Smart telescope comparison
23 current and recently-discontinued smart telescopes from 5 makers (ZWO, DwarfLab, Vaonis, Unistellar, Celestron), compared on specs computed from the raw optics and sensor data rather than copied from a spec sheet. Existing comparisons are written by people who own the hardware; this one is written by arithmetic, shown in the open, and it is the same database and the same physics that power the field-of-view reference.
Last updated . Every model here is re-checked against the manufacturers once a month, and these dates move when that happens. Where each figure came from: sources and methodology.
Why "computed, not transcribed" matters. Manufacturers publish fields of view in at least two conventions and rarely say which: some give a pair of edge angles, others a single bare number that turns out to be the diagonal. Comparing a diagonal against an edge is wrong by roughly the same factor every time - about 40 percent wide - and it decides whether a target fits in one frame. Every field-of-view figure below is computed from focal length and sensor geometry, and the manufacturer's own claim is tested against it, not assumed. Full arithmetic and worked examples: Smart Telescope Field of View.
Openness: are you locked into the maker's app?
Every one of these telescopes is designed to be run from the maker's own phone app. "Openness" is how far past that app a given model will let you go, and it is the one column here nobody else tracks. It comes down to three questions a buyer can feel the answer to years later.
- Can other software drive it? Free programs like N.I.N.A., SharpCap and Stellarium can run a telescope from a laptop all night: a queue of targets, automatic re-focusing, an unattended session you set up before bed. That only works if the telescope will talk to something other than its own app. The industry name for the plug it needs is ASCOM Alpaca, and most of these devices simply do not have one.
- Can you get the original frames out? The motorised models stack your images for you and hand back a finished picture. The originals underneath, usually FITS files, are what you would open in PixInsight or the free Siril to do a better job yourself. Some makers hand them over, some make you work for it, and one gives you no supported way at all.
- What happens when the maker moves on? A telescope that only its own app can drive is worth exactly as long as that app keeps being updated. One that speaks a standard, or that enthusiasts have taught other software to speak, keeps working, keeps being useful to the next owner, and holds its resale value better.
None of this matters on your first night out - every one of these works beautifully straight out of the box, with nothing but a phone. It starts to matter in year two, when you want longer sessions, better processing, or to hand the thing on.
| Maker | Can a laptop drive it?ASCOM Alpaca support | Can you get the original frames?raw FITS files | Rating | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO | Yes, on the Seestar S50claimed but unconfirmed on the rest of the line | Yesdocumented | Works with other software | The best of the five. On an S50 you can put the phone down and run the night from a laptop in the software serious imagers already use, and every model in the line lets you keep the original frames. |
| DwarfLab | Yes, but hobbyists built itthe dwarfAlp bridge, not DwarfLab | Yes, easilythe most generous here | Enthusiast-built | Laptop control works today, but volunteers wrote it and DwarfLab does not promise to keep it working, so a firmware update can break it. Getting your originals off is genuinely easy. |
| Celestron | Not officiallyenthusiasts decoded the app link | Partlyonly through that unofficial route | Enthusiast-built | Celestron offers nothing, but someone worked out how the app talks to the telescope and published a working controller for it. Windows only, and one program at a time - you have to disconnect the phone app first. |
| Vaonis | NoVaonis states it has no plans to add one | Yesover Wi-Fi or USB, documented by Vaonis | App only | On every motorised model the app is the only way to operate it, and Vaonis has said so plainly (the hand-aimed Hestia is a different kind of object). Your pictures are still yours, though: copying the originals off is a supported, documented feature. |
| Unistellar | Nonone found, official or otherwise | Nono supported route | App only | The most closed of the five. The app is the whole experience, and there is no supported way to pull the untouched frames off and process them yourself. Buy one for how good that experience is, not for what you will do to it later. |
- Works with other software
- The maker itself supports driving the telescope from other software. Nothing to set up beyond a normal connection, and nobody's spare time holding it together.
- Enthusiast-built
- It works, but volunteers built it by figuring out the telescope for themselves. Free, usually good, and with no promise from the maker that the next firmware update will not break it.
- Unconfirmed
- The maker or a retailer says it works, but we could not confirm it on this model. Treat it as a maybe until somebody demonstrates it.
- App only
- The maker's own app, and nothing else. Whatever the app does is what the telescope does, for as long as the app is maintained.
The rating is per model, not per maker, and the table above shows each maker at its best - ZWO scores four only on the S50, and the rest of the ZWO line sits lower. Every model's own rating is in the Openness column below, with the detail and the sources behind it in that model's panel. Full citations: sources and methodology.
