Comparison · checked August 2026
The best custom star map sites, compared
Eight places that will sell you a map of the night sky for a date that matters — Gift The Stars, Under Lucky Stars, The Night Sky, GreaterSkies, Twinkle In Time, Mapiful, The Star Poster and Etsy — laid out by price, shipping, star data and reviews.
Disclosure: we make one of these. Every figure here was read from the seller's public pages or configurator in August 2026; where a site does not publish a price, the table says so instead of guessing. Where a competitor is better, we say that too.
Short answer
Best for…
Framed value and a full live preview before you pay
Gift The Stars
Buy 2, get 10% off (automatic). Sizes stop at 18×24; no canvas, foil or jewellery.
The largest size (24×36) and 12+ design styles
The most expensive unframed prints in this list.
Premium materials: foil, glow-in-the-dark, canvas and jewellery
Buy two, get 30% off. Extras add up fast at checkout.
The densest star field and solar-system objects on the map
Trading since 2006. Printed maps include the digital files in every colour.
Bundle deals — buy 2, get 1 free
San Diego based. Also sells street maps and zodiac maps.
Scandinavian minimalist styling
Started as a street-map company; star maps are one line among many.
Made in the USA, with metal and acrylic finishes
Same product family as Momenterie in Europe.
The cheapest digital file if you will print it yourself
Accuracy is the gamble. Many listings are templates with the date typed in.
The numbers
Side by side
USD, as displayed by each seller in August 2026. Prices and promotions change; confirm at checkout.
| Site | Digital file | Unframed print | Framed | Shipping | Star data & materials | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gift The StarsThis site | $19.99 (print-ready file, minutes) | $39.99 (11×14) · $59.99 (18×24) | $79.99 (11×14) · $139.99 (18×24) · wall clock $74.99 | Free on every print to 35 countries | Hipparcos-derived catalogue with planets and Moon phase; built and checked by an astronomy PhD candidate | 4.9/5 from 345 reviews on-site |
| Under Lucky Stars | Not listed on public pages | $89 (12×16) · $129 (18×24) · $189 (24×36) | Framing offered; priced in the designer | Free worldwide on unframed maps; express extra | 200 gsm matte at 300 dpi; says a NASA astronomer validated its accuracy | 4.7/5 Trustpilot (670) · 4.8/5 Google (1,022) · 4.9/5 Facebook (1,879) |
| The Night Sky | Not listed on public pages | From $39 (classic print) | Priced in the configurator | Free shipping advertised | ESA Hipparcos data; Hahnemühle 200 gsm paper, 100-year archival inks | 4.6/5 Trustpilot; site claims 20,000+ five-star reviews |
| GreaterSkies | Sold; price shown only at checkout | Shown only at checkout | Framing offered; shown only at checkout | Free; printed locally in 33 countries | HYG + Yale Bright Star catalogues, up to 8,000 stars, includes Sun, Moon and planets | 4.8/5 Trustpilot ("thousands", count not shown) |
| Twinkle In Time | Not listed on public pages | From $55 (18×24) | Frame added at checkout | Free shipping & handling (US) | Catalogue not named on the site | "70% of reviewers recommend" (Google); count not shown |
| Mapiful | Not listed on public pages | From $39 | Optional, priced in the editor | Charged per order; varies by country | Catalogue not named on the site | Not shown on the landing page |
| The Star Poster | PNG 6888×9645 px; priced in the configurator | 12×16 and 18×24 fine art; priced in the configurator | Ash frame, metal (Dibond) and acrylic; priced in the configurator | "Free & fast shipping" on the site | Sister brand Momenterie cites ESA Hipparcos; not restated on the US site | Trustpilot and Sitejabber profiles; rating not shown on the landing page |
| Etsy sellers | $8–$30 (varies by seller) | $28–$35 plus shipping (varies by seller) | Rare; mostly print-at-home | Usually charged; set per seller | Anything from real catalogues to decorative stock patterns — ask the seller | Per-seller; read the photos, not the stars |
In fairness
Where Gift The Stars loses
- Size. Our largest print is 18×24. Under Lucky Stars goes to 24×36.
