SunreachComparisons · Updated
Sunreach vs PlanIt Pro: which shows real sun times in the mountains?
PlanIt Pro is the most feature-rich photo planner, with sun, moon and Milky Way tools, simulated viewfinders, offline elevation data and an Android version. Sunreach is narrower: it computes when direct sun is on a spot, from terrain and, where lidar exists, a 2 m ground model, and says how accurate that is. Trees and buildings are not counted for now.
Sunreach is a 3D and AR sun tracker for iPhone and iPad, coming soon to the App Store. This guide describes the current app; planned upgrades are listed separately. Terrain coverage varies by location.
What is the main difference between Sunreach and PlanIt Pro?
PlanIt Pro is a toolbox for every kind of shot (sun, moon, Milky Way, depth of field, focal length, scouting); Sunreach is an answer engine for one question, when the light is on a spot. PlanIt Pro is the more established offline tool and also runs on Android; Sunreach has offline region downloads too and is iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch only.
| Sunreach | PlanIt Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to download. Sunreach Pro at launch: €24.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or €3.99 a month | $9.99; 3D Model $5.99/year or $0.99/month; Location Explorer $29.99/year or $4.99/month |
| Platforms | iOS 26 or later (iPhone and iPad) | iPhone and iPad (iOS 16.6 or later), Apple silicon Mac, Apple Vision Pro; also on Android |
| Sun-on-spot times with terrain | Yes. Times when direct sun is on the spot, every day of the year | Partly: elevation and "clear view" tools show whether a line of sight is blocked; the listing does not describe sun-on-spot times through the day |
| Terrain data | 40 m terrain everywhere (from 30 m elevation data), 50 × 50 km around the spot. 2 m lidar ground, fetched for any spot, in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Flanders, Czechia, Poland, Norway, Finland, Estonia, four German states and where USGS 3DEP covers the USA; 5 m in Spain; demo areas in Slovenia, France, Austria and Trentino (coverage) | Offline elevation files built in; resolution not stated in the listing |
| Trees and buildings in the skyline | Not for now: skylines use bare ground everywhere (lidar ground in supported countries, 40 m terrain elsewhere) | Not described in the listing |
| Accuracy stated | Estimated per answer: ±1 min with 2 m data, ±5 min with 40 m terrain, plus atmospheric and local-data uncertainty | Not stated |
| Golden hour that reaches the spot | Yes: golden and blue hour by the sky plus "low warm light on the spot" | Golden and blue hour, twilight times by the sky |
| 3D view | 3D terrain with shadows, eye level you can walk and frame with any lens from 16 to 400 mm, a 3D city view with buildings and their shadows, and a drone camera with height and hyperlapse controls | VR, picture and street-view simulated viewfinders; 3D Model add-on |
| Augmented reality | AR sun path where you stand; it lines itself up on the sun, and on the skyline when you tap to look for it. Alignment is still undergoing real-device validation | AR viewfinder |
| Polariser guide | Yes: where a polariser darkens the sky most for any minute, how much of the effect the forecast cloud leaves, the band in AR and 3D, wide-lens and water-glare notes | Not in the feature list (checked 28 October 2026) |
| Moon and Milky Way | Moon path, phase calendar, terrain-aware moonrise/set, dark-sky and galactic-core windows in the plan; Moon and Milky Way overlays in 3D and AR. Moon on any date, Milky Way and eclipses are Sunreach Pro | Yes: moon and Milky Way planning |
| Offline use | Yes, with Sunreach Pro: download a region (25, 50 or 100 km) with terrain, place names and a hillshade map drawn from the same data; the last forecast is kept with its age. Sheets for 2 m lidar are included only where they are hosted | Yes: offline elevation and map tiles |
| Android | No | Yes |
Competitor details checked on 28 October 2026 from PlanIt Pro's US App Store listing and help pages (linked below). Prices change; check the store in your region.
Which one shows when the sun reaches a spot behind mountains?
Sunreach: it reports the minutes when the sun's disc is above the terrain skyline at the spot, for every day of the year, from 2 m lidar in many European countries and the USA and 40 m terrain elsewhere. PlanIt Pro lets you check lines of sight and simulate the view, but its listing does not describe a computed sun-on-spot time range.
A reviewer of PlanIt's Android app found its light and shadow tool useful for hilly terrain "if accurate" (Improve Photography). Sunreach publishes the resolution and expected error of each answer; this explainer shows how the skyline is computed.
Sunreach computes this for any spot on Earth, from the real terrain around it. Get the app ↓
Where is PlanIt Pro better?
Breadth, mature offline use and platforms. PlanIt Pro covers moon and Milky Way planning, simulated viewfinders for any focal length, location scouting tools and offline elevation data, on iOS, Mac, Vision Pro and Android.
Where is Sunreach better?
Terrain-aware times without setup: pick a spot and day, read when the sun is on it and whether it is golden. Lidar ground in supported countries across Europe and the USA, an AR sun path with sun/skyline alignment tools, and the weather toward the sun for colour.
Example: in the Great Soča Gorge the low sun never reaches the water on any day of the year; Sunreach says so in one line.
Sunreach also forecasts the aurora for your own spot: NOAA’s live oval on a night globe, the Kp the place needs over its skyline toward the pole (the red glow of big storms counted), the best hour of the night from the oval’s turn toward magnetic midnight, where to drive tonight, aurora alerts and a widget. See what Kp you need to see the aurora.
Which should you choose?
Choose PlanIt Pro for Android, a longer-established offline toolkit, and night-sky or focal-length planning. Choose Sunreach when you need to know an estimate of when sunlight reaches a place over the surrounding terrain, and whether it will be golden.
Frequently asked questions
Does PlanIt Pro work offline?
Yes. Its App Store listing says preloaded offline elevation files and map tiles let it work without a network connection.
Is Sunreach available on Android?
No, Sunreach is for iPhone and iPad (iOS 26 or later). PlanIt Pro is on Android.
Sources
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