Comparison

NESW vs Handy Compass

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Heading and cardinal direction indicator
  • Magnetic North pointer
  • Large font degree heading
  • Rotating compass rose
  • Background color change for North
  • Integrated flashlight toggle
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Find directions
  • Locate items
  • Track parked car
  • Add custom places
  • Move symbols on map
Features
Read full description

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

NESW3 screens
Handy Compass4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
NESW versus Handy Compass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNESWHandy Compass
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 57 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSolaz Dazen srlAPPS BAY LIMITED

Customer experience

NESW

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

Handy Compass

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

NESW

No in-app purchases

None

Handy Compass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NESW free?
NESW is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Handy Compass free?
Handy Compass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NESW or Handy Compass?
NESW and Handy Compass are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do NESW or Handy Compass have ads?
Both NESW and Handy Compass show ads.
Which is updated more often, NESW or Handy Compass?
NESW ships an update every 57 months, and Handy Compass every 3 weeks. Most recently, NESW was updated on November 2, 2026 and Handy Compass on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons