Comparison
StarryPic vs Astrospheric vs Clear Outside vs Good To Stargaze.
An honest side-by-side. We built StarryPic because none of the existing tools answered our actual question.
| Feature | StarryPic | Astrospheric | Clear Outside | Good To Stargaze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geographic coverage | Worldwide | North America only | Worldwide | Worldwide |
| Weather models | 4 (ECMWF + GFS + ICON + GEM) | RAP/HRRR (single, GFS-derived) | 1 (GFS) | 1 (GFS) |
| Ensemble disagreement reported | Yes (% agreement) | No | No | No |
| Tonight verdict (Skip/Backyard/Drive) | Yes | Numeric only | Numeric only | Numeric only |
| 7-night outlook | Yes | Yes | 7 day | 7 day |
| Trip planner (14 nights) | Yes (Pro) | No | No | No |
| Aurora forecast | Yes (Kp + geomagnetic lat) | Partial | No | No |
| Satellite passes (ISS/Tiangong/Hubble) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Dark-site community reviews | Yes | No | No | Partial |
| FOV calculator | Yes (with targets) | No | No | No |
| iOS + Android widgets | Yes | iOS only | No | No |
| iCal export | Yes | No | No | No |
| Pricing (Pro) | ~$3/mo via App Store / Play IAP | $7.50/yr ad-free upgrade | Free (with ads) | Free + Pro tier |
| Platforms | iOS + Android + web | iOS + Android + web | iOS + Android + web | iOS + Android |
When to pick Astrospheric instead
If you image exclusively in North America and want the highest-resolution mesoscale data (HRRR 3km), Astrospheric is excellent. StarryPic uses global models which trade some North-America resolution for worldwide coverage.
When Clear Outside is fine
If you want a free, ad-supported GFS-only readout and do not need the decision-first UX, Clear Outside works. StarryPic gives you a verdict instead of nine numbers.
Why we built StarryPic
Because in India, Astrospheric does not work. Clear Outside reads one model. We wanted: worldwide coverage, honest ensemble disagreement, a one-glance verdict, and the things that actually matter for a session — aurora, satellite passes, FOV calculator, trip planner. So we built that.