This buying guide highlights the best tabletop telescopes for 2025, focusing on compact, portable models that deliver stellar performance without bulky setups.
Whether you're a beginner, a parent seeking a kid-friendly scope, or an astrophotographer chasing crisp deep-sky images, our curated list has you covered. We’ve scoured company websites and expert reviews to recommend top picks like the Vaonis Vespera II for unmatched smart imaging and the Celestron FirstScope 76 for young explorers.
From smart scopes to traditional Dobsonians, we’ll break down specifications, pros, and cons to help you choose the perfect model for your stargazing needs, ensuring portability and ease of use for all skill levels. But if you're looking to play the field, telescope-wise, then take a look at our guide to the best telescopes overall for a wider view of the telescope market. We also have a guide to the best small telescopes that are perfect for taking to dark sky sites and getting crystal clear stellar views.
The quick list
Best overall
Premium smart telescope with 8.3MP sensor, automated tracking, and CovalENS mosaic mode for stunning deep-sky images.
Best for kids
Affordable Newtonian reflector with 76mm aperture, Dobsonian mount, ideal for young astronomers just starting out.
Best intermediate
An 8-inch Dobsonian with smartphone app alignment, ideal for deep-sky and solar system viewing.
Best for beginners
A 130mm tabletop Dobsonian with smartphone app, perfect for quick and easy stargazing.
Best smart telescope
An affordable smart telescope with 50mm aperture, 2MP sensor, and 6-hour battery life for automated astrophotography.
Best for image capture
A compact smart telescope with 30mm aperture, 2MP sensor, ultra-portable for astrophotography.
Best tabletop telescopes we recommend in 2025
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Best overall
✅ You want premium astrophotography with minimal setup.
✅ You’re a beginner or veteran seeking automated deep-sky imaging.
❌ You need a telescope for detailed planetary observation.
❌ You’re on a tight budget for casual stargazing.
🔎 The Vaonis Vespera II delivers unmatched smart astrophotography, perfect for capturing galaxies and nebulae with ease, though it’s pricey.★★★★★
The Vaonis Vespera II, priced at $1,590, redefines tabletop telescopes with its smart, automated design. Its 50mm aperture and 250mm focal length, paired with an 8.3-megapixel Sony IMX585 sensor, produce crisp images of deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula (M42).
The CovalENS mosaic mode boosts resolution to 24MP, expanding the field of view to 2.5 x 1.4 degrees—ideal for wide-field astrophotography. Controlled via the Singularity app, it auto-aligns, tracks, and stacks images, making it beginner-friendly yet powerful for veterans. Its 25GB storage holds thousands of images, but the 4-hour battery life may require a power bank for extended sessions.
Weighing 11 lbs, it’s portable but lacks a standard tripod, an extra $100-$149 cost. Light pollution filters enhance performance in urban areas, capturing pin-sharp galaxies despite streetlights. While excellent for nebulae and galaxies, its aperture and focal length limits planetary detail, making it less suited for that task.
- Read our full Vaonis Vespera II review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Design | Sleek, futuristic white shell, compact at 48cm tall |
Performance | Auto-alignment, Wi-Fi app control, CovalENS mosaic mode |
Functionality | High-resolution 8.3MP sensor, excels in deep-sky imaging |
Best for kids
✅ You want a low cost telescope for youngsters showing an interest in the night sky.
✅ You only want something for occasional casual visual observing.
❌ You want a telescope for astrophotography.
❌ You want advanced features or automation.
🔎 The Celestron FirstScope 76 is a budget-friendly, child-focused telescope for basic exploration of the night sky, though limited for more advanced stargazing. ★★★
Priced at just $70, the Celestron FirstScope 76 is a Dobsonian-style Newtonian reflector designed for young astronomers. Its 76mm aperture and 300mm focal length deliver clear views of bright celestial objects.
Weighing just 4.3 lbs, it’s easy for kids to handle and set up without tools. A variety of tube exterior designs are available such as a lunar themed tube assembly. Two eyepieces (20mm and 4mm) provide 15x and 75x magnification, respectively, which is enough to show the lunar craters or Saturn’s rings. Its simplicity suits ages 8 and up, but don’t expect impressive views of fainter galaxies or nebulae.
