# Loadstone GPS vs Fathom

The clearest difference is price: Fathom at Free against Loadstone GPS's $10.99. Fathom also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Loadstone GPS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Fathom is free to download; Loadstone GPS costs $10.99 up front. Fathom sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per month. Loadstone GPS asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Loadstone GPS against 5.0 for Fathom. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 8 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Loadstone GPS's written reviews are positive against 100% of Fathom's.

Loadstone GPS ships an update every 3 months, Fathom every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Loadstone GPS | Fathom |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $10.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loadstone-gps/id1162529723/reviews) | [5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fathom-visual-assistance/id6760924183/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **8** |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 24 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shawn Kirkpatrick](https://appshunter.io/developer/1162529722) | [Unruly Vision, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886846640) |

## What reviewers say

### Loadstone GPS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loadstone-gps/id1162529723)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Fathom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fathom-visual-assistance/id6760924183)

This navigation app provides real-time spatial awareness for blind and low-vision users indoors. It speaks only when necessary, indicating doors, people, and hazards, and offers features for room exploration, object identification, and guided navigation to specific locations.

**Highlights:** Indoor spatial awareness, Object and hazard detection, Turn-by-turn indoor navigation, Step-by-step task guidance, Real-time conversational assistance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fathom Plus | $12.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Loadstone GPS free?

Loadstone GPS costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Fathom free?

Fathom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Loadstone GPS or Fathom?

Loadstone GPS and Fathom are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 8 ratings respectively.

### Do Loadstone GPS or Fathom have ads?

Neither Loadstone GPS nor Fathom shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Loadstone GPS or Fathom?

Loadstone GPS ships an update every 3 months, and Fathom every 3 weeks. Most recently, Loadstone GPS was updated on October 24, 2026 and Fathom on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*