Comparison

Where am I vs Direction explorer

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

Head to head
About

Where am I

Discover your current location, nearby points of interest, and their details. Access Wikipedia information, including images and links, sorted by relevance or distance. Navigate directly to locations on a map.

Highlights
  • Identify current location, area, and country
  • Lookup location details on Wikipedia
  • View thumbnail images of nearby Wikipedia articles
  • Sort articles by rank or distance
  • Open map with current or selected location
  • Switch Wikipedia language
  • Metric and imperial units
Features
Read full description

Did you ever wonder where you are while you travel and what might be interesting nearby? With this app long distance travels don't have to be boring anymore. Features: - get name of the nearest place, its area and country - look up the location, area and country name on Wikipedia - links to nearby Wikipedia articles - thumbnail images of nearby Wikipedia articles - sort Wikipedia articles by rank or distance - open the map with your current location or the location of the selected Wikipedia article - switch the Wikipedia language - metric and imperial units Ad supported freeware version

About

Direction explorer

This app overlays a compass heading line onto Apple Maps, showing your current direction and distance to identified targets like villages or mountains. It allows for detailed map study, manual origin point entry, and the placement of pins with detailed information about selected locations.

Highlights
  • Compass overlay on Apple Maps
  • GPS-based direction line with distance marks
  • Freeze origin point and direction line
  • Manual origin point entry
  • Colored pins for target identification
  • Detailed information boxes for targets
  • Offline mountain database
Features
Read full description

DirectionExplorer combines a compass tool with Apple Maps by Apple to help you identify targets (villages, buildings, mountains, and more) appearing in your view. DirectionExplorer uses GPS to determine the observer's location and, using compass information, draws a line on the map in the same direction the iPhone is pointing.  The heading line includes distance marks, allowing you to better estimate distances directly on the map. You can freeze the origin point and direction line to study the map in detail later. You can also determine the length of the heading line (in miles or km) to better estimate your field of view. The horizon distance can be automatically calculated based on the site's altitude. The point of origin can be entered manually by tapping the map. To help you find desired targets more easily, you can insert colored pins above the map. Pins can be set by tapping on the map or by entering place names. Tapping on a pin or on a mountain displays an information box with detailed data about the selected target and these data can be easily shared. From an offline list of mountains, you can choose which peaks to display on the map.  The information box also suggests possible obstacles (based on the offline mountain database) that may lie between you and the selected target. For best results, hold the iPhone horizontally and aim accurately.  It is also important to periodically check the compass calibration and follow the on-screen calibration instructions.

Screenshots

Where am I4