Compare every model
| Model | Availability | Aperture | True field of view | Light-gathering | Price (MSRP) | Weight | Openness | Fits target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 30 mm | 2.13° x 1.20° | 1.0x | $399 | 1.65 kg | Unconfirmed | — | |
| Current | 30 mm | 4.01° x 2.25° | 1.0x | $699 | 1.65 kg | Unconfirmed | — | |
| Discontinued | 50 mm | 1.29° x 0.73° | 2.8x | $499 | 2.5 kg | Works with other software | — | |
| Current | 50 mm | 2.46° x 1.38° | 2.8x | $999 | 2.8 kg | App only | — | |
| Current | 35 mm | 2.95° x 1.66° | 1.4x | $549 | 1.3 kg | Enthusiast-built | — | |
| Current | 30 mm | 2.14° x 1.22° | 1.0x | $419 | 0.84 kg | Enthusiast-built | — | |
| Legacy | 24 mm | not computable | 0.6x | $459 | 1.2 kg | Enthusiast-built | — | |
| Current | 30 mm | not computable | 1.0x | n/a | 0.85 kg | App only | — | |
| Discontinued | 50 mm | 1.61° x 0.91° | 2.8x | n/a | n/a | App only | — | |
| Current | 50 mm | 2.56° x 1.44° | 2.8x | $1,839 | 5 kg | App only | — | |
| Current | 50 mm | 2.56° x 1.44° | 2.8x | $2,490 | n/a | App only | — | |
| Legacy | 50 mm | 1.62° x 1.62° | 2.8x | $2,499 | 5 kg | App only | — | |
| Current | 50 mm | 2.62° x 1.47° | 2.8x | $2,490 | 5 kg | App only | — | |
| Current | 50 mm | 1.65° x 1.65° | 2.8x | $2,990 | 5 kg | App only | — | |
| Discontinued | 80 mm | 1.06° x 0.72° | 7.1x | n/a | 11.2 kg | App only | — | |
| Discontinued | 114 mm | 0.62° x 0.47° | 14.4x | $2,999 | n/a | App only | — | |
| Current | 114 mm | not computable | 14.4x | $4,199 | 9 kg | App only | — | |
| Discontinued | 114 mm | 0.62° x 0.47° | 14.4x | n/a | n/a | App only | — | |
| Current | 114 mm | not computable | 14.4x | $2,499 | 9 kg | App only | — | |
| Current | 85 mm | not computable | 8.0x | $2,499 | 6.5 kg | App only | — | |
| Current | 85 mm | not computable | 8.0x | $3,999 | 6.5 kg | App only | — | |
| Discontinued | 152 mm | 1.27° x 0.85° | 25.7x | $3,999 | 18.87 kg | Enthusiast-built | — | |
| Current | 152 mm | 1.32° x 0.75° | 25.7x | $4,299 | 18.87 kg | Enthusiast-built | — |
Light-gathering is aperture squared relative to the smallest current model in this table (30 mm). "Fits target" needs a target picked above; models without a computable field of view (their sensor readout could not be independently verified) show as not computable rather than guessed - see that model's detail panel for why.
FAQ
Which smart telescope has the widest computed field of view?
Among current models, the Seestar S30 Pro has the widest computed field of view at 4.01 by 2.25 degrees (9.03 square degrees), computed from its focal length and sensor rather than a manufacturer's own printed figure. The manufacturer's published number is not always comparable across brands - see the field-of-view convention trap below.
Which smart telescope gathers the most light?
Aperture squared sets light-gathering power. The Celestron Origin Mark II, at 152 mm aperture, gathers about 25.7 times the light of the smallest current model in this comparison (30 mm aperture).
Which smart telescopes can photograph the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in a single frame?
Of the models with a computable field of view, 0 current models fit M31 (190 by 60 arcminutes) in a single frame at some rotation without a mosaic - use the target filter on this page to see which ones and by how much margin.
Can any smart telescope be controlled by third-party software like ASCOM, Alpaca or N.I.N.A.?
Only the ZWO Seestar S50 has well-documented, working ASCOM Alpaca support. A handful of other models (the rest of the ZWO Seestar line, DwarfLab's whole range, and Celestron's Origin) have some form of unofficial, community-built or claimed-but-unconfirmed openness; Vaonis and Unistellar are confirmed closed on every current model. See the openness column and the openness summary below.
A quick disclosure
Some links in each model's detail panel are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, CycleCalcs earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links never influence the comparison, the sort order or which models appear - the underlying specification data is separate from and does not touch commercial links. More on our gear picks.
CycleCalcs is not affiliated with or endorsed by any telescope manufacturer. Seestar is a trademark of ZWO, DWARF is a trademark of DwarfLab, Vespera and Stellina are trademarks of Vaonis, eVscope/eQuinox/Odyssey are trademarks of Unistellar, and Origin is a trademark of Celestron; all appear here only to identify which product a figure describes. Every specification is dated and sourced - see sources and methodology and the gear hub for related picks.