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Education · head to head

SkySafari vs YuJa

SkySafari logo

SkySafari

Education

Astronomy app sold in three tiered editions, from a cheap star chart to telescope control

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
YuJa logo

YuJa

Education

Video platform, lecture capture, accessibility remediation and proctoring bundled for institutions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; YuJa nothing is published, and because the pricing is a bundle against enrolment, comparing YuJa with a video-only competitor requires unpicking which modules you would actually deploy rather than reading two price lists.
  • They diverge on capability: SkySafari covers Tiered editions, YuJa covers Lumina Video Platform.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SkySafari and YuJa actually diverge.

Attributes where SkySafari and YuJa differ
AttributeSkySafariYuJa
Pricing modelOne-time purchase per tierquote
PlatformsiOS, Android, macOSWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 SkySafari

  • Tiered editions
  • Telescope control
  • Large object catalogue
  • Event finder
  • Observing log
  • Time control

Only in YuJa

  • Lumina Video Platform
  • Lecture capture
  • Panorama
  • Verity
  • EqualGround
  • Auto-captioning
  • Engage
  • Institution-wide licensing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

SkySafari

  • An amateur astronomer with a motorised telescope mount who needs live control from a phone or tabletnot YuJa
  • A serious hobbyist who wants a deep-sky catalogue far larger than a casual sky map app providesnot YuJa
  • Someone planning an observing session who wants an event finder for conjunctions and eclipsesnot YuJa
  • A buyer choosing Basic first as a cheap star chart with no intention of telescope controlnot YuJa

YuJa

  • A public university facing an enforceable web and document accessibility deadline that needs LMS content remediated and a dashboard it can show an auditor.not SkySafari
  • An institution replacing a per-user lecture capture licence where casual recorders push the seat count past what the budget supports.not SkySafari
  • A university that wants captioning, audio description and accessible alternative formats produced natively rather than routed to a third-party captioning vendor per hour.not SkySafari
  • A disability services office and IT department jointly procuring one supplier for accessibility remediation, website scanning and media captioning instead of three contracts.not SkySafari

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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.

YuJa

  • Nothing is published, and because the pricing is a bundle against enrolment, comparing YuJa with a video-only competitor requires unpicking which modules you would actually deploy rather than reading two price lists.
  • The suite is broad and the modules are not equally mature; buyers who choose it for the accessibility line should evaluate the video and proctoring products separately rather than assuming equivalent quality.
  • Storage and streaming are presented as unlimited, but unlimited in a quoted institutional contract is a negotiated position rather than a technical guarantee, and heavy adopters should get the fair use threshold in writing.
  • Proctoring is contested; student unions and academic staff at many institutions object to automated invigilation, so buying Verity as part of a bundle can trigger a governance argument the video purchase did not anticipate.
  • Bundling concentrates supplier risk: lecture capture, exam integrity and accessibility compliance in one contract means a single renewal negotiation where the institution has very little leverage.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

YuJa

On request
  • YuJa Suite$undefined/year
    • Priced per institution, usually against full-time equivalent enrolment
    • Video Platform, Panorama, Verity, EqualGround and Engage licensed individually or bundled
    • Multi-year institutional agreements are the norm

Which should you pick?

Choose SkySafari if

  • You need tiered editions.
  • You work on iOS, Android, macOS.
  • You also want telescope control.
SkySafari review

Choose YuJa if

  • You need lumina video platform.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want lecture capture.
YuJa review

Questions people ask

Is SkySafari or YuJa better?
Neither clearly leads. SkySafari starts at On request and YuJa at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SkySafari or YuJa?
SkySafari starts at On request and YuJa at On request.
Does SkySafari or YuJa run on more platforms?
SkySafari runs on iOS, Android, macOS. YuJa runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
What is SkySafari best used for?
SkySafari is most often used for an amateur astronomer with a motorised telescope mount who needs live control from a phone or tablet, a serious hobbyist who wants a deep-sky catalogue far larger than a casual sky map app provides, someone planning an observing session who wants an event finder for conjunctions and eclipses, a buyer choosing basic first as a cheap star chart with no intention of telescope control. Of those, an amateur astronomer with a motorised telescope mount who needs live control from a phone or tablet and a serious hobbyist who wants a deep-sky catalogue far larger than a casual sky map app provides are not what YuJa is typically brought in for.
What can SkySafari do that YuJa cannot?
SkySafari covers Tiered editions, Telescope control, Large object catalogue, Event finder. YuJa covers Lumina Video Platform, Lecture capture, Panorama, Verity.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

YuJa: Is YuJa priced per user?

No. It is licensed per institution, typically against full-time equivalent enrolment, which is the main structural difference from per-seat lecture capture rivals.

SkySafari: Can I upgrade from Basic to Plus later?

Not as a discounted upgrade; each tier is sold as a separate one-time purchase.

YuJa: Is storage really unlimited?

It is marketed that way. In a quoted institutional contract, get the fair use position and any streaming threshold written into the agreement.

SkySafari: Does it work with any telescope?

Only telescopes with compatible motorised mounts and a supported connection method can be controlled from the app.

YuJa: What is Panorama?

An accessibility product that scans documents in your LMS, remediates them, generates alternative formats and reports compliance status.

YuJa: Does it integrate with our LMS?

Yes, with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L Brightspace and Sakai through LTI, with in-course playback and rostering.

YuJa: How does it compare with Panopto?

Panopto is more focused on video and lecture capture. YuJa bundles accessibility remediation and proctoring around the video, which is why it wins tenders that weight accessibility heavily.

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