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Ranking The Best from 90+ Computerized Telescopes

Rank & ratings last updated by Zane Landers on

I know most beginner astronomers are drawn to computerized GoTo telescopes for their many advantages, like requiring less (though not zero, contrary to popular belief) knowledge about the night sky and the ability to automatically move the telescope and track objects hands-free with the push of a button, inducing fewer vibrations than manual pushing.

However, in my opinion, computerized telescopes are not the best for everyone and are also more expensive for a given aperture size.

Aperture of reflector and refractor telescope
More telescope aperture means more light-collecting area, which allows us to see fainter objects more easily. Also, light-gathering ability goes up with the square of the aperture, so an 8” aperture telescope gathers four times as much light as a 4” aperture telescope.

The money spent on getting a computerized feature could instead go into simply purchasing a larger and more powerful manual telescope (like a dobsonian telescope) or even accessories. The GoTo/PushTo system also adds weight and takes longer to set up each time. Whether these tradeoffs are worthwhile is up to you.

That being said, very large telescopes (often costs $2000+) can outright require tracking (and, by extension, GoTo) to be used comfortably. A few other cases where I can see the need for Go-To scopes are observatories and star parties, where we need to reliably find an object to show it off on schedule to a group of people. Also for specific astronomical events like occultations, transits, and eclipses, we need the tracking to keep us pointed at that obscure object so that we don’t miss anything. And, of course, there is astrophotography, where tracking is an absolute necessity. But in all of these use cases, what I find interesting is that they’re not strongly overlapping with the interests of a beginner astronomer who might have a budget less than $1000.

Some More Reasons Why I Often Recommend Manual Telescopes Over Computerized Ones

Except for the Celestron NexStar Evolution telescopes and a few other costlier telescopes, almost every computerized telescope requires a portable power supply, either a 12-volt lead-acid rechargeable DC battery or lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Either adds cost to your scope and has to be hauled around. I've used AA batteries as backups in some telescopes, but they quickly guzzle them within a few observing sessions, and I found it to be expensive to continually replenish them. So, I'd advise you to budget at least $50 for a power supply.

GoTo technology has been around for three and a half decades now. Yet I see many computerized telescopes having an interface basically the same as it had 20 years ago, with a small hand controller with the processing abilities of a pocket calculator, a small LCD screen with calculator-like text, and many functional limitations. Most computerized scopes still have no internal clocks and require re-alignment if power is lost, even briefly.

However, newer models like SkyWatcher’s Virtuoso series and Celestron’s StarSense Explorer series, among many others, are exceptions.

Most computerized telescopes have an advertised feature that supposedly lets us quickly align their GoTo system by using any three bright sky objects or by simply pointing the scope north and leveling the scope with the horizon. But from my vast experience, neither works accurately, and most of the time, I end up having to align on two known bright stars. But for you to do this, you need to have a basic understanding of the motions of the sky and some bright stars to find in the sky.

I also experience occasional failures and weird behaviors requiring hours of troubleshooting—hours that could be spent looking through a manual telescope's eyepiece instead.

If you ask me, star charts and observing books like Turn Left at Orion are much more interesting and engaging to read than the user manual of a Go-To telescope. Also, learning star hops in online forums is more interesting and engaging than consulting troubleshooting forums.

And it is indeed more fun to manually point a telescope, following star-hops to figure out where an object is in the sky. It’s more fun because it’s more engaging and it gives you something to do. By learning to find objects, you’re learning the night sky. You’re learning to navigate it, to go from place to place, to learn which objects are in the neighborhood.

However, the pros may outweigh the cons for you depending on your situation and there’s absolutely no shame in owning a computerized instrument.

These telescopes are offered in either the fully computerized "GoTo" or partially computerized "PushTo" configurations:

2024 August Update: Orion Telescopes & Binoculars's retail website went offline on July 31st, and their storefronts are all shut down from mid-July. We're in the process of removing Orion's and Meade's (Orion owns Meade) telescopes from our recommendations and rank lists.

Rank Category: Computerized Telescopes Below $350

Being the starting price range of computerized scopes, almost all of the telescopes in this price category have such small apertures that they tend to be severely limited in target options, to the point that the computerized mounting is of questionable usefulness to begin with. The views you get with most of these telescopes would be similar to those offered by manual scopes in the $150–$250 price range and would be constrained to the Moon, planets, and the brightest deep-sky targets—all of which are relatively easy to locate manually. Additionally, 3 of the 4 options in this price range use Celestron's StarSense Explorer technology, which isn't a fully computerized system but serves as a tool to help locate objects with the help of our smartphone. While we consider StarSense Explorer technology to be extremely helpful in locating targets throughout the night sky, for the money, you could get a larger manual scope instead. 
Popular Science by Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ
Typical Price: $270-$350
Popular Science Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ Refractor PushTo
Check Price at Amazon
Sporting the same great features as the $400+ Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ, the Popular Science branded version of the scope is quite a bargain as an affordable 100mm aperture refractor type of telescope with StarSense Explorer system provided to aid in locating objects. The telescope itself is a little limited due to its mere 4" of aperture and isn’t quite as capable for deep-sky viewing as, say, a 150mm reflector telescope like the next price category's SkyWatcher Virtuoso GTi tabletop dobsonian. Also, as expected from a low focal ratio refractor, it throws up a fair amount of chromatic aberration. However, it is still a convenient and cost-effective scope for beginners and experienced observers alike, and is one of the top 10 most sold telescopes through our recommendations.
Celestron StarSense Explorer 114mm Tabletop Dobsonian PushTo
Rank 2
4.1/5
The views through this would be largely similar to those of the above-ranked Popular Science DX 100AZ refractor telescope and has the same StarSense Explorer tech. We think of this telescope as a capable but pricey pick. The manual Zhumell Z114 tabletop Dobsonian is exactly the same scope build in the same factory with the same accessories but without the StarSense Explorer tech, and it costs $100-$150 less.
Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Refractor PushTo
Rank 3
3.7/5
The StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ Refractor has decent optics and a pair of quality eyepieces included. We also find it very easy to aim, thanks to Celestron’s StarSense Explorer Technology. However, due to its pitifully small 80mm aperture, there are probably only a dozen practical targets where the StarSense Explorer app might be of any benefit.
Celestron 80 LCM Refractor GoTo
Rank 4
2.2/5
The 80 LCM has mediocre accessories and a very low-quality mount. We would recommend steering clear of this telescope.

