The short version
MOON is a lunar companion with personality - a Webby Awards honoree that describes itself as a "personal lunar portal," with character-driven notifications and sharing built in, and apps across Apple Watch, Mac, and Vision. aluni is quieter and more literal: a clock face where the sun and moon move in real time above and below a flat horizon, and the hours stretch and compress with the real length of day and night. MOON is about the Moon as an experience. aluni is about knowing, at a glance, where it is.
Side by side
MOON's column reflects what its App Store listing states. "Not stated" means the listing doesn't mention it - not that the app can't do it. Check their listing for anything that matters to you.
| Feature | aluni | MOON |
|---|---|---|
| Price to download | Free | Free |
| Paid tier | aluni+, $8.95/year | MOON Pro, from $11.99/year |
| App Store rating | 4.7 (67 ratings) | 4.8 (29K ratings) |
| Languages | 23 | 9 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Vision |
| Minimum iOS | iOS 17 | iOS 15 |
| Home Screen widgets | Yes | Yes |
| Lock Screen widgets | Yes | Not stated |
| Moon phase and illumination | Yes | Yes |
| Moonrise and moonset times | Yes | Not stated |
| Sunrise, sunset, and sun position | Yes | Not stated |
| Real-time dial with a horizon line | Yes - the core of the app | Not stated |
| Hours that resize with day and night length | Yes | Not stated |
| Event notifications | Yes - moonrise and moonset alerts | Yes - full moons, new moons, lunar events |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes |
Where MOON is the better choice
MOON has roughly 29,000 ratings at 4.8 stars and a Webby Awards honour behind it - that's a decade of people using it and liking it, and no comparison table outweighs that kind of track record. It also runs on Apple Watch, Mac, and Vision, where aluni is iPhone and iPad only. If you want the Moon on your wrist, or you want an app with personality and a community around it, MOON is the stronger pick.
What aluni actually looks like
"Beautiful" is easy to claim and hard to prove in a table. Here's the dial on a real Home Screen - decide for yourself.
Which should you choose?
Choose aluni if you want a working clock instead of a companion: the sun and moon moving across a dial in real time, sunrise and sunset alongside the Moon, and hours sized by the actual sky. It's the moon app built to get you off your phone and outside. It's also $8.95 a year against MOON Pro's $11.99 and up, and ships in 23 languages to MOON's nine. Choose MOON instead if you want a well-established lunar companion with personality, a large community, and Apple Watch support.
MOON details taken from its Apple App Store listing (MOON - Current Moon Phase, by MOON CALENDAR LTD), checked 14 August 2026. App Store listings change; verify anything decision-critical before relying on it.