- Read our full Celestron FirstScope 76 review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Design | Compact, easy to use, lightweight. |
Performance | Manual pointing, no app or automation. |
Functionality | Clear views of bright celestial objects, limited deep-sky capability. |
Best intermediate
✅ You’re someone with a keen interest in visual observing rather than imaging.
✅ You want smartphone-guided navigation for ease of use.
❌ You need a compact and lightweight portable scope.
❌ You require fully automated tracking and go-to pointing.
🔎The Celestron StarSense Explorer 8-inch Dobsonian offers impressive views with its easy to use app guidance, but it’s heavy and isn’t suited to long exposure astro-imaging. ★★★★
The Celestron StarSense Explorer 8-inch Dobsonian, priced around $799, is a robust choice for intermediate astronomers. Its large 203mm aperture and 1200mm focal length deliver impressive views of galaxies, nebulae, and the moon & planets.
The StarSense app uses smartphone plate-solving to guide users to 40,000+ celestial objects, ideal for those with limited knowledge of find their way around the night sky. Weighing a rather hefty 44 lbs, it’s much less portable than others listed here but offers significantly more aperture.
Two eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) offer 48x and 120x magnification. While it excels for visual observing, its size and weight mean it’s far from being a ‘grab and go’ telescope.
- Read our full Celestron StarSense Explorer 8-inch Dobsonian review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Design | Sturdy Dobsonian base, large 8-inch mirror. |
Performance | martphone app for guided navigation to thousands of objects. |
Functionality | Bright, detailed deep-sky and planetary views. |
Best for beginners
✅ You’re a beginner wanting guided stargazing with a focus on visual observing.
✅ You need a portable, user-friendly scope and aren’t interested in deep sky astro-imaging.
❌ You want a telescope specifically for long exposure deep-sky astrophotography.
❌ You need automated tracking and auto go-to pointing.
🔎The Celestron StarSense Explorer 130mm is a portable, app-guided scope ideal for beginners, though limited for astro-imaging applications. ★★★★
At $479, the Celestron StarSense Explorer 130mm Tabletop Dobsonian is tailored for beginners. Its 130mm aperture and 650mm focal length provide clear views of the moon, planets, and bright deep-sky objects like the Andromeda Galaxy, with a 1.5-degree field of view.
Weighing 15.2 lbs, it’s portable and sets up quickly on a tabletop. The StarSense app, using smartphone plate-solving accurately guides users to thousands of objects, making navigation intuitive.
Two supplied eyepieces (25mm and 10mm) deliver 26x and 65x magnification. While excellent for visual observation, its manual operation and smaller aperture limit its astrophotography potential.
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Design | Compact tabletop Dobsonian, lightweight build. |
Performance | StarSense app for easy and accurate object location. |
Functionality | Clear views of the planets and bright deep-sky objects. |
Best smart telescope
✅ You want affordable smart astrophotography that is super user friendly.
✅ You’re a beginner seeking automated imaging before investing in a more complex set-up.
❌ You want take high-resolution deep-sky or planetary images.
❌ You also want to observe visually.
🔎The ZWO Seestar S50 is a budget-friendly smart scope for easy astrophotography, though its small sensor somewhat limits resolution. ★★★★★
Priced at an attractive $499, the ZWO Seestar S50 is a game-changer for budget-conscious astrophotographers. Its 50mm aperture and 250mm focal length, combined with a 2-megapixel Sony IMX462 sensor, capture decent images of nebulae and galaxies, with a 1.8 x 1.0-degree field of view.
The Seestar app enables Wi-Fi control, auto-centering, and image stacking, ideal for beginners. Its 64GB storage holds ample data, and the 6-hour battery supports long imaging sessions.
Weighing just 5.5 lbs, it includes a tripod and solar filter, enhancing portability and versatility. However, the 2MP sensor produces somewhat lower resolution images compared to premium models, and planetary details are underwhelming.
- Read our full ZWO Seestar S50 review
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Design | Compact, lightweight, includes tripod and case. |
Performance | Wi-Fi app, auto-centering, image stacking. |
Functionality | Decent deep-sky images, accurate pointing and tracking. |
Best for image capture
✅ You need an ultra-portable smart scope on a more limited budget.