Rank Category: Computerized Telescopes Between $350–$550

The views you get with the computerized telescopes in this price range would be similar to those offered by manual scopes in the $250-$350 range. In this $350-$550 range, we have a single 150mm computerized reflector, a couple of 130mm reflectors, and a few other lesser aperture offerings of telescope types such as refractors, maksutovs, and even two smart telescopes. A 150mm aperture is pretty nice for being computerized, and a 130mm aperture is what I'd call a fair aperture, which can actually show us some stuff. Below 130mm aperture, the deep sky target options get severely limited and so, the computerized feature itself is of questionable usefulness to begin with. Many of the low-quality scopes in this price range have weaker tripods and plastic or imprecise gears, lower-quality or fewer accessories, and tend to consume more power.
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150 Tabletop GoTo Dobsonian
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P Tabletop Dobsonian GoTo
$470 at HighPoint
With quality optics, well-made included eyepieces, and the ability to be used manually even while the mount’s electronics are powered on, I find it hard to argue against this fabulous instrument, especially at a price on par with most 150mm manual telescopes. Its portability, value for the money, wider field of view, and well-designed GoTo mounting that can be controlled via our smartphones make it one of the best deals in astronomy gear there is. A smaller GTi 130P version is available; however, the 150P provides 40% more light gathering and 20% more resolving power than the 130P. The Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P is one of the main telescopes I recommend and is the second most purchased through our recommendations, just behind the Apertura AD8. I can fit the Virtuoso GTi 150P into luggage or a large backpack when it’s disassembled, and it works best when placed atop a short, elevated surface like a bar stool or milk crate. You need to make some kind of shroud for the collapsible tube to reduce reflections, though.
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130P tabletop dobsonian telescope
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130P Tabletop Dobsonian GoTo
$435 at HighPoint
The Virtuoso GTi 130P is a tremendously capable little telescope, with my only complaint being that the larger aperture version, the Virtuoso GTi 150P, is available for just a bit more. Same as the above-mentioned Virtuoso 150P, I can aim it manually even with the GoTo system powered on, without affecting the GoTo system's alignment. Rather than a clunky and outdated hand controller, we operate the Virtuoso GTi 130P (and the GTi 150P) with the SynScan app or SkySafari on our smartphone or tablet. The Sky-Watcher’s collapsible tube technology helps the scope be fitted into a backpack. But this collapsible tube does need a homemade foam or paper shroud to keep stray light out; if I use the scope under light-polluted conditions without one, the views get washed out in brown. All being said, the above-listed 150P Virtuoso version is way better value for money.
Astro Fi 130mm Newtonian Telescope
Celestron Astro Fi 130 Reflector GoTo
Check Amazon Price
Typical Price: $480-$559
The tripod-mounted and phone-controlled Astro-Fi 130 reflector has the same optics and extremely similar features and accessories to the above-mentioned Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130P, which, unlike the Astro-Fi 130, can be aimed manually and has a collapsible tube. The Astro Fi adds a 2” focuser and tripod, but as far as I'm concerned, these aren't really necessary nor worth the bump up in price. The use of a 2" focuser and eyepiece can bring the AstroFi 130's field of view up to nearly 4 degrees from the GTi 130P's already-wide 2.5 degrees, which is even greater for deep-sky observing with the AstroFi 130. But unfortunately, this inexpensive 2" rack-and-pinion focuser is hard to focus at high power. Though the scope is a bit of a battery guzzler, it has an easy-to-use interface and a solid mount that’s easy for beginners and enjoyable for experienced users to get the hang on. You may disregard the Astro-Fi 130's low Amazon ratings, which happened due to numerous bugs with the initial units’ software. I used to hesitate to recommend it too. But these issues have since been remedied and should not be of concern to new buyers.
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ Reflector PushTo
Check Amazon Price
Typical Price: $400-$480
Rank 4
4/5
The StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ uses the same optical tube as the above-mentioned Astro-Fi 130 and Virtuoso GTi 130P. But unlike the fully computerized Celestron Astro Fi and Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi GoTo systems, DX 130AZ is controlled via smartphone-aided Celestron’s StarSense Explorer tech. The StarSense Explorer system assists in getting to the targets by showing the direction in which we have to manually push our telescope and once reached, it doesn't track them as it moves in the sky either. GoTo systems are vastly preferable to the simple Push-To system of the DX 130AZ, but these are cheaper to own.
