Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi Multi-Purpose Mount & Tripod — image 1
Sky-Watcher

Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi Multi-Purpose Mount & Tripod

A GoTo mount you drive from your phone, with no polar alignment and no counterweight. The most recommended budget mount on the forums for good reason, and the one that can be converted to equatorial mode later.

84/ 100
Polaris Score
Performance · ease · portability · upgrade path
See the breakdown ↓
GoTo
Yes
Head Weight
3.9 kg
Imaging Payload
2.5 kg
Mount Type
Alt-azimuth GoTo
Payload Capacity
5.0 kg
Tracking
Yes
From$525

Lowest in 90 daysLowest ever tracked

Price tracked by PolarisObserved 21 timesTracking since Mar 2026

Where to buy

Verified yesterday · prices tracked daily

01What it's good at

What it's best at — and the trade-offs.

Finds and follows objects from a phone over its own WiFi, with no hand controller and no cables to the ground
Best at
✓Finds and follows objects from a phone over its own WiFi, with no hand controller and no cables to the ground
✓Alt-azimuth operation means no polar alignment, so it is working within a couple of minutes of being set down
✓Runs on eight AA batteries if you have no field power, which removes the last reason not to take it out
✓Sky-Watcher publish an equatorial firmware mode, so with a wedge the same mount becomes a genuine imaging platform later
Trade-offs
!In alt-azimuth mode the field of view rotates as the mount tracks, which caps usable exposures at roughly 30 seconds before stars at the frame edge become short arcs.
!Five kilograms is a genuine ceiling and the practical imaging figure is around half that.
!The AA battery option is convenient and drains quickly in the cold.
02In plain English

The numbers, in plain English.

5.0kg payload
Payload capacityGenuinely small
5.0 kg (11 lb)
Five kilograms covers a short refractor, a 102 mm Maksutov or a small tabletop reflector, and it does not cover a 6 inch SCT. Sky-Watcher's figure is a visual rating, so for imaging assume about half. This is the specification most likely to disappoint someone who bought the mount first and the telescope second.
Field rotationThe alt-az tax
Caps exposures near 30 s
This is the number nobody puts on a box and the one that decides whether the mount suits you. An alt-azimuth mount follows a star by moving in two axes, and the field slowly rotates as it does. Stars at the centre stay points while stars at the edge smear into arcs, and no improvement in tracking accuracy changes it. Around thirty seconds is the practical limit before it shows.
GoToNo hand controller
WiFi, phone controlled
The mount creates its own WiFi network and you drive it from a phone or tablet, so there is no hand controller to lose and no cable running to the ground. In practice this changes the setup ritual more than it sounds: alignment is two or three stars tapped on a screen, and the whole process takes about as long as cooling the telescope does not.
Equatorial modeThe second life
Firmware supported
Sky-Watcher publish firmware that converts this into an equatorial mount when used with a wedge. That removes field rotation entirely and turns a visual GoTo mount into a widefield imaging platform. Very few budget mounts have a documented second act, and it is the main reason this one holds its value.
PowerField friendly
8 AA cells or 12 V
Running from AA cells means the mount works with no power infrastructure at all, which is exactly what you want on a hilltop. Alkaline cells fade quickly below freezing and the mount will start missing slews before it stops entirely, so for winter or for a long session, feed it 12 V and keep the batteries as the backup.
03The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

84/100
84/ 100
Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi Multi-Purpose Mount & Tripod

Very high marks for ease and portability, which is what this mount is for, and a deliberately moderate performance score because alt-azimuth tracking cannot support long exposures no matter how well it points.

Performance
74
Ease of use
92
Portability
93
Upgrade potential
86

Polaris weighs tracking and payload capability, how easy the mount is to live with, how portable it is, and how far it takes you before you outgrow it — not list price or brand.

04Who it's for

An honest fit check.

Visual observers who are tired of star hopping and want the telescope to do the finding.
Buy it if you
✓Visual observers who are tired of star hopping and want the telescope to do the finding.
✓Travellers, since the whole thing packs small.
✓Anyone building a grab-and-go setup around a short refractor or a small Maksutov.
Look elsewhere if you
!Long-exposure deep-sky photographers using it in alt-azimuth mode, where field rotation limits you regardless of tracking accuracy.
!Owners of anything approaching 5 kg, since this mount is honest about being small.
05The numbers

Full specifications.

7 measured and stated values
Mount & drive
Payload Capacity5.0 kg
More
GoToYes
Finds objects from a built-in database and points the mount at them automatically, then tracks.
Head Weight3.9 kg
Imaging Payload2.5 kg
Mount TypeAlt-azimuth GoTo
TrackingYes
A motor turns the mount at the sky’s speed, holding your target still for long exposures. You still aim it yourself.
weight lbs8.6lbs
Editor’s Take

Most beginners give up not because the sky is disappointing but because they cannot find anything in it. This is the cheapest device that removes that specific failure, and the fact that it later converts into an imaging mount means the money is not spent twice.

— The Skynocular verdict
06Pairings

Pairs well with.

3 scopes we would actually put on this mount

The scopes we’d actually put on this mount — chosen for payload, balance and intended use. Comfortable means room to spare; near the limit still works, with care.

SVBony MK105 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Comfortable
SVBony
SVBony MK105 Maksutov-Cassegrain

A GoTo Maksutov for the price of neither. Two kilograms leaves the mount plenty of margin, and the phone finds what the long focal length makes hard to locate.

SVBony MK90 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Comfortable
SVBony
SVBony MK90 Maksutov-Cassegrain

The lightest pairing here and the most portable GoTo setup we list. Both parts fit in a rucksack.

SVBony MK127 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Near the limit
SVBony
SVBony MK127 Maksutov-Cassegrain

Two point nine kilograms is well within the rating, and at 1500 mm the mount is working near its pointing accuracy. Good visually, and the mount will hunt a little.

The AZ-GTi has an unusually long tail: owners keep it as a travel and visual mount after buying something larger, and the equatorial conversion gives it a second life most budget mounts never get.