Comparison

Loadstone GPS vs Candle

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Loadstone GPS

This navigation app empowers blind pedestrians with turn-by-turn directions and a vast database of points of interest. Users can create, store, and share waypoints, explore surroundings, and receive arrival alerts. It's designed by the blind, for the blind, with many functions available offline.

Highlights
  • Turn-by-turn directions
  • World-wide points of interest database
  • Create, store, and share waypoints
  • Explore surroundings features
  • Approach and arrival alerts
  • Offline functionality
  • Customizable settings
Features
Read full description

Loadstone GPS is a powerful, easy-to-use app that enables blind pedestrians to "go blindly where everyone sighted has gone before." It is designed by the blind, for the blind, specifically for those who use Voiceover. Features * Get turn-by-turn directions from any point or your current location to a desired destination. * Access and download from a world-wide database of points from OpenStreetMap, public mapping sources, transit systems, and points shared by other Loadstone users. * Create, store, and share your own navigation waypoints with others or the Loadstone comunity. * Filter point searches and output by categories and tags. * Explore your surroundings with features like 'Show Neighbourhood', 'Explore', and 'Find Point'. * Receive approach and arrival alerts for points of interest. * Customize alerts, units of measure, address format and other settings. * Display astronomic information like sunrise and set, moonrise and set, etc. * Track distance travelled with a built-in trip meter. * Import text databases and checkpoints from previous Loadstone versions. * No data plan required to use most major functions. * Complete documentation included. * Available in multiple languages. For the latest news, tutorials and more information please visit the Loadstone website at: https://www.loadstone-gps.com.

About

Candle

Features
Read full description

Candle helps blind and visually impaired people find their way. The app is built for VoiceOver from the ground up: large buttons, clear announcements and vibration instead of looking at a map. COMPASS • Direction by vibration: Candle vibrates when you point your iPhone north or in one of the eight compass directions, and announces it. • Compass to a destination: hold the iPhone in front of you – Candle tells you the direction and distance to your destination. PLACES NEARBY • Explore: cafés, restaurants, pharmacies, ATMs, bus stops, taxi stands, hospitals, public toilets, pedestrian crossings and traffic lights with sound signals – sorted by distance while you walk. • Radar: point your iPhone in a direction and hear which places are there. • Wikipedia: articles about sights around you. YOUR PLACES AND ROUTES • Save favourite places – from your current position or by address search, also by voice. • Walking navigation to saved places, with announcements you choose: detailed or short. • Location notes: leave a hint at a spot, e.g. "stairs after the door" – when you pass it with Candle open, your iPhone vibrates and Candle tells you the hint. Add a new one quickly with a long press on the Candle icon. • Share places as a link and receive them from family and friends. PRIVACY No sign-up, no ads, no tracking. Your places and location notes stay on your device. For maps, places and routes Candle uses open services such as OpenStreetMap. OPEN SOURCE Candle is free and open source: github.com/freegroup/candle Found a bug or have an idea? We welcome feedback – especially from blind and visually impaired users.

Screenshots

Loadstone GPS4 screens
Candle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Candle at Free against Loadstone GPS's $10.99. Candle also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). Loadstone GPS's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Candle is free to download; Loadstone GPS costs $10.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Loadstone GPS ships an update every 3 months, Candle every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Loadstone GPS versus Candle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLoadstone GPSCandle
Price$10.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShawn KirkpatrickAndreas Herz

In-app purchases

None

Loadstone GPS

No in-app purchases

None

Candle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Loadstone GPS free?
Loadstone GPS costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Candle free?
Candle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Loadstone GPS or Candle have ads?
Neither Loadstone GPS nor Candle shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Loadstone GPS or Candle?
Loadstone GPS ships an update every 3 months, and Candle every 4 days. Most recently, Loadstone GPS was updated on November 2, 2026 and Candle on November 4, 2026.

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