NESW vs Handy Compass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NESW
A simple, easy-to-read compass app showing heading, cardinal direction, and magnetic north. It also features a flashlight toggle for convenience during outdoor activities.
- Heading and cardinal direction indicator
- Magnetic North pointer
- Large font degree heading
- Rotating compass rose
- Background color change for North
- Integrated flashlight toggle
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NESW is a clean, fast compass app built for hikers, campers, travelers, and anyone who needs reliable direction at a glance. Get a live compass with large heading readouts, cardinal direction, and a smooth rotating dial designed for quick outdoor use. Switch between true north and magnetic north, monitor heading accuracy, and stay oriented with a minimal interface that keeps the essentials front and center. NESW goes beyond a simple compass: - Save objectives and lock onto a destination bearing - Share your current location quickly - View altitude, speed, and magnetic declination - Track direction with clear turn guidance Whether you're hiking, camping, backpacking, overlanding, boating, traveling, or navigating unfamiliar places, NESW helps you keep your bearings with less clutter and more confidence. Key features: - Large degree heading and clear cardinal direction - True north and magnetic north support - Smooth rotating compass dial - Objective pinning and bearing lock - Live location sharing - Altitude, speed, and declination readouts - Calibration and heading status guidance - Minimal design built for fast readability Great for: - Hiking and trail navigation - Camping and backpacking - Road trips and travel - Orienteering and outdoor exploration - Marine and land navigation Notes: - For best accuracy, avoid strong magnetic interference, metallic objects, and magnetic phone cases - True north accuracy may improve after location access and GPS lock are available If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for future updates, we'd love to hear from you.
Handy Compass
This navigation tool helps you find directions and locate specific places or items. Easily mark and track locations, such as your parked car, by adding custom symbols to the map.
- Find directions
- Locate items
- Track parked car
- Add custom places
- Move symbols on map
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Handy Compass is a compass app that helps you find directions or locate items whenever needed. You can also use this app to find your car in the parking lot. FEATURES: - Add and track a place or item by clicking "+". - You can move and relocate the symbol wherever you want by dragging the map.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Handy Compass at every 3 weeks against NESW's every 57 months. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for NESW against 5.0 for Handy Compass. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
NESW ships an update every 57 months, Handy Compass every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NESW | Handy Compass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 57 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Solaz Dazen srl | APPS BAY LIMITED |
Customer experience
NESW
Handy Compass
In-app purchases
NESW
No in-app purchases
Handy Compass
No in-app purchases