✅ You’re a beginner wanting super easy astrophotography without spending a fortune.
❌ You expect highly detailed views of deep sky objects or the planets.
❌ You also want to observe visually.
🔎The ZWO Seestar S30 is ultra-portable for basic astrophotography, but its very small aperture limits detail and resolution. ★★★½
The ZWO Seestar S30, retailing at a remarkable $399, is the smallest smart telescope in this guide and the lowest cost such telescope available on the current market. Its 30mm aperture and 150mm focal length, paired with a 2-megapixel Sony IMX462 sensor, offer a wide 2.9 x 1.6-degree field of view, ideal for capturing large deep-sky objects like the Pleiades.
At 3.6 lbs, it’s highly portable, fitting easily into a backpack. The Seestar app provides Wi-Fi control, auto-tracking, and image stacking, with 64GB storage and a 6-hour battery life.
While its affordability and portability shine, the smaller aperture and low-resolution sensor produce less detailed images than the S50 or Vespera II, and planets appear tiny, though reasonable detail is visible when imaging the moon.
Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
Design | Ultra-compact, lightweight, travel-friendly build. |
Performance | Wi-Fi app, auto-tracking, wide-field imaging. |
Functionality | Basic deep-sky capture, limited detail due to the 30mm aperture size. |
Best tabletop telescopes: Comparison
Telescope | Aperture | Focal length | Sensor | Battery life | Weight | Field of view | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vaonis Vespera II | 50mm | 250mm | 8.3MP | 4 hours | 11 lbs | 2.5 x 1.4 degrees | 25GB |
Celestron FirstScope 76 | 76mm | 300mm | N/A | N/A | 4.3 lbs | 1.7 degrees | N/A |
Celestron StarSense 8-inch | 203mm | 1200mm | N/A | N/A | 47.3 lbs | 0.8 degrees | N/A |
Celestron StarSense 130mm | 130mm | 650mm | N/A | N/A | 15.2 lbs | 1.5 degrees | N/A |
ZWO Seestar S50 | 50mm | 250mm | 2MP | 6 hours | 5.5 lbs | 1.8 x 1.0 degrees | 64GB |
ZWO Seestar S30 | 50mm | 150mm | 2MP | 6 hours | 3.6 lbs | 2.9 x 1.6 degrees | 64GB |
Damian A. Peach FRAS is a renowned British amateur astronomer, astrophotographer, lecturer, and author with a career in astronomy spanning over thirty years. In recognition of his significant contributions to amateur astronomy, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) renamed asteroid 27632 as Damianpeach.
In 2011 he was Overall Winner of the Royal Greenwich Observatories Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2012. In 2018, he joined the scientific committee of the Aster Academy and received the Astronomical League's Peltier Award for his work.
Additionally, in 2022, the Société Astronomique de France (SAF) honored him with the Julien Saget Prize for his contributions to astronomy.
The best tabletop telescopes for stargazing: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a tabletop telescope?
A tabletop telescope is a compact, portable scope designed to sit on a flat surface, ideal for small spaces and travel.
Are smart telescopes worth it?
Yes, for astrophotography and ease of use, smart telescopes like the Vespera II and Seestar S50 automate tracking and imaging delivering an all-in-one solution.
Can kids use these telescopes?
Absolutely, models like the Celestron FirstScope 76 are simple and safe for kids to explore the moon and stars and modern smart telescopes give a super easy introduction to taking astrophotos.
Do I need a tripod for tabletop telescopes?
Some, like the Vespera II, require a separate tripod; others, like Dobsonians, sit directly on a table, however having the telescope elevated to a more comfortable position is always helpful.
Do I choose the right telescope?
Consider your skill level, budget, and goals—visual observation or imaging—and check aperture and portability specs. The best telescope to own is the one you’ll use most often!
How we test
Our telescope evaluations combine hands-on testing, online research, and expert level experience. We assess key features like aperture, focal ratio, mount stability, and optical quality to give a well-rounded view. The author’s extensive use of countless different telescopes including some of the models in this review also helps forms our insights. We also analyze user reviews from various platforms and retail sites to gauge real-world user experience. This rigorous approach ensures our recommendations meet diverse needs, from beginners to advanced imagers.
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