Yes. N.I.N.A. is free and open source, released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 by Stefan Berg and the N.I.N.A. contributors.

Does NINA run on a Mac or a tablet?

No. It needs Windows 10 (64 bit) or later, 3 GB of RAM and a dual-core x64 CPU. A Windows mini PC at the telescope, reached from indoors, does the job.

What does the Advanced Sequencer do?

It holds the whole night: each target with its slew and centre, autofocus, guiding, exposures and filter changes, plus triggers and loop conditions, then runs it without you.

Can NINA plate solve?

Yes, through a plate solver it calls: ASTAP is the recommended one, with PlateSolve and Astrometry.net options too. The solver is set up separately.

Can NINA polar align or live stack?

Yes, through plugins: Three Point Polar Alignment and Livestack are both published for NINA.

An ASIAIR makes the whole rig simple to run from a phone, but it only takes ZWO cameras (or a DSLR). NINA on a mini PC does the same jobs for free, with any brand.

I like both. NINA is the one I would build a whole unattended night around; SharpCap feels quicker for the planets and live viewing.

What have I not tested on the NINA?

The walk-through ran NINA with a file camera and no mount, focuser or plate solver connected, so the plate-solving and autofocus panels are shown before a run.

NINA review: free software that runs the whole night

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 16 software on my board, against price
Rank	Software	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	Stellarium	100 out of 100	Free
2	NINA	98 out of 100	Free
5	BlurXTerminator	95 out of 100	£75
6	PHD2	94 out of 100	Free
8	NoiseXTerminator	92 out of 100	£45
9	ASIAIR app	89 out of 100	Free
11	StarXTerminator	85 out of 100	£45
15	DeepSkyStacker	71 out of 100	Free
16	Adobe Photoshop	67 out of 100	£22

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 A walk through NINA
04 In my words
05 Watch it in my videos
06 Should you buy it?
07 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 98/100

Reviewed 15 Jul 2026 Updated 26 Sep 2026

Rank: #2 of 16 software
Verdict: Damon's pick

Written by Damon Scotting 3 min read

Buy it if

You image from a Windows PC and want a whole night run for you, target by target.
You shoot mono through a filter wheel and want filter changes, autofocus and meridian flips handled.
Your gear mixes brands: NINA controls cameras, mounts, focusers, filter wheels and more.

Skip it if

You use a Mac, Linux or only a tablet: NINA needs Windows 10 (64 bit) or later.
You want to plug in and image tonight: expect an evening or two learning it first.

“It is an insanely capable piece of software, and the fact that it's free makes it remarkable.”

N.I.N.A. Free

Specifications and features

Against the software I have reviewed

Compare with

NINA reviewed #2 of 16	SharpCap #3 of 16	PixInsight #14 of 16
Recorded UK price	Free	£14	£258
Stars for Your Buck	98/100	97/100	76/100
Made by	Stefan Berg and the N.I.N.A. contributors	Robin Glover (UK)	Pleiades Astrophoto (Spain)
What it is for	Equipment control and automated imaging sequences	Camera capture, live stacking and polar alignment	Processing astrophotographs
Licence	Free and open source (Mozilla Public License 2.0)	Free edition; SharpCap Pro £14 a year	€300 outside the EU; 45-day free trial
Operating systems	Windows 10 (64 bit) or later	Windows 11, 10, 8.1 and 7 SP1	Windows 11, macOS 26 and 15, Linux
Current version	3.2	4.1.14310 (10 Jul 2026)	1.9.4 Lockhart
Live stacking	Through the Livestack plugin	Yes; advanced and planetary live stacking in Pro	No: it processes saved data
Polar alignment	Through the Three Point Polar Alignment plugin	Yes; adjustment guidance in Pro	No
Plate solving	Through ASTAP (recommended) and other solvers	Built in near the pole; ASTAP and other solvers for the whole sky	ImageSolver script, for saved images
Autofocus	Yes, after conditions you set	Focus measurement; automated focus scans in Pro	No
Scripting and plug-ins	A plugin framework	Python scripting (Pro)	JavaScript scripts and modules; RC Astro's XTerminators sold separately

A walk through NINA

Advanced Sequencer A target block for NGC 7000 with slew, centre and rotate, autofocus and guiding, ready for its exposures. The red marks flag equipment that is not connected yet.

Imaging Each frame lands here with its statistics: 52 stars detected at an HFR of 1.49 on my North America Nebula, with the guider and HFR history panels beside it.

Image inspection The same frame at 1:1, one screen pixel to one camera pixel, shows the smallest stars and the nebula edges, with the statistics still beside it.

Plate solving The plate-solving panel solves a frame for its centre, pixel scale and rotation, then can sync the mount and slew again until it is within the error you set.