Celestron StarSense Explorer 130mm Tabletop Dobsonian PushTo
Typical Price: $400-$480
Rank 5
4/5
The Celestron StarSense Explorer 130mm Dobsonian shares its optics with the previously mentioned Celestron DX 130, which also uses the same StarSense Explorer technology as well as the more advanced GoTo system telescopes like the above-listed Astro Fi 130 and Sky-Watcher Virtuoso 130P. But unlike the DX 130AZ and Astro-Fi 130, it features only a 1.25” focuser and a cheap plastic rack-and-pinion one at that. The DX130 is more versatile with its 2” focuser, while you could also get the Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130mm or Celestron Astro Fi 130 with full motorized GoTo and tracking for around the same price as the StarSense 130mm tabletop.
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ Refractor PushTo
Typical Price: $360-$470
Rank 6
3.8/5
The Popular Science version of the same scope, named Popular Science Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ, is available at a cheaper price and is a far better choice. For the price tag big enough to obtain a larger and fully computerized instrument, the Celestron version is not the most economically justifiable scope.
Celestron Astro Fi 102 Mak GoTo
Typical Price: $350-$530
Rank 7
3.7/5
The Astro-Fi 102 boasts 4” (102mm) Maksutov-Cassegrain type of optics with sharp views in a very compact form factor, mounted atop a full-sized tripod with control via your smartphone/tablet and the SkyPortal or SkySafari Pro app. But due to the Astro-Fi 102’s small aperture and long 1325mm focal length, we aren't able to view much in the way of deep-sky objects and it feels like its primarily optimized for lunar and planetary viewing. The brightest nebulae and open star clusters don't fit in its field of view, and the scope's aperture is too small to view most planetary nebulae, globular clusters, and galaxies in detail. However, the setup is very portable, and Maksutov type of telescopes don’t need collimation, so it may still be worth considering, despite the price tag.
ZWO SeeStar S50 Smart Telescope
List Price: $499
Rank 8
3.6/5
A tiny 50mm “smart telescope”, the ZWO SeeStar can take recognizable images of deep-space objects. But I came to realize on my usage that it offers few real astrophotography capabilities and cannot deliver crisp high-power views (or indeed views at all really, since it lacks an eyepiece).
DwarfLab Dwarf II Smart Telescope
List Price: $595
Rank 9
3.6/5
A fun gimmick, the DwarfLab Dwarf II Smart Telescope has less than an inch of aperture and is only mildly more capable than some smartphone cameras at astrophotography. While I can take some nice wide-field shots, I think that the Dwarf II is more of a curiosity than a useful practical instrument.
Celestron Astro Fi 90 Refractor GoTo
List Price: $509
Rank 10
3.4/5
Like the other Astro-Fi telescopes, the Astro-Fi 90 is able to be completely controlled by your smartphone and is not a bad telescope. The Astro-Fi 90 is lower on our list due to its small aperture and long focal length, which limit its target options to planets and bright stars, for which the computerized mounting is of questionable usefulness to begin with.
Sky-Watcher StarTravel 80 AZ-GTe Refractor GoTo
List Price: $540
Rank 11
3.4/5
The lightweight and portable design of the AZ-GTe mount makes for a great pairing with this wide-field, short-tubed 80mm f/5 refractor. The included accessories are great, too. However, considering the high price tag and the huge amount of chromatic aberration inherent in a cheap fast refractor, we’re not sure who this telescope is intended to appeal to.
Celestron Nexstar 90SLT Mak GoTo
List Price: $539
Rank 12
3.2/5
The NexStar 90SLT is not a bad scope and features an acceptable mount and accessories along with great optics. It is a 90mm f/14 Maksutov—the same optical tube as Celestron’s C90, designed to emulate the famed and mechanically superior Questar 3.5. The SLT (Star Locating Telescope) mount is designed to be very lightweight and inexpensive, but it’s so lightweight that it’s easily bumped or knocked over. However, it carries the 90SLT optical tube fine and has no issues with vibrations. Setting up and aligning the mount is time-consuming and, quite frankly, overkill for a small instrument that’s almost exclusively useful for the Moon and planets. There’s really not much of a point in purchasing it. Those interested in a computerized telescope should really pursue something with more aperture, and those interested in a quick “grab n’ go” instrument should consider a tabletop telescope of some kind.
Celestron 114 LCM GoTo Reflector
List Price: $439
Rank 13
1.9/5
The Celestron 114 LCM’s Bird-Jones optical design and lousy mounting make it a spectacularly bad choice for beginners and experienced users alike, delivering mushy views on a wobbly and easily-broken computerized mount with poor accuracy.

