiated instruction that need different groups to receive different resources without three separate assignmentsnot Sky Guide
- Departments that want lesson scoped site restrictions rather than a district wide filter changenot Sky Guide
- Giving teachers access to pupil Drive work without asking every pupil to share every document manuallynot Sky Guide
Sky Guide
- An iOS stargazer who wants light pollution forecasting to plan a dark-sky observing tripnot Hapara
- Someone tracking meteor showers and wanting a forecast of viewing conditionsnot Hapara
- A user who wants extreme zoom into deep-sky objects without owning a telescopenot Hapara
- A buyer comparing subscription astronomy apps on iOS specifically, rather than cross-platform toolsnot Hapara
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Hapara
- The product is a Google Workspace companion, so a district that moves to Microsoft 365 or runs mixed platforms loses most of the value it paid for.
- Live tab monitoring is a surveillance capability with no technical boundary at the school gate, and unless the district configures and publishes a monitoring window, take home devices are watched at home by default expectations rather than by explicit policy.
- It layers on top of district filtering rather than replacing it, so schools still pay for a separate filtering and safeguarding product and manage two sets of rules.
- Value depends entirely on teachers using it in the moment. Schools that buy it without sustained classroom coaching see licences renewed on the basis of installed count rather than actual use.
- Pupil awareness of monitoring changes behaviour in ways the analytics do not show, and older pupils move activity to personal phones, which produces a dashboard that looks compliant and is not.
Sky Guide
- It is iOS-only, unlike SkySafari which also covers Android and desktop.
- It has moved from one-time purchase to a subscription model, and long-time users who paid once for earlier versions have criticised the change publicly.
- Pro tier pricing is high relative to Star Walk 2 for broadly similar core stargazing functionality.
- It has no telescope control, unlike SkySafari Plus and Pro, which limits it to naked-eye and camera-based observing.
- Its relationship to other apps under the same distribution platform is not clearly documented, which makes long-term support commitments harder to assess.
Pricing, plan by plan
Hapara
On request- Hapara Instructional Suite$undefined/year
- Quoted per pupil per year
- Modules bundled or taken separately
- Multi-year district agreements typical
Sky Guide
Free- Sky GuideFree
- Base sky map and object labelling
- Sky Guide Plus$19.99/year
- Larger star and satellite catalogue
- Light pollution forecasting
- Meteor shower prediction
- Sky Guide Pro$39.99/year
- Very large deep-sky object catalogue
- Exoplanet data
- Extreme zoom
Which should you pick?
Choose Hapara if
- You need highlights.
- You work on Web, ChromeOS, iOS, Android.
- You also want teacher dashboard.
Choose Sky Guide if
- You need light pollution forecasting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS.
- You also want meteor shower prediction.
Questions people ask
- Is Hapara or Sky Guide better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hapara starts at On request and Sky Guide at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Hapara or Sky Guide?
- Sky Guide has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Hapara and Free for Sky Guide.
- Does Hapara or Sky Guide run on more platforms?
- Hapara runs on Web, ChromeOS, iOS, Android. Sky Guide runs on iOS.
- Can I use Sky Guide for free?
- Yes. Sky Guide has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hapara starts at On request.
- What is Hapara best used for?
- Hapara is most often used for a chromebook district where teachers cannot see what pupils are doing during independent work, schools running differentiated instruction that need different groups to receive different resources without three separate assignments, departments that want lesson scoped site restrictions rather than a district wide filter change, giving teachers access to pupil drive work without asking every pupil to share every document manually. Of those, a chromebook district where teachers cannot see what pupils are doing during independent work and schools running differentiated instruction that need different groups to receive different resources without three separate assignments are not what Sky Guide is typically brought in for.
- What can Hapara do that Sky Guide cannot?
- Hapara covers Highlights, Teacher Dashboard, Workspace, Filter. Sky Guide covers Light pollution forecasting, Meteor shower prediction, Camera and gyroscope sky view, Deep-sky object catalogue.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Hapara: Does Hapara monitor pupils at home?
It can, on school managed devices, if the district configures it that way. Districts should define and publish a monitoring window, because the product does not impose one.
Sky Guide: Is Sky Guide free?
The base app is free to download; Plus and Pro are subscription upgrades for a larger catalogue and forecasting features.
Hapara: Is it FERPA and COPPA aligned?
Yes. Hapara contracts as a school official under FERPA, relies on district consent for COPPA, and is a Student Privacy Pledge signatory. That does not decide how widely a district should configure monitoring.
Sky Guide: Did Sky Guide used to be a one-time purchase?
Yes, earlier versions were sold as a one-time purchase before it moved to the current free-plus-subscription model.
Hapara: Do we still need a web filter?
Yes. Hapara adds class and lesson level control on top of district filtering. It is not a replacement for a filtering and safeguarding platform.
Sky Guide: Does Sky Guide support telescope control?
No. For telescope control, SkySafari Plus or Pro is the better choice.
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