Is there a free alternative to PeakFinder?

For naming peaks: PeakLens (Android) and PeakOrama (Android, open source) are free, and the udeuschle.de panorama generator is free on the web for private use. PeakFinder itself has a web version at peakfinder.com. For planning when the sun or moon rises or sets behind real terrain, Heliora is free in any browser with no account, and AR Rising-Sun Finder and Suntain are free apps.

Which app shows when the sun rises over the mountains, not the flat-horizon time?

Several claim it: Suntain, AR Rising-Sun Finder, SunHuntr, PlanIt Earth and Heliora compute rise or set against real terrain, and PeakFinder draws rise and set on its rendered skyline. Heliora ray-casts a 360° horizon from elevation data at your exact pin and recomputes the times automatically; its accuracy limits are published on its method page.

Which tool finds the dates the full moon rises behind a specific mountain?

PhotoPills can search forward for dates when the moon reaches an azimuth and elevation you enter. The Photographer's Ephemeris web app (Shot Alignment, top tier) and PlanIt Earth find line-ups with a subject and use elevation data. Heliora lets you pick a named summit and searches the next 18 months for full-moon line-ups behind it, discarding nights the terrain would hide or that fall in daylight. AR Rising-Sun Finder is built around this for Mount Fuji ("Pearl Fuji"). See also moon photography planners.

Is Heliora better than PeakFinder?

Not for identifying peaks: PeakFinder covers over a million summits offline with a camera overlay, and Heliora labels summits within 15 km and needs a connection. Heliora is stronger for planning: it is free in a browser, searches ahead for sun, moon and planet line-ups behind a summit, filters them by terrain and daylight, and renders eclipses against the skyline.

Alternatives

PeakFinder Alternatives

Two jobs hide behind "PeakFinder alternative": naming the mountain in front of you, and knowing when the sun or moon will sit behind it. Different tools win each. Checked 27 September 2026.

The Short Answer

For naming peaks, PeakFinder is still the one to beat: over a million summits, fully offline, a camera overlay, one payment. PeakVisor is the richer, subscription-priced alternative, and PeakLens is a free Android option that recognises peaks from the camera image. For planning light (when the sun or moon clears, or sets behind, real terrain), the strongest are The Photographer's Ephemeris web app on its top tier and PlanIt Earth, both of which search ahead for line-ups and use elevation data. Free options include Heliora, Suntain and AR Rising-Sun Finder.

Heliora is the free, browser-based one in the second group. It is weaker than PeakFinder at naming peaks, and says so below.

If You Want to Name the Peaks

Tool	Platforms	Price	What it claims
PeakFinder	iOS, Android, web	US$4.99 iOS, US$5.99 Android, one-off	Over 1,000,000 peaks, offline, camera overlay, sun and moon paths with rise and set times on the rendered skyline
PeakVisor	iOS, Android	Free download; US$9.99/month or US$39.99/year; 7-day trial	Over 1 million peaks, 3D maps, AR peak finder, sun trail
PeakLens	Android	Free	Recognises over 200,000 peaks from the camera image with computer vision
PeakOrama	Android (F-Droid)	Free, open source	Listed first among PeakFinder alternatives on AlternativeTo
AR AlpineGuide	iOS	Free; paid ad removal	Nearly one million peaks in AR
Panorama generator (udeuschle.de)	Web	Free for private use	Computed, labelled panoramas from any point; strongest in the Alps and Pyrenees; no sun or moon
Heliora	Web	Free	Labels named OpenStreetMap summits within 15 km of your pin on the 3D sky view; online only

For peak identification, Heliora is not a PeakFinder replacement. Its summit labels cover a 15 km radius, it needs a connection, and it has no camera overlay.

