Report updated May 26, 2026
Star Stacker
For astrophotographers and hobbyists looking to process night sky image sequences into star trails or time-lapse videos on mobile devices.
Star Stacker is an established photo & video app that is a paid app. With a 4.3/5 rating from 94 reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate astrophotography enthusiasts value the ability to stack hundreds of raw images into star trails, though frequent application crashes during the image rendering process prevent users from completing their projects remains a common concern.
What is Star Stacker?
Star Stacker is a photo and video utility for iOS that processes sequences of night-sky images into star trails and time-lapse videos.
Users hire the app to automate complex long-exposure stacking that typically requires desktop software, allowing for mobile-first astrophotography workflows.
Current Momentum
v3.0 · 10mo ago
Zombie- Integrated time-lapse video import capability.
- Updated application design.
Active Nemesis
Slow Shutter Cam
By Cogitap Software
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
Photo & VideoRating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
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What Are The Key Features?
Combines multiple night sky photos into a single composite image using various trail effects like full, faded, shooting star, or javelin.
Converts sequences of star photos or imported time-lapse videos into a video file based on selected stacking effects.
How much does it cost?
- Single purchase at $3.99
Paid model anchored at $3.99, providing full access to all stacking and video generation features without recurring costs.
Who Built It?
michael webb
Providing specialized utility tools for niche hobbyists and professionals. Enabling precise management of sports, finance, and technical workflows.
Portfolio
5
Apps
What other apps does michael webb make?
Explore the full michael webb report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by michael webb.
What do users think recently?
Low confidence · 28 reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate astrophotography enthusiasts value the ability to stack hundreds of raw images into star trails and simple interface design allows amateur photographers to produce high quality results without complex software, but report frequent application crashes during the image rendering process prevent users from completing their projects and restrictive photo access permissions create dead ends for users who select specific photos during setup.
Limited review volume (28 reviews). Sentiment analysis will deepen as more data lands.
How have ratings & review volume moved?
Rating, review sentiment, and total reviews over time, with release markers showing the post-launch impact.
Vertical markers = app releases. Hover any release for the post-release impact delta.
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Star Stacker?
How's The Photo & Video Market?
How does it evolve in the Photo & Video market?
Star Stacker occupies a niche segment of the Photo & Video category, currently ranking #91 Paid in the US. The lack of a subscription model limits the revenue velocity needed to compete with the broader feature sets of market leaders like Slow Shutter Cam.
Rank progression
36 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
Which niche is Star Stacker in?
to create star trail images and time-lapses
Explore the full Photography Editors niche
Every app in this space — 164 tracked, the niche's live rankings, and Marlvel's editorial take on the job-to-be-done.
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
This is the market leader for long-exposure photography on iOS, directly overlapping with Star Stacker's core functionality of capturing light trails.
Differentiators
- Offers specialized light trail, motion blur, and low light modes beyond simple star stacking
- Provides real-time live preview of the long exposure effect while the image is being captured
- Includes manual shutter speed and ISO controls that allow for more precise creative light manipulation
Head to head
Target app must emphasize its post-processing workflow advantage for photographers who already have high-quality source images from dedicated cameras.
Contenders(1)
The gold standard for planning night photography, serving the exact same prosumer audience that would use Star Stacker.
Differentiators
- Integrates complex augmented reality planning tools to visualize star positions before the actual shoot
- Provides a comprehensive suite of calculators for exposure, depth of field, and star trail length
Same space(3)
A primary tool for night sky observation that competes for the user's attention during the same photography sessions.
Differentiators
- Features an extensive database of over two million stars with high-precision sky mapping
- Includes advanced observation planning tools that help photographers time their shoots for specific events
Adjacent utility app used by the same target audience to identify celestial objects during night photography sessions.
Differentiators
- Provides real-time identification of stars, constellations, and satellites using device sensors and AR
- Features high-fidelity 3D models of celestial bodies for educational and planning purposes
While a general editor, its massive adoption among photographers makes it the default destination for processing star trail source files.
Differentiators
- Offers non-destructive RAW editing workflows that are essential for preparing star photos before stacking
- Cloud-based ecosystem allows seamless transition between mobile, tablet, and desktop editing environments
New entrants(1)
High-velocity updates and professional-grade video editing capabilities make it a threat for users creating time-lapse videos from star sequences.
Differentiators
- Provides multi-track timeline editing that allows for complex layering of star trail time-lapses with audio
- Supports professional color grading tools that are superior to basic stacking app export features
Compare Star Stacker against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Star Stacker
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Specialized stacking algorithms for faded and shooting star trails
- Accessible interface design for non-professional photographers
Critical Frictions
- Frequent rendering crashes on large image batches
- Restrictive photo library permissions that cannot be reset
- Lack of native Files app integration for batch management
Growth Levers
- B2B partnership potential with astrophotography workshops
- Integration with native iOS Files app for raw batch management
Market Threats
- Slow Shutter Cam's real-time light trail preview
- Adobe Lightroom's dominance in RAW editing workflows
What are the next best moves?
Rebuild rendering pipeline to handle large image batches because crash reports are the #1 churn driver → increase session completion rate
Multiple user reports cite app closing during rendering as the primary barrier to project completion.
Trade-off: Push the planned Warp Mode UI refresh to Q4 — stability has 5x the retention impact.
Audit photo permission flow to allow manual reset because users report being locked out of their library → reduce refund requests
Users report being unable to change access settings post-configuration, forcing them to consider re-purchasing the app.
Trade-off: Deprioritize the new star-trail effect development — fixing the permission dead-end is a critical retention fix.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's #91 rank is a deceptive metric: its value lies in being a specialized post-processing utility for photographers who already own dedicated cameras, not in competing for general-purpose casual photo app traffic.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Real-time light trail preview (available in Slow Shutter Cam but missing here)
- Non-destructive RAW editing (available in Adobe Lightroom but missing here)
Key Takeaways
Star Stacker provides a unique utility for astrophotography enthusiasts, but frequent rendering crashes during batch processing threaten its long-term viability, so the team must prioritize stability over new features to prevent churn.
Where Is It Heading?
Mixed Signals
The astrophotography utility market is consolidating around tools that offer both stability and advanced editing, leaving Star Stacker exposed. Unless the rendering pipeline is stabilized, the app will continue to lose ground to more reliable competitors, so the PM must shift focus from feature expansion to core reliability.
Frequent rendering crashes during batch processing erode user trust, which compounds the negative sentiment already visible in recent reviews.
Recent updates focused on design and video import, but the lack of stability improvements leaves the core rendering engine vulnerable.