Rank Category: Computerized Telescopes Between $550 and $800

Computerized telescopes in this price range are mostly tripod-mounted 4-6” telescopes, except the 8" dobsonian and 6" tabletop dobsonian offerings from Celestron's StarSense Explorer series. Many of these are pretty good optically but I don’t see most of these telescopes benefiting that much from GoTo except mostly gaining performance from the motorized tracking of GoTo systems.
Celestron StarSense Explorer Dobsonian 8" Telescope
Typical Price: $799
Celestron StarSense Explorer 8” Dobsonian PushTo
Check Price at Amazon
Any 8” Dobsonian puts up excellent views, and the StarSense Explorer 8” throughout the period that I used it was no exception. In addition to the extremely easy-to-use StarSense Explorer technology, what I think separates the Celestron StarSense Explorer 8” Dobsonian from other 8” Dobsonians is its lightweight Dobsonian base. Celestron has shaved off as much bulky particle board as possible to keep weight down, and cutouts in the base act as carry handles. The only downsides, when compared to its manual counterparts, such as our most-recommended and most-sold Apertura AD8, are its price and lack of accessories. The loss of value-for-money is so much so that we still recommend the manual Apertura's 8" Dobsonian more.
Celestron StarSense Explorer 150mm Dobsonian
Typical Price: $465-$560
Rank 2
3.9/5
The Celestron StarSense Explorer 150mm Dobsonian, to no surprise, uses standard 150mm f/5 optics used by most other 150mm reflectors in this list along with a single-armed tabletop base. Considering that even the fully computerized Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P, which uses the same optical specs, is quite a bit less expensive, I can’t really think of a good reason to go with the StarSense Explorer 150mm Dobsonian over the dozen picks ahead of it. Still, it certainly delivered me excellent views and was well aided by the easy-to-use StarSense Explorer smartphone app and technology.
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 5” SCT
List Price: $599
Rank 3
3.9/5
Using Celestron’s C5 SCT optical tube atop the StarSense Explorer mount, the StarSense Explorer DX 5” doesn’t have views any better than a typical 130mm reflector model, in fact, it’s quite a bit inferior in performance. But it is slightly steadier and more compact thanks to the C5 optical tube’s Schmidt-Cassegrain design, and the mount is of course easy to use thanks to the StarSense Explorer technology. However, it lacks motorized tracking like most similarly-sized scopes in this price range.
Celestron Nexstar 127SLT Mak GoTo
List Price: $699
Rank 4
3.5/5
The NexStar 127SLT has great optics, but the mount is undersized, the field of view of the telescope is quite narrow thanks to its long focal ratio, and the scope is inferior in performance to the much cheaper 130mm or 150mm reflectors/Dobsonians that are available, such as the Astro Fi 130 or Virtuoso GTi telescopes.
Sky-Watcher 102 mm Skymax AZ-GTi
List Price: $680
Rank 5
3.5/5
While expensive, the 102mm Skymax Maksutov makes for a wonderful pairing with the AZ-GTi. The Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi mount allows for control via our smartphone or tablet, and as with many other Sky-Watcher mounts, it can be moved manually with or without being powered on and doesn’t affect the alignment or tracking of the GoTo systems. The mount and tripod are remarkably compact, and we can even convert the GTi into an equatorial star tracker. However, this small Maksutov-Cassegrain is outperformed by the larger Dobsonians and Schmidt-Cassegrains in our list. Also, the Celestron Astro-Fi 102 shares the same optics as the SkyWatcher SkyMax 102, apart from the lack of manual adjustments, at a much lower price.
Sky-Watcher StarTravel 102 AZ-GTe
List Price: $610
Rank 6
3.3/5
As with the smaller 80mm model, the huge amount of chromatic aberration and the stripped-down nature of the GTe mount (lacking any ability to be moved manually) make this scope and mount combination a rather unappealing pick at any price range, much less the outrageously high one it commands.
Celestron Nexstar 4SE Mak GoTo
List Price: $679
Rank 7
3.3/5
The NexStar 4SE is sturdy, well-mounted, and features great optics. While the higher-quality gearing in the SE mount is nice, the main advertised features of the 4SE, such as the flip mirror and built-in wedge, are basically useless gimmicks, and you’d be better off with a larger computerized scope.
Celestron Nexstar 130SLT Reflector GoTo
List Price: $639
Rank 8
3.3/5
The NexStar 130SLT is a decent telescope, but its tripod legs are not the best. For less money, we could get the Astro-Fi 130, which has the same views but is more stable and easier to align and control.
Explore FirstLight 102mm Doublet Refractor Telescope with iEXOS-100 PMC-Eight Equatorial GoTo
List Price: $649
Rank 9
3.2/5
The FirstLight 102mm f/6.5 Doublet is not suitable for high magnifiactions, while its 1.25” focuser limits your ability to achieve a wide field of view. The iEXOS-100 mount is undersized and fairly impractical for this telescope in any case.
Explore Scientific FirstLight 80 mm Refractor with iEXOS Equatorial GoTo
List Price: $599
Rank 10
3.2/5
This package is advertised for astrophotography use, but with the lightweight nature of the iExos mount, the achromatic optics of the telescope itself, and the plastic focuser, it’s not going to be good for anything but smartphone astrophotography (which Explore Scientific has thankfully provided a low-quality adapter for). This package is actually less than the sum of its parts.
Celestron NexStar 102SLT Refractor GoTo
List Price: $599
Rank 11
2.7/5
The NexStar 102SLT is under-mounted, its dew shield is too short, it can’t balance with heavy eyepieces, and there’s quite a bit of chromatic aberration thanks to its rather fast focal ratio. We’d recommend you steer clear.

Rank Category: Computerized Telescopes Around $1000

Computerized telescopes above $1000 offer large enough apertures that they can actually show us stuff that’s difficult to find, and motorized options begin to offer some form of imaging capability, albeit not particularly good quality and often lacking the ability to autoguide the mount.
StarSense Explorer 10" Dobsonian Telescope
Typical Price: $1099
Celestron StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian PushTo
Check Price at Amazon
While not as well-accessorized as our most recommended and best-valued 10" manual dobsonians, the Apertura AD10, the StarSense Explorer 10″ model is lightweight, and the StarSense Explorer technology makes the scope extremely easy to use, even for newcomers. However, be prepared to spend quite a few extra bucks on some accessories for your new scope.
Celestron NexStar 6SE
Celestron Nexstar 6SE Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo
$1099 at HighPoint
The NexStar 6SE is the smallest of Celestron’s fully computerized options to actually have enough aperture for the GoTo to make sense. It’s also a little more suitable for astrophotography than the cheaper Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi scopes, though the views through either are largely going to be the same. Its C6 optical tube, a comparatively new entry, has only been around since 2006, when Celestron was bought by Synta, the same Chinese company that owns the Sky-Watcher brand. The C6 tends to be quite good optically, and the 6” of aperture allows us to start doing some deep-sky observing beyond the brighter Messier objects and a few others. The 6SE has a long focal ratio of f/10 and a resulting 1500mm focal length, which gives it a narrower field of view than competing 6" Dobsonian telescopes, but it does make it easier to do planetary astrophotography with the addition of a 2x Barlow lens. The 6SE is also remarkably compact. Overall, a very good choice for the beginner or experienced astronomer.
Celestron Nexstar 5SE Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo
List Price: $939
Rank 3
3.7/5
The Celestron NexStar 5SE (“Special Edition”) has a heritage going back to the original Celestron C5, introduced in the early 1970s. It boasts a full 5” of aperture with StarBright multi-coatings and water-white corrector lens glass for maximum light gathering capability. However, being an f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain means its field of view is rather narrow. Unlike 6SE or larger Schmidt-Cassegrains, we can’t use a standard f/6.3 reducer or 2” diagonal and eyepieces to increase the field of view, as the 5SE’s baffle tube will vignette too much for either to work effectively. Also, the 5SE’s rather large secondary mirror—covering 37.8% of the scope’s diameter—reduces contrast quite a bit and has a slight impact on light-gathering ability. The above-mentioned Celestron NexStar 6SE, the larger sibling, is way better than the 5SE for the money we pay.
Sky-Watcher 127 mm Skymax AZ-GTi Mak GoTo
List Price: $880
Rank 4
3.5/5
As with the 102mm Skymax Maksutov, this mount and scope combination is a great “grab n’ go” instrument--but with a high price tag and minuscule gains over a 102mm Maksutov thanks to the Synta Maksutovs’ stopped-down 120mm of actual aperture. The only things you really gain are price and cool-down time for the optics on cold nights. It shares the same optics as the cheaper NexStar 127SLT.
Celestron SkyProdigy 130 Reflector GoTo
List Price: $950
Rank 5
3/5
Celestron's SkyProdigy 130 seems innovative, but is a technological failure commanding an overly high price and dramatically overpromising its capabilities.

