SkySafari

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

As of 1 September 2026, SkySafari's pricing is not published; the vendor quotes on request. A planetarium and telescope-control app from Simulation Curriculum, sold as three separate one-time purchases: Basic, Plus and Pro. Softwr lists it under Education. SkySafari is made by Simulation Curriculum, available on iOS, Android, macOS.

Visit siteVisit SkySafari

Overview

What SkySafari does

SkySafari renders an interactive sky map with a catalogue of stars, planets, satellites and deep-sky objects, plus event finders, observing logs and, in the higher tiers, live control of a compatible motorised telescope mount over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It is sold for iOS, Android and desktop, with frequent promotional discounts around new version launches. The distinguishing fact is the tier structure. SkySafari Basic is a cheap star chart with a modest catalogue, SkySafari Plus adds a much larger catalogue including roughly 2.5 million stars and around 32,000 deep-sky objects along with telescope control, and SkySafari Pro adds an enormous object catalogue plus advanced observing planning tools. These are separate purchases rather than an upgrade path with a price difference, so a buyer who starts on Basic and later wants telescope control has to buy Plus or Pro outright rather than pay the gap. Buyers range from a casual stargazer who only wants Basic to a serious amateur astronomer who owns a motorised mount and needs Plus or Pro for telescope control and a deep catalogue. The trade-off against Star Walk 2 is price: SkySafari costs meaningfully more even at the Basic tier, but delivers a far larger object catalogue and, at Plus and Pro, capability that Star Walk 2 simply does not offer.

What people use it 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

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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.

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of SkySafari

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

SkySafarivs
Star Walk 2
Star Walk 2: If you want a much cheaper casual sky map without telescope control
SkySafarivs
Stellarium
Stellarium: If you want free, open source planetarium software for desktop instead
SkySafarivs
Sky Guide
Sky Guide: If you want an iOS-specific astronomy app with light pollution and meteor forecasting

Pricing

What SkySafari costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

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

Capabilities

Features

Tiered editions
Basic, Plus and Pro sold as separate one-time purchases with different catalogue sizes
Telescope control
Plus and Pro tiers connect to and drive compatible motorised telescope mounts
Large object catalogue
Millions of stars and tens of thousands of deep-sky objects in the higher tiers
Event finder
Locates upcoming astronomical events such as conjunctions, eclipses and meteor showers
Observing log
Records and organises past observing sessions
Time control
Simulates the sky at any past or future date and time

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

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.

Can I upgrade from Basic to Plus later?

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

Does it work with any telescope?

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

Keep looking

Where to go from SkySafari

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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for SkySafari, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

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