- Finishes. No canvas, foil, glow-in-the-dark or jewellery. The Night Sky and The Star Poster win there.
- Review volume. 345 reviews is a fraction of Under Lucky Stars' several thousand across platforms.
- Reach. Prints ship free to 35 countries, not everywhere. Digital charts are available anywhere.
And where it wins
Why people choose us
- The full sky, before you pay. Every star, line and label for your date renders live in the customizer, not a sample with your date typed in.
- Framed for $79.99, delivered free. Free shipping on every print — no minimum, no surprises.
- An astronomer checks the maths. Astronomy PhD candidate developing balloon-borne VLBI telescopes for black hole research.
- A wall clock. The same sky as a working clock face ($74.99) — nobody else in this list sells one.
Whoever you buy from
Five things to check before you buy a star map
01
Ask what the stars are computed from
A real map is generated from a star catalogue (Hipparcos, HYG, Yale Bright Star) for your exact timestamp and coordinates. If a seller cannot name one, the "map" may be a template. Quick test: preview your date and confirm Polaris sits due north at an altitude equal to your latitude.
02
Price the checkout, not the sticker
A $39 print with $15 shipping and a $45 frame is a $99 print. Several sites in this list only reveal the frame and shipping lines at the last step. Put one map in the cart, pick a frame, and read the total before comparing.
03
Demand a full preview before paying
You should see the actual sky for your date — every star, the constellation lines, your text — before money moves. A sample image with your date typed onto it is not a preview.
04
Check the paper and the frame
Look for 200 gsm or heavier matte paper, archival inks, and a solid-wood or metal frame with real glazing. Thin poster stock curls behind glass within a year.
05
Read the delivery date and the return policy
Printed maps are made to order. Ask for the ship-by date, whether tracking is included, and what happens if the frame arrives cracked. Digital files should arrive in minutes, not "within 24 hours".
Questions
Frequently asked
- What is the best custom star map site?
- It depends on what you value. For a framed map at the lowest all-in price with a full live preview, Gift The Stars ($79.99 framed, free shipping). For the largest sizes and most design styles, Under Lucky Stars. For premium finishes like foil, canvas and jewellery, The Night Sky. For the densest star field with planets, GreaterSkies. For the cheapest digital file you print yourself, Etsy.
- Are custom star maps astronomically accurate?
- The good ones are. Gift The Stars, GreaterSkies, The Night Sky, Under Lucky Stars and The Star Poster all describe generating maps from real star catalogues (Hipparcos, HYG or Yale Bright Star) for your date and location. Many Etsy listings do not, and some are decorative templates. Always ask which catalogue is used.
- Is The Star Poster legit?
- Yes. The Star Poster is a US-made brand (its European sister is Momenterie) with public Trustpilot and Sitejabber profiles, and it sells digital files, fine art prints, framed, metal and acrylic versions. Its prices are only shown inside its configurator, so check the total there.
- How much does a custom star map cost?
- In August 2026, digital files run from about $8 on Etsy to $19.99 at Gift The Stars. Unframed prints run from $39 (The Night Sky, Mapiful) to $189 (Under Lucky Stars 24×36). Framed prints start at $79.99 at Gift The Stars; most other sites price frames only at checkout.
- Which star map site has free shipping?
- Gift The Stars ships every print free to 35 countries. Under Lucky Stars, The Night Sky, GreaterSkies, Twinkle In Time and The Star Poster also advertise free shipping on at least their standard prints. Mapiful and most Etsy sellers charge shipping per order.
See your sky first
Preview your date for free, then decide
Digital from $19.99. Prints from $39.99. Free Worldwide Shipping on every print.
Keep reading
- What makes a star map worth buying
- Digital vs printed star charts
- How to use a star chart
- Customer reviews
Competitor names are trademarks of their owners. Figures checked August 2026; tell us at /contact if one is out of date and we will fix it.