Sky Guide for Android: the alternatives
Sky Guide is only on Apple devices: its maker, Fifth Star Labs, doesn't publish it on Google Play. Apps you'll find there under similar names, including one also called Sky Guide from another developer, aren't Fifth Star Labs' app, and neither are APKs on download sites. On Android, Stellarium is the closest all-rounder, SkySafari is the pick for telescopes, Star Walk 2 is the friendliest, and Sky Map is free and open source with no ads. Everdust isn't a star map: its Night Sky shows the real sky behind your phone, and you tap a nebula or a galaxy to fly inside it, free.
- Closest to Sky Guide: Stellarium (free; Stellarium Plus, in the app or as a separate $19.99 app, adds the deep catalog and telescope control).
- For a telescope: SkySafari 8 Plus or 8 Pro.
- Simplest: Star Walk 2, or Sky Map if you want no ads and nothing to buy.
- To see the wonders up close: Everdust, whose Night Sky lets you fly into them.
Side by side
| Feature | Stellarium | SkySafari | Star Walk 2 | Sky Map | Everdust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price on Google Play | Free, with in-app purchases (Stellarium Plus); or the separate Stellarium Plus app, $19.99[1][2] | 8 Plus $19.99, 8 Pro $34.99, with in-app purchases[3][4] | Star Walk 2 Plus: free with ads and in-app purchases. Star Walk 2 Pro: $2.99[5][6] | Free and open source, with no ads or in-app purchases[7] | Free, no ads, no account; Everdust Plus optional[8][9] |
| Point at the sky | Yes[1] | Yes[3] | Yes, with an AR view[5] | Yes, with an optional through-camera mode[7] | Yes: stars, planets and constellation figures behind your phone, computed on the device[8][9] |
| What's up tonight | Sky for any date, time and place; satellites including the ISS[1] | Sky Tonight and an events finder[3] | Sky Live and Visible Tonight[5] | Optional meteor-shower and tonight's-sky notifications[7] | Yes: Night Sky, Tonight's Sky and Point at the sky[8][9] |
| Deep catalog | With Plus: to magnitude 22 (free: 10), over 1.81 billion stars (Gaia DR3), over 2 million nebulae and galaxies[1] | Large databases in Plus and Pro[3] | Stars, planets, comets, satellites, deep-sky objects[5] | Stars, planets, nebulae and constellations[7] | No: Everdust is not a star atlas[8][9] |
| Telescope control | Yes, with Plus: GoTo telescopes over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi[1] | Yes: ASCOM Alpaca and INDI[3] | Not on its listing[5] | Not on its listing[7] | No[8][9] |
| Beyond the star map | Sky cultures; 3D planets[1] | Orbit mode through the solar system; plate solving[3] | Quizzes, infographics, constellation stories[5] | No required permissions; location never leaves the device[7] | Galaxy and black hole simulations, physics games, narrated science Stories, Calm sessions[8][9] |
Each app as its own store listing or website describes it, checked November 7, 2026; US prices. Numbers in brackets are the sources below.
Where Stellarium is the better pick
- The nearest thing to Sky Guide's depth on Android.
Where SkySafari is the better pick
- The serious observer's tool, with telescope control.
Where Sky Map is the better pick
- Free, open source and private by design.
Where Everdust fits
I make Everdust, so weigh that. It won't replace a star atlas; it's for seeing what you've found as a live simulation, and for the Moon, planets, Space Station passes and meteor showers at a glance.
Night Sky is on Android too, since Everdust 1.0.8: hold your phone up to the real sky, then tap a nebula, a galaxy or a star cluster and fly inside it. Each one downloads the first time you visit it.
The free version covers every world and toy, The Story of Everything in full, and each game's first 3 levels or more and its daily level; Everdust Plus unlocks the rest.
Everdust is free on Apple Vision Pro, Apple TV, Android phones and tablets, iPhone, iPad and Meta Quest. On Mac, it’s a free download; the Mac App Store version is in review.
Everdust on the App Store for Apple Vision ProGet it on Google PlayEverdust on the App Store for iPhoneEverdust on the App Store for iPadEverdust on the App Store for Meta Quest
Questions people ask
Is Sky Guide available for Android? No. Sky Guide's maker, Fifth Star Labs, offers it for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro (and Apple silicon Macs through the App Store). Searching Google Play for "Sky Guide" shows apps from other developers, one of them also named Sky Guide; none is from Fifth Star Labs, and Sky Guide APKs on download sites aren't from its maker either.
What is the best Sky Guide alternative for Android? Stellarium for a similar all-round star map, SkySafari for telescope users, Star Walk 2 for beginners, and Sky Map if you want something free with no ads.
Is Night Sky on Android? iCandi Apps' Night Sky is on Apple devices only. (Everdust also has a feature called Night Sky; it's a different thing, a sky whose wonders you fly into, and it is on Android.)
Which Android star map is free with no ads? Sky Map is free and open source with no ads. Everdust is free with no ads too, though it's a set of simulations with a constellation finder rather than a full star map.
Sources
- Stellarium Mobile on Google Play
- Stellarium Plus on Google Play
- SkySafari 8 Plus on Google Play
- SkySafari 8 Pro on Google Play
- Star Walk 2 Plus on Google Play
- Star Walk 2 Pro on Google Play
- Sky Map on Google Play
- Everdust on the App Store
- Everdust on Google Play
Checked November 7, 2026. Prices and features change; the store listing is always the final word. I make Everdust, and I’ve tried to describe the other apps as fairly as their makers do. Everdust is also listed on AlternativeTo as an alternative to Sky Guide.