+Frames is an iOS app for planning deep-sky astrophotography and visual observing. It combines a GPU-rendered star atlas with nearly 3,000 deep-sky objects, a nightly target ranking that scores every object for your equipment, location and sky, a true field-of-view preview for your camera or eyepiece, session and project tracking, an AR finder that shows where a target sits in your real sky, plate solving that places your own photos on the atlas, and an AI assistant that answers your astrophotography questions, explains any object and adds your gear in plain language.
An iPhone running iOS 18 or newer. No account, no sign-up — your data stays on your device.
+Frames is currently in a private beta on TestFlight. If you would like to help testing, email support@plus-frames.com with a short note about your setup. You will receive a TestFlight invitation when a spot opens up.
The beta is free. After launch, +Frames is planned as a simple subscription with a free trial. Final pricing will be announced at release.
Yes, fair-use limits apply per device and month so the service stays fast and affordable for everyone. Equipment lookups that are answered from the built-in catalog of roughly 780 devices are instant, free and do not count towards any limit. Only requests that need live AI research or chat count. Current limits are generous for normal use (hundreds of chat messages and dozens of equipment researches per month) and can be adjusted over time.
Yes. Equipment data, explanations and other AI-generated answers can be inaccurate or incomplete. +Frames verifies common equipment against its built-in catalog, but always double-check critical specifications before you rely on them.
Plate solving uses the free service at nova.astrometry.net. You need your own free API key (available after a quick sign-up on their site); the app asks for it the first time you solve an image. Solving time depends on the server queue — usually well under a minute, sometimes a few minutes at busy times.
The atlas, your gear, your projects and the planning tools work offline. Internet is needed for the AI assistant, plate solving and the initial download of object images.
See the Privacy Policy. In short: no account, no tracking, no ads. AI requests are processed through our server without personal identifiers beyond what is technically required.
Beta testers can send feedback directly from TestFlight (screenshot → share → TestFlight feedback) or email support@plus-frames.com. Both are very welcome.