Telescope comparison

Your Guide to the Night Sky

Real specs, honest trade-offs, and an enthusiast's take on every scope — from beginner reflectors to serious imaging rigs.

77 telescopes reviewed. Zero sponsored recommendations.

Browse by type

Reflectors

Best all-round value for beginners. Excellent aperture per pound.

Dobsonians

Maximum aperture for the money. The deep-sky specialist.

Refractors

Sharp, high-contrast views. Ideal for planets and imaging.

Compounds

Compact but powerful. SCTs and Maks in a portable package.

Smart Scopes

App-controlled and camera-equipped. Point, image, share.

Head-to-head comparisons

The decisions enthusiasts are wrestling with right now

Sky-Watcher Explorer 130M

Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P

{"scopeAHeading":"Sky-Watcher Explorer 130M","scopeABullets":["You'll spend ten minutes polar-aligning the EQ2 mount before every session, but once you do, the slow-motion controls let you track Jupiter smoothly at 150x — and you'll learn how the sky actually moves in the process.

Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ

Sky-Watcher Explorer 130M

{"scopeAHeading":"Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ","scopeABullets":["You'll set up in under five minutes — plop the scope down, dock your phone, and follow the on-screen arrow to your target, no star charts, no alignment procedures, no learning the constellations first.

Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED + HEQ5 Pro

William Optics Zenithstar 61

{"scopeAHeading":"Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED + HEQ5 Pro","scopeABullets":["You'll unbox this and have everything you need on the mount side to start imaging — polar align the HEQ5 Pro, bolt on the OTA, and you're shooting the same night, without agonising over which mount to pair with which tube.

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