A database, two motors, and an alignment that has to be honest
A GoTo mount holds a catalog of objects and drives itself to whichever one is chosen, and the quality of the experience rests almost entirely on the alignment routine rather than on the size of the database. Every one of these mounts asks the observer to center two or three known stars so that it can work out where it is standing and how it is tilted; a routine that is quick, forgiving and clearly explained produces a mount that lands objects in the eyepiece, and a routine that is fussy produces a mount that is sold within a year. Read how many stars the alignment needs, whether the mount can accept a rough level and a rough date, and whether it recovers when a star is centered slightly wrong. The database size printed on the box — often tens of thousands of entries — is close to meaningless, since most of those objects are beyond the reach of the telescope on top. What matters is whether the useful lists are easy to reach and whether the hand controller can be read at night. Power is the practical trap: these mounts draw current continuously, the battery compartment on cheaper models empties in an evening, and the socket type decides what can be plugged in. Then read the payload rating, and read whether the mount can be driven from a phone or a computer as well as from its own controller. We compare pointing accuracy, alignment routine, database and lists, controller and app support, power draw and socket, and payload rating.
Automatic alignment in about 3 minutes · precise GoTo · assisted polar alignment · autoguiding · 4-element Ackermann optics
Celestron's StarSense Autoguider: a camera-and-optics accessory that attaches to a computerized Celestron mount, aligns it on the sky in about three minutes with no input, sharpens GoTo pointing, assists polar alignment and autoguides.
Best for: An owner of a computerized Celestron mount who is tired of manual alignments
≈ $905
44 lb payload · belt drive · PPEC · equatorial, alt-azimuth and dual-telescope modes · dual encoders
Sky-Watcher's AZ-EQ6: a 44 lb-payload GoTo mount that works as a German equatorial, an alt-azimuth or a carrier for two telescopes, with belt drive, permanent periodic error correction and Freedom Find encoders.
Best for: One mount for visual work and long-exposure imaging, at a fixed or semi-fixed site
≈ $2,299
11 lb payload · full GoTo equatorial head · built-in illuminated polar scope · Wi-Fi · USB and autoguider ports
Sky-Watcher's Star Adventurer GTi head kit: a full GoTo equatorial tracker with an 11 lb payload, built-in illuminated polar scope, Wi-Fi, USB and autoguider ports, SNAP shutter control and a dual-position counterweight.
Best for: A camera and lens or a small astrograph under a dark sky
≈ $579
11 lb payload on an 8.6 lb mount · Wi-Fi · dual encoders · tripod 28 to 53 in · AA batteries or 12 V
Sky-Watcher's AZ-GTi: an 8.6 lb Wi-Fi GoTo alt-azimuth mount carrying 11 lb, with Freedom Find encoders, brass and aluminum gearing, a tripod from 28 to 53 inches and AA or 12 V power.
Best for: A traveling observer who wants GoTo pointing in carry-on luggage
≈ $439
30 lb payload · 7° to 77° latitude · 2 in stainless steel legs · 47 lb kit · NexStar+ with 40,000+ objects · PEC
Celestron's Advanced VX: a computerized German equatorial GoTo mount with a 30 lb payload, 2-inch stainless steel tripod legs, a 7 to 77-degree latitude range, permanently programmable PEC and a NexStar+ hand control with 40,000+ objects.
Best for: Imaging from a site where the mount matters more than the tube
≈ $1,099
The published database and lists decide how many objects are reachable without preparation.
The payload rating is the maker’s figure for the mount. It is read before any electronic consideration.
A motorized mount that points to a requested object on its own, after aligning on reference stars.
It is a value stated by the maker, published as given. This site measures none of it.
The published alignment routine describes what is asked. The real duration depends on the sky and on experience.
The object lists carried on board, published by the maker. Their size says nothing about what will be visible.
Published controller and app support are listed. They decide the means of command available.
Published power draw and socket say so. It is a permanent constraint of this kind of mount.
That depends on the functions the maker publishes. This site describes no procedure.
It points; it does not explain. This site publishes stated characteristics and nothing more.
A GoTo mount is only as good as its alignment: the stated accuracy assumes a successful routine. And without the energy the published power draw demands, the electronics point at nothing.
The column is shown only when four instruments in five publish the figure. Below that, it would be comparing the absence of numbers.
| Model | Price | Controller and app support | Payload rating | Alignment routine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi (S21110) | $439 | Built-in Wi-Fi with the SynScan Pro app · time-lapse and panorama modes · SNAP port for automated shooting · Freedom Find dual encoders | 11 lb (5 kg), stated · mount 8.6 lb (3.9 kg) · brass and aluminum all-metal gearing · tripod with pier extension, 28 to 53 in | SynScan Pro app alignment, stated |
| Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi (S20590) | $579 | Wi-Fi with the SynScan Pro app (iOS, Android) · optional SynScan hand controller · USB and autoguider ports · SNAP shutter control for a DSLR | 11 lb (5 kg), stated in the description · counterweight and counterweight bar included · dual-position counterweight for low latitudes · V-style dovetail · camera dovetail not included | Built-in illuminated polar scope for EQ alignment · SynScan Pro app |
| Celestron StarSense Autoguider (94008) | $905 | NexStar+ hand control · CPWI over a wired PC connection · Wi-Fi through the SkyPortal WiFi Module · autoguiding for astroimaging | Not applicable: an accessory · 4-element optical design by Mark Ackermann · compatible with most Celestron computerized mounts · Celestron Limited Lifetime US Warranty | Automatic sky alignment in about 3 minutes with no user input · assisted polar alignment |
| Celestron Advanced VX (91519) | $1099 | NexStar+ hand control · sidereal, solar and lunar rates · EQ North and EQ South modes · permanently programmable periodic error correction · tracks across the meridian | 30 lb (13.6 kg), stated · 7° to 77° latitude · 2 in stainless steel tripod legs · 47 lb (21.3 kg) kit weight, mount and tripod | Multiple alignment procedures on the NexStar+ hand control |
| Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 (S30330) | $2299 | SynScan GoTo · dual encoders with Freedom Find for manual use without losing alignment | 44 lb (20 kg), stated · belt drive with low backlash and silent slewing · permanent periodic error correction (PPEC) · German equatorial, alt-azimuth and dual-telescope modes, secondary saddle included | Not published in the listing · SynScan GoTo |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for telescopes and observing optics and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: November 7, 2026.
Any figure written into the body of this page was true on the day it was written. The amount shown next to each instrument is requested from the retailer as the page loads, and it is that amount, not the text, that stands.