If You Want the Sun or Moon Behind the Terrain

Tool	Platforms	Price	Terrain-aware light, as claimed
PeakFinder	iOS, Android, web	US$4.99 / US$5.99	Sun and moon orbits with rise and set times drawn over the rendered panorama
The Photographer's Ephemeris (web)	Web	Free tier; paid Supporter, PRO and MAX tiers	Shot Alignment finds where the moon lines up behind a landmark; horizon profile, viewshed and topography-aware target visibility are listed under MAX
PlanIt Earth	iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, web	Free with in-app purchases	Finds where and when the sun or moon lines up with your subject; terrain and horizon rendered from elevation data; AR viewfinder
AR Rising-Sun Finder	iOS, iPad, Apple silicon Mac	Free, ad-supported	Sun and moon rising along mountain contours in 3D and AR; built for "Diamond Fuji" and "Pearl Fuji" timing
Suntain	iOS, Android	Free	When the sun appears and disappears behind mountains, plus yearly sunshine hours; sun only
LightPlan	iOS, macOS, Android	Free tier (72-hour window); US$2.99/month, US$19.99/year or US$59.99 lifetime	3D sun and moon paths that stay aligned behind ridgelines
Sunorama	iOS	US$5.99	Sun path over 3D terrain, terrain shadows
SunHuntr	Web (Google sign-in)	Freemium	Sunrise and sunset times adjusted for nearby hills and mountains
ShadeMap	Web, Chrome extension	Free base map; paid LiDAR areas	Terrain, building and tree shadows on a map, for any time
Heliora	Web	Free, no account	360° ray-cast horizon; terrain-adjusted rise and set; forward search for sun, full-moon and planet line-ups behind a chosen summit, filtered by terrain and daylight; eclipses with terrain

Where Heliora Fits

PeakFinder shows the sun and moon on the skyline for a date you choose, and you scroll dates by hand. Heliora answers in reverse: pick a summit, and it searches ahead for the moments the sun (next 12 months), the full moon (next 18 months) or a naked-eye planet (next 60 nights) sits behind it, then drops the ones the terrain horizon would hide or that fall in daylight. TPE's top web tier and PlanIt Earth also search ahead with terrain; Heliora's difference is that it does it free, with no account, in a browser.

Free, in any browser. No account, no install, no tier.
Every view is a link. Latitude, longitude, date, minute and target pin live in the URL, so a plan opens on the same moment for whoever you send it to.
Eclipses included. Any solar eclipse from 2024 to 2035, rendered from your pin with the real skyline, including the 2 August 2027 total eclipse.

What it does not do

No offline mode and no AR camera overlay.
Terrain is sampled at roughly 110 m, so pinnacles and narrow notches can be missed; times are typically good to 1 to 3 minutes.
Summit labels are local (15 km), not a global peak database. Full limits are on the method page.

Try It on a Real Line-up

Full moon behind the Matterhorn, from Zermatt › Viewpoint and summit pinned; Heliora lists the terrain-checked nights. Sunset on the floor of Yosemite Valley › Where the flat-horizon time is most wrong: see when the walls take the sun.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free alternative to PeakFinder?: For naming peaks: PeakLens (Android) and PeakOrama (Android, open source) are free, and the udeuschle.de panorama generator is free on the web for private use. PeakFinder itself has a web version at peakfinder.com. For planning when the sun or moon rises or sets behind real terrain, Heliora is free in any browser with no account, and AR Rising-Sun Finder and Suntain are free apps.
Which app shows when the sun rises over the mountains, not the flat-horizon time?: Several claim it: Suntain, AR Rising-Sun Finder, SunHuntr, PlanIt Earth and Heliora compute rise or set against real terrain, and PeakFinder draws rise and set on its rendered skyline. Heliora ray-casts a 360° horizon from elevation data at your exact pin and recomputes the times automatically; its accuracy limits are published on its method page.
Which tool finds the dates the full moon rises behind a specific mountain?: PhotoPills can search forward for dates when the moon reaches an azimuth and elevation you enter. The Photographer's Ephemeris web app (Shot Alignment, top tier) and PlanIt Earth find line-ups with a subject and use elevation data. Heliora lets you pick a named summit and searches the next 18 months for full-moon line-ups behind it, discarding nights the terrain would hide or that fall in daylight. AR Rising-Sun Finder is built around this for Mount Fuji ("Pearl Fuji"). See also moon photography planners.
Is Heliora better than PeakFinder?: Not for identifying peaks: PeakFinder covers over a million summits offline with a camera overlay, and Heliora labels summits within 15 km and needs a connection. Heliora is stronger for planning: it is free in a browser, searches ahead for sun, moon and planet line-ups behind a summit, filters them by terrain and daylight, and renders eclipses against the skyline.

Sources

Every claim about another product was read from that product's own website or app store listing on 27 September 2026, not from memory. Features are listed as each vendor describes them; we have not tested every app. Prices are US store prices and vary by region. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and it will be corrected.

Open Heliora

Free. No account, no install. Drop a pin on your own spot.

More: moon photography planners · 2027 eclipse apps · PeakFinder alternatives · Heliora vs PhotoPills vs PeakFinder · method & accuracy