PhotoPills alternatives — honest options for planning your shoot
PhotoPills is, genuinely, the benchmark. Most people looking for an alternative want one of three things: a gentler learning curve, something that works in a browser, or something free. Here's what actually fits each case — and where PhotoPills is still the right answer.
Last reviewed 2026-07. We include tools that beat ours — if a competitor is the right answer, we say so. ShootSm.art is made by Future Vision Concepts.
What to look for
- Do you need planning (where the light will be) or settings (what to dial in)? They're different jobs.
- Do you want it on desktop, or only in your pocket at the location?
- One-time purchase vs subscription — photographers overwhelmingly prefer the former.
- AR matters more than you'd think for lining up a Milky Way shot.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Platforms | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhotoPills | Planning landscape, night and astro shoots | iOS · Android | One-time purchase |
| Sun Surveyor | A friendlier alternative to PhotoPills | iOS · Android | Paid (with a limited free tier) |
| The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) | Map-based light planning, on desktop or mobile | Web · iOS · Android | Free web tier · paid apps/tiers |
| Clear Outside / Astrospheric | Deciding whether tonight is even worth it | Web · iOS · Android | Free |
| ShootSm.artours | Getting the exposure right once you're there | Web · installable (PWA) | Free tier · Pro subscription |
PhotoPills
The deep planning app for sun, moon and Milky Way, with AR previews and a pile of calculators.
Strengths
- The most complete planner out there — sun/moon/Milky Way, AR night-sky, timelapse and DOF calculators in one app
- One-time price, no subscription
- Superb for scouting a spot before you drive out to it
Limitations
- Genuinely steep learning curve — it rewards study
- Mobile only, and it plans the shoot rather than telling you what to dial in
Sun Surveyor
Sun, moon and Milky Way tracking with AR and a map view.
Strengths
- Much gentler learning curve than PhotoPills
- Clean AR and map views
Limitations
- Fewer calculators and less depth than PhotoPills
The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE)
Map-first light planning — where the sun and moon will be, and where the light will fall.
Strengths
- Map-centric approach is very intuitive for 'where will the light hit?'
- Usable in a browser, which most planners aren't
Limitations
- 3D/visualisation lives in a separate paid product
- Less of an all-in-one than PhotoPills
Clear Outside / Astrospheric
Free astronomy-grade cloud and seeing forecasts.
Strengths
- Purpose-built cloud forecasts beat generic weather apps for astro
- Free
Limitations
- Forecasting only — no planning or settings
ShootSm.artours
A settings coach and free sun planner in the browser — it tells you what to dial in, not where to stand.
Strengths
- Free sun/golden-hour planner and calculators in any browser — no purchase
- Answers the other half of the problem: the actual settings for your exact camera
- Free printable cheat sheet tuned to your body
Limitations
- Not a PhotoPills replacement for deep planning — no AR, no Milky Way alignment
- Web-first rather than a native mobile app
Common questions
Is there a free PhotoPills alternative?
Partly. No free app matches PhotoPills' full planning depth. But The Photographer's Ephemeris has a free web tier for sun/moon planning, Clear Outside covers astro forecasting free, and ShootSm.art's sun planner and calculators are free in the browser. For AR Milky Way alignment specifically, PhotoPills is still worth its one-time price.
What's easier to learn than PhotoPills?
Sun Surveyor. It covers the same core sun/moon/Milky Way ground with a much gentler curve. You give up some of the calculators and depth.
Does PhotoPills tell you what camera settings to use?
Not really — it has calculators (DOF, exposure, timelapse), but it's a planning tool, not a coach. It won't look at your specific body and lens and tell you where to start for the scene in front of you. That's a different category of tool.