Autofocus The autofocus panel draws its curve as a motorised focuser steps through focus, and logs the time, position, HFR and temperature of each run.

In my words

“NINA feels like the most complete software on the market today, an all-in-one astronomy and astrophotography operating system. It covers absolutely everything you need, and it's such a nice testament to the hobby that something this powerful and this useful is available for free.”

From my dictated take

Watch it in my videos

I TESTED the Astrostation V.S ASIAIR · published 25 November 2024 · 10:47 · Watch on YouTube · 17,816 views, 604 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

1:19 The two apps side by side
2:25 The mount and the Sky Atlas
4:57 Imaging and live stacking
8:34 Conclusion
9:48 A mini PC running NINA instead
10:05 Sky Atlas and live stacking

Transcript of the video 154 words · 3 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

9:30 Conclusion

9:30 and assisted image rotation the other a live stacking function that truly makes this a portable astrophotography computer without either of these two I just don't see ZWO being too scared to 9:38 put it plainly if you're not too bothered by the lack of a sky Atlas or an ability to stack then the AstroStation is The Way Forward especially 9:46 for those of us who prefer to use more budget friendly options when it comes to our telescope equipment but at this point you're actually probably better

9:48 A mini PC running NINA instead

9:52 off just buying an actual Mini PC and using a free software like NINA to do all of the same processes I remote control mine from my phone inside 10:01 anyways so it's not too different from using an AstroStation at least this way you can once again use a Sky Atlas and a live stacking feature so what are your

10:05 Sky Atlas and live stacking

10:10 thoughts thumbs up or thumbs down for

Check out more videos on the NINA

What YOU can SEE with a £3000 Telescope setup?!

23 Jul 2025

Should you buy it?

98/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

It does just about everything, from opening the observatory to sequencing every target through the whole night.
It handles the nitty-gritty automatically: meridian flips, autofocus intervals, dithering and filter changes.
Free and open source, under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
The Framing Assistant pulls a sky survey image so you can frame a target before the night starts.
A plugin framework adds tools such as Three Point Polar Alignment and live stacking.

Cons

The first time I opened it, it felt overwhelming: there is so much you can do with it.
Windows only: Windows 10 (64 bit) or later, with no Mac, Linux or tablet version.
Plate solving runs through a solver such as ASTAP, which you set up yourself.
It needs a Windows computer at the telescope, such as a mini PC, that you then reach from indoors.

Once it is set up and running, it will handle an entire night's imaging unattended.

Who the NINA is for

Beginner with a laptop and a camera

Buy

It costs nothing, so start here and grow into it; the first evening is the steep part.

Imager who wants whole nights automated

Buy

Build the plan once and the Advanced Sequencer runs every target, autofocus and flip through the night.

Mono imager with a filter wheel

Buy

Multi-filter sequences, filter changes and autofocus intervals are exactly what it automates.

Owner of mixed-brand gear

Buy

My recommendation is a mini PC running NINA: it takes cameras, mounts and focusers from different makers.

Mac, Linux or tablet-only user

Skip

NINA needs Windows 10 (64 bit) or later.

Planetary and live viewing

Skip

My recommendation is SharpCap: it feels quicker for the planets and for watching a live stack.

Three alternatives I have reviewed

Questions and more about this review

Reviewed by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Eight questions, answered

Questions about the NINA

Reviewed 15 July 2026 ·Updated 26 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. How this site is funded

Is NINA really free? Yes. N.I.N.A. is free and open source, released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 by Stefan Berg and the N.I.N.A. contributors. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Does NINA run on a Mac or a tablet? No. It needs Windows 10 (64 bit) or later, 3 GB of RAM and a dual-core x64 CPU. A Windows mini PC at the telescope, reached from indoors, does the job. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What does the Advanced Sequencer do? It holds the whole night: each target with its slew and centre, autofocus, guiding, exposures and filter changes, plus triggers and loop conditions, then runs it without you. A walk through NINA ↓
Can NINA plate solve? Yes, through a plate solver it calls: ASTAP is the recommended one, with PlateSolve and Astrometry.net options too. The solver is set up separately. A walk through NINA ↓
Can NINA polar align or live stack? Yes, through plugins: Three Point Polar Alignment and Livestack are both published for NINA. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
NINA or an ASIAIR? An ASIAIR makes the whole rig simple to run from a phone, but it only takes ZWO cameras (or a DSLR). NINA on a mini PC does the same jobs for free, with any brand. In my words ↓
NINA or SharpCap? I like both. NINA is the one I would build a whole unattended night around; SharpCap feels quicker for the planets and live viewing. Watch it in my videos ↓
What have I not tested on the NINA? The walk-through ran NINA with a file camera and no mount, focuser or plate solver connected, so the plate-solving and autofocus panels are shown before a run.