Rank Category: Computerized Telescopes From $1100 to $1600

Computerized telescopes above $1000 offer large enough apertures that they can actually show us stuff that’s difficult to find, and motorized options begin to offer some form of imaging capability, albeit not particularly good quality and often lacking the ability to autoguide the mount.
StarSense Explorer 12" Dobsonian
List Price: $1499
Celestron StarSense Explorer 12” Dobsonian PushTo
Check Price at Amazon
While not as well-accessorized as our most recommended and best-valued 10" manual dobsonians, the Apertura AD10, the StarSense Explorer 10″ model is lightweight, and the StarSense Explorer technology makes the scope extremely easy to use, even for newcomers. However, be prepared to spend quite a few extra bucks on some accessories for your new scope.
Sky-Watcher 8" f/6 Flextube Dobsonian Telescope
List Price: $1450
Sky-Watcher 8" Flextube SynScan Collapsible Dobsonian GoTo
Check Price at Amazon
The Sky-Watcher 8” FlexTube Collapsible can be used both manually or with its GoTo system activated, with neither interfering with the other. This allows us to save power by nudging the scope to the approximate area of sky we’d like to observe, then using the GoTo to fine-tune until we’re on target. We can move the scope manually during alignment if we want. And if we don’t feel like setting up the GoTo or if we forgot the battery, we can still observe with no problems. 8” of aperture is enough to start showing us a lot of interesting things previously impossible with a smaller aperture instrument. The scope is surprisingly portable, too. The 8” FlexTube fits in almost any automobile and is relatively easy to pick up and carry around yourself. But removing the optical tube from the mount can be a bit of a pain. The open tube also necessitates a shroud of some sort to keep light out of the tube, as well as mitigate dew, which you can either purchase or sew yourself.
Celestron Nexstar 8SE Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo
List Price: $1599
Rank 3
3.7/5
The Celestron NexStar 8SE has the same features as the NexStar 6SE, but boasts an even larger aperture. Unlike the aforementioned Sky-Watcher 8” Collapsible, the 8SE will fit in a very small space and doesn’t need any sort of shroud (though a dew shield helps). But the 8SE’s mount is less than ideal to carry the 8" optical tube due to its rather small tripod legs and lightweight single-arm fork design. The field of view is starting to get uncomfortably narrow too (particularly when used without a focal reducer or 2” eyepieces). We’d recommend stepping up to the 8” NexStar Evolution or CPC if you must have an 8” GoTo scope.
Celestron Advanced VX Series 6" Newtonian
List Price: $1329
Rank 4
3.7/5
The 6” Advanced VX Newtonian is easier to get the hang of using—especially for astrophotography—than even its 8” model, due to its lighter weight and shorter tube, but it lacks the 2” focuser of the 8” model (which is more suitable for fitting a camera to) or as much aperture for visual astronomy.
Explore Scientific AR102 Doublet Go-To Combo
List Price: $1599
Rank 5
3.6/5
The Explore Scientific AR102 is a well-made optical tube and ideal for wide-field viewing, while the more advanced PMC-Eight configuration of the EXOS2GT mount is easier to use for observing or imaging purposes and up to the task of supporting this scope for visual observation. The provided accessories are also decent. However, the achromatic optics of this telescope limit high-power performance due to chromatic aberration, and it is not really designed for imaging.

Rank Category: Computerized Telescopes in ~$1600-$2000 range

A budget of $1500 or more is enough to buy an acceptable astrophotography mount on its own or bundled with a small imaging Newtonian (though shopping a la carte for each may be a better idea), as well as numerous options for computerized Dobsonians and 6” Schmidt-Cassgrains.
Sky-Watcher 10" Flextube SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian
Sky-Watcher 10" SynScan Collapsible Dobsonian GoTo
$1715 at HighPoint
Providing a whopping 10” of aperture, this scope is probably best for a user who plans on observing mostly at home. The 10” FlexTube is similar in form factor and operation to the 8” FlexTube model, but with significantly brighter images and more resolving power. Like the other computerized Sky-Watcher Dobsonians, the 10” FlexTube can be moved manually even if the GoTo system is in operation. The FlexTube design doesn’t really save weight on the 10” compared to a more traditional solid-tubed design, but reduces the tube length slightly to make storage and transport a bit less of a hassle. Thanks to the collapsible tube, the 10” Collapsible GoTo can fit in almost any vehicle, and the base is easily disassembled without tools to pack flat into a trunk or truck bed, so portability isn’t too much of a problem. The setup time can get kind of long when you dismantle the base, but it’s ironically more compact than the 8” model if you choose to do so. As with the 8” FlexTube model, we need a shroud to keep light and moisture out of the open tube.
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo
$1679 at HighPoint
The Evolution 6 features substantial improvements over its cheaper cousin, the Celestron NexStar 6SE—mainly a built-in lithium-ion battery and Wi-Fi control capability out of the box. It also has better gearing, a slightly simpler setup, and comes with two eyepieces out of the box, as opposed to the 6SE’s single 25mm Plossl. However, the views are identical to those through the 6SE.
Celestron Advanced VX 6" SCT GoTo
List Price: $1749
Rank 3
4/5
The C6 optical tube is best with either a HyperStar unit or an f/6.3 reducer for deep-sky astrophotography, but is a reasonable scope to start with and works well on the Advanced VX mount. However, setting up this relatively small scope on a clunky, big, and complicated mount for visual use is simply overkill.
Vaonis Vespera Smart Telescope
List Price: $1699
Rank 4
3.7/5
Vaonis’ Vespera is essentially an all-in-one telephoto lens astrophotography rig, based on a 50mm apochromatic refractor. The scope is jaw-droppingly convenient and the images it delivers are pretty nice, with the ability to do your own processing as well as view them “live”. However, if you want to look through a telescope, this isn’t for you, and a dedicated astrophotography rig delivers a lot more for the price. Planetary images are also extremely poor, as Vespera is simply too small and short in focal length to capture them well.
Celestron Advanced VX Series 8" Newtonian GoTo
List Price: $1629
Rank 5
3.5/5
The Advanced VX 8” could be an acceptable platform for learning astrophotography, but it is quite a complicated rig to set up and assemble, and arguably overkill for visual use. The 8” optical tube is also pushing the limits of the mount’s capabilities, and thus it can be a bit frustrating to get consistently sharp results with long exposures.
Celestron Advanced VX Series 6" Refractor GoTo
List Price: $1899
Rank 6
3.2/5
The 6” Advanced VX Refractor suffers from some chromatic aberration and is certainly not the astrophotography-ready platform that marketing material might suggest. It’s a great choice for those who want a big refractor, though you might want to ponder what it is that’s so appealing about such a rig before purchasing.

Rank Category: Telescopes in the ~$2,000-$3,000 range

Computerized telescopes in this price range are offered in a wide variety of optical and mount configurations, such as GoTo Dobsonians, astrophotography-ready imaging Newtonians, and various Schmidt-Cassegrain designs.  
Sky-Watcher 12" Flextube SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian
Sky-Watcher 12" Flextube Dobsonian GoTo
$2560 at HighPoint
Due to Sky-Watcher's inventive FlexTube system, the 12" FlexTube GoTo has a significant amount of light-gathering capacity but still retains some degree of portability and can be moved and set up by one person. The 12” FlexTube GoTo features a massive 305mm (12”) primary mirror, which collects more than double as much light as an 8” with 50% more resolving power (or 44% more light and 20% more resolution than a 10”). This transforms views of deep-sky objects—spiral arms in galaxies like M51 become fair game under dark skies. The 12” FlexTube’s collapsible tube also really comes in handy for transport, reducing the 5’ long tube to about 3’, which means it’ll fit sideways across the back of a car with no problems, unlike a traditional solid-tubed 12” f/5 Dobsonian telescope. You can aim the 12” FlexTube GoTo manually with or without the motors powered on; the advanced encoders on the mount allow the computer to keep track of your manual movements without them impacting its alignment on the sky as with Sky-Watcher’s other computerized Dobsonian models. As with all open-tubed telescopes, some kind of shroud is needed to keep light and moisture out of the telescope tube and preserve contrast at the eyepiece, especially under light-polluted skies, but this is not a huge expense and is easy to make yourself, too.
Celestron Advanced VX 9.25" Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope
Celestron Advanced VX 9.25" Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo
$2949 at HighPoint
The Advanced VX is not up to the task of supporting the C9.25 optical tube for deep-sky astrophotography, of course, but it makes for a much less intimidating option than the massive Evolution or CPC mounts offered with the C9.25, and you can swap the C9.25 out for a smaller astrograph more in line with the Advanced VX’s payload capacity if you wish.
Celestron 8" NexStar Evolution Computerized Telescope
Celestron NexStar Evolution 8" Schmidt Cassegrain GoTo
$2199 at HighPoint
Celestron really took the “Evolution” name literally when they made the NexStar Evolution 8. The Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 features 8” (203mm) of aperture in Celestron’s compact, award-winning, and versatile C8 XLT optical tube, an f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain with a focal length of 2032mm. The Evolution mount and tripod feature GoTo that is controlled either with the provided hand controller or a smartphone app such as SkySafari or Celestron’s free SkyPortal app. You can also unlock the clutches on the mount and aim it manually, but not with the scope powered on. The Evolution mount’s built-in WiFi is already a great feature, but it’s complemented with a built-in lithium battery that is rechargeable, runs the scope for a few nights straight, and will last about a decade before needing replacement. 
Celestron Advanced VX 800 RASA GoTo
List Price: $2999
Rank 4
4.2/5
An imaging-only telescope, the Celestron RASA 800 offers a wide field with its mere 400mm focal length at the super fast speed of f/2. The Advanced VX mount makes for a decent pairing with this instrument and a good one-shot color CMOS or CCD camera for deep-sky astrophotography, though it’s not the most accurate or well-equipped mount for the job.
 Celestron NexStar Evolution 8" EdgeHD with StarSense  GoTo
List Price: $2949
Rank 5
4.1/5
The EdgeHD optics aren’t a huge upgrade for a visual telescope like the 8” NexStar Evolution, but cooldown time is slightly improved and you get some perks should you decide to dabble into imaging. The StarSense technology also speeds up setup of the already simple and portable Evolution mount.
Celestron Advanced VX Series 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo
List Price: $2299
Rank 6
4/5
The 8” Advanced VX Schmidt-Cassegrain makes for a surprisingly portable setup, and is especially good for planetary imaging. However, the Advanced VX is simply not up to the task of supporting the 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube for deep-sky astrophotography, nor is a C8 an ideal first astrophotography scope.
Celestron CGEM II 800 SCT GoTo
List Price: $2999
Rank 7
4/5
The CGEM II is sufficient enough to allow for acceptable deep-sky images with the C8 XLT optical tube and an f/6.3 reducer, and rock solid for imaging with a Hyperstar f/2 conversion. It’s also only slightly bulkier than the Advanced VX, making it ideal for planetary imaging or visual observation too, though with few advantages over the Advanced VX or NexStar Evolution mounts for either purpose.
Celestron Advanced VX 700 Mak GoTo
List Price: $2599
Rank 8
4/5
7” Maksutovs are specialty products, with long cooldown times and almost exclusively useful for lunar and planetary viewing or imaging, but if you’re willing to put up with the limitations of the Advanced VX 700, it essentially provides the same capabilities and focal length as the C9.25 with slightly lower maintenance and more tolerant focusing. However, you’re losing quite a bit of aperture, and the cooldown time can be a nuisance if you don’t rig up some kind of fan system.
Celestron Advanced VX 8" EdgeHD
List Price: $2799
Rank 9
3.9/5
The Advanced VX 8” EdgeHD provides little in the way of advantages over the regular C8 XLT for visual astronomy or planetary imaging, and the Advanced VX is insufficient to carry the C8 optical tube for long-exposure deep-sky imaging unless you use the scope at f/2 with a HyperStar conversion, which costs a lot more than just buying the 8” RASA instead.
Celestron 9.25" NexStar Evolution Schmidt Cassegrain GoTo
List Price: $c
Rank 10
3.9/5
The 9.25” NexStar Evolution features the C9.25 XLT optical tube mounted atop the Evolution mount head, but with a massive tripod borrowed from the Celestron CPC telescopes. The Evolution mount head is not really up to the task of holding the C9.25 when I start adding a 2” diagonal into the mix (which is somewhat mandatory) and the CPC tripod is utterly massive. The 9.25” optical tube has a slightly different optical configuration than Celestron’s other Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes. This results in it being easier to collimate and having sharper images. However, the 2350mm focal length of the C9.25 tube results in a field of view that feels rather claustrophobic even with 2” low-power eyepieces, and thus it’s best for viewing the Moon, planets, and small deep-sky objects such as globular clusters and planetary nebulae.
Explore Scientific ED102 Triplet w/ EXOS2 PMC-Eight Equatorial GOTO Mount
List Price: $2849
Rank 11
3.9/5
The Explore Scientific ED102 Triplet is a decent scope for visual use or deep-sky astrophotography, with triplet apochromat optics minimizing chromatic aberration. The EXOS-2 PMC-Eight mount is just barely sufficient to carry it for imaging use with an autoguider, though buying a separate optical tube and mount might be a better option if you are looking for a high-quality imaging telescope.
Celestron CPC 800 GPS SCT GoTo
List Price: $2599
Rank 12
3.8/5
The CPC 800 is a little less fancy than the 8” NexStar Evolution, but comes on a beefier mount and can be used for astrophotography on an equatorial wedge (sold separately).
UniStellar eVscope eQuinox Smart Telescope
List Price: $c
Rank 13
2.5/5
The eVscope EQUINOX does what it says—or at least, what it says beneath the marketing fluff. You’re getting a few hundred bucks worth 114mm telescope, a cheap uncooled camera, and a low-quality mount in a package that delivers garbage “live” poorly processed images that would make a real astrophotographer laugh at you, and with views largely inferior to a moderate-sized Dobsonian under even light-polluted skies. Don’t believe the hype.

Rank Category: Computerized Telescopes in the $3000-$4500 range

Computerized telescopes above $3000 diversify greatly into large SCTs and Dobsonians designed for visual use and planetary imaging, along with numerous (mostly catadioptric) scopes mainly meant for deep-sky astrophotography use. An astrophotography setup will usually require you to pick out an optical tube, mount, and camera piecemeal.
Sky-Watcher 14" Flextube SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian
Sky-Watcher 14" Flextube Dobsonian GoTo
$3615 at HighPoint
The 14” FlexTube has even more light gathering than the 10” and 12” models, with the bonus of a dual-speed Crayford focuser and a fully collapsible base. The 14” FlexTube is, in some ways, slightly more portable than the 12” model. Unlike the smaller FlexTube scopes, the 14” model’s base assembles with hand knobs and is designed to be packed flat. Assembly of both the tube and c1ollapsed base takes minutes and requires no tools. This means you can fit the tube and base into a smaller space than would otherwise be possible, particularly if you are transporting the telescope in a vehicle. A 14” Dobsonian has even brighter images than a"12"—though side by side, a 36% gain in light grasp doesn’t seem that impressive, it’s triple the light-gathering ability of an 8” (compared to double that of an 8” with 12” of aperture). As with the other FlexTube GoTo scopes, you need a shroud for this instrument, and the telescope can be aimed either manually, with the included hand paddle, or you can push it around the sky while the GoTo system and hand controller are activated without impairing the precision star alignment of the mount.
Celestron CGX 800 EdgeHD
$4099 at HighPoint
Rank 2
4.6/5
The Celestron CGX is more than adequate for astrophotography purposes with the EdgeHD 8” optical tube, and is usable for a variety of imaging and visual tasks at f/2, f/7, native f/10 or with a Barlow lens for a longer f/raito. However, the CGX is capable of supporting the larger C9.25 EdgeHD too.
Celestron CPC 1100
$3999 at HighPoint
Rank 3
4.4/5
The Celestron CPC 1100 is the largest of the three CPC scopes and is the only alt-azimuth mounted configuration offered for the C11 XLT optical tube. However, it is rather bulky and heavy as the C11 is permanently attached to the heavy-duty fork mount, which can make storage and transport difficult.
Celestron 8" CGEM II RASA
$3799 at AgenaAstro
Rank 4
4.3/5
The Celestron CGEM II mount isn’t much of an upgrade from the Advanced VX for imaging purposes, though it’s adequate and a little steadier with the 8” RASA. However, we would recommend springing for an EQ6Ri Pro or CGX mount instead if you can afford it.
Celestron CPC 925 GPS
$3299 at HighPoint
Rank 5
4.3/5
The CPC 9.25 is bulkier and heavier than the NexStar Evolution 9.25” but is significantly more sturdy. The CPC fork mount is simpler to set up than an equatorially-mounted configuration of the C9.25 XLT optical tube, though it’s of course a lot heavier and less versatile. You should probably consider an equatorial mount for the C9.25 XLT regardless of what you plan to do with it, but of the alt-azimuth C9.25 and mount configurations, the CPC is definitely the better choice.
Celestron CGX 925 SCT
List Price: $4199
Rank 6
4.2/5
The regular Celestron C9.25 is not ideal for deep-sky astrophotography compared to the EdgeHD version, and the CGX mount is overkill with this scope for visual use. As such, there’s not much of a point in purchasing, though the CGX makes for a fine mount with plenty of capabilities.
Celestron CGX 800 SCT
List Price: $3799
Rank 7
4.2/5
The Celestron C8 XLT is extremely overmounted for visual use on the CGX while being sub-par for deep-sky astrophotography compared to the EdgeHD or RASA designs. As such, while there’s nothing inherently wrong with the scope, we do not recommend this combination as highly compared to those options.
Celestron CGEM II 800 EdgeHD
List Price: $3399
Rank 8
4.1/5
The Celestron CGEM II can technically carry the 8” EdgeHD optical tube for deep-sky imaging, but it’s subpar for the job compared to other mounts with stepper motors, and overkill for visual use compared to the Advanced VX (the EdgeHD optics are also unnecessary for the task).
Celestron CGEM II 925 SCT
List Price: $3399
Rank 9
4.1/5
The CGEM II is somewhat overkill for holding the C9.25 XLT for visual use while being completely insufficient for deep-sky astrophotography with such a big scope. However, it is a little steadier than the Advanced VX if you demand more rigorous requirements.
Rank 10Celestron Advanced VX 11" Schmidt-Cassegrain3.9
Rank 11Vixen Optics SX2-A105MII Refractor Telescope3.9
Rank 12Vixen Optics SD81S 81mm f/7.7 Apo Refractor Telescope with AP-SM Mount3.9
Rank 13Vaonis Stellina 3.8
Rank 14Celestron CGEM II 925 EdgeHD3.8
Rank 15Celestron CGEM II 700 Mak3.8
Rank 16Celestron CPC Deluxe 925 EdgeHD3.6
Rank 17Celestron CPC Deluxe 800 EdgeHD3.6
Rank 18Celestron Advanced VX 9.25" EdgeHD3.5
Rank 19Celestron CGX 700 Mak3.4

Rank Category: Computerized Telescopes in the ~$4500-$6500 range

Computerized telescopes above $4500 diversify greatly into large SCTs and Dobsonians designed for visual use and planetary imaging, along with numerous (mostly catadioptric) scopes mainly meant for deep-sky astrophotography use. An astrophotography setup will usually require you to pick out an optical tube, mount, and camera piecemeal.
Celestron 8" CGX 800 RASA Telescope
Celestron 8″ CGX 800 RASA
$4599 at AgenaAstro
The Celestron 8” RASA is a great astrophotography instrument, and the CGX mount is a rock-solid platform for imaging with it, enabling very long exposures with fewer limitations than a smaller and lower-quality mount option.
Celestron CGX 1100 RASA
$6499 at HighPoint
Rank 2
4.7/5
The Celestron 11” RASA is pushing the CGX somewhat for the most demanding imaging applications and can be a little much to get used to for those coming from smaller imaging setups, but it’s a fabulous research-grade option for quality deep-sky images, though at only 560mm focal length, not all targets are going to be optimally framed.
Celestron CGX 925 EdgeHD
$5299 at HighPoint
Rank 3
4.6/5
While perhaps a little overkill for visual use, the Celestron CGX makes for a rock-solid platform for imaging with the EdgeHD 9.25” optical tube and an f/7 reducer, while also being fairly good for visual observation without too much complexity or bulk and an easy user interface with its hand controller.
Celestron CGX 1100 EdgeHD
List Price: $6399
Rank 4
4.5/5
The Celestron CGX mount is more than enough to hold the C11 or EdgeHD 11 optical tubes for visual observation and decent enough for long-exposure deep-sky astrophotography, though a beefier and probably permanent mount would be more ideal for the job. The views through this scope are a delight too.
Celestron CGEM II 1100 SCT
List Price: $4599
Rank 5
4.4/5
The Celestron CGEM II makes for an ideal mount for the C11 XLT for visual astronomy and planetary imaging use, being much sturdier than the Advanced VX and more compact than the CPC or larger CGX mounts. Neither the scope nor CGEM II is ideal for deep-sky imaging, but the C11 XLT is a fabulous scope for the visual observer or planetary imager.
Sky-Watcher 16″ Flextube SynScan GoTo Dobsonian
List Price: $4680
Rank 6
4.4/5
The 16” FlexTube features the same great features of all of Sky-Watcher’s smaller GoTo Dobsonians, but with even more light gathering and resolving power. As with the 14” FlexTube, the 16” model has a dual-speed 2” Crayford focuser and the base collapses flat for transport/storage. However, the optical tube—even when collapsed—is so big and heavy that moving it yourself is a difficult task, and it requires a fairly large vehicle to transport. The usual considerations of a shroud and additional eyepieces apply here too.
Celestron CPC 1100 EdgeHD
List Price: $5099
Rank 7
4.1/5
The Celestron EdgeHD optical configuration offers few perceptible advantages over the regular C11 XLT for visual use or planetary imaging, but the CPC fork mount is not exactly the best for deep-sky astrophotography, even when paired with a wedge and autoguiding. It also possesses the same extremely bulky and heavy frame as the regular CPC 1100 model, which may be uncomfortable for many users to set up or transport.
Rank 8Vixen Optics SD103S 103mm f/7.7 Apo Refractor Telescope with SX2 Mount3.9
Rank 9Vixen Optics R200SS 200mm f/4 Reflector EQ Telescope with SX2 Mount and SB1 Controller 3.9
Rank 10Vaonis Stellina 3.8
Rank 11Vixen Optics R200SS 200mm f/4 Reflector Telescope with SXD2-PFL Mount3.8
Rank 12Questar 3.5” Standard3.8
Rank 13Celestron CGX-L 9.25 SCT3.8
Rank 14Vixen Optics VC200L 8″ f/9 Cassegrain Telescope with SX2 Mount and SB1 Controller3.8
Rank 15Unistellar eVscope 23

3 thoughts on “Ranking The Best from 90+ Computerized Telescopes”

  1. Hello, I ordered the Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTI 150P and am excitedly waiting for the same. What accessories do you suggest? This will be my first telescope and will be observing more from the backyard. Thinking of a simple step stool for the table to setup the telescope. Guessing eyepieces are the most importan accessory I need. No specific budget, looking for best value rather than lowest price or maximum performance. I wear glasses for short sight and will be with my 6y daughter who does not. Do eye pieces come with diopter adjustment like binoculars? Thinking of binoviewers for planetary watching so may be buying double the eyepieces. Lots of light pollution from street lights and neighbors so will likely need a shroud. What would you recommend? Thanks!

    • You don’t need a diopter adjustment or anything like that, just focus for your own eyesight. Binoviewers have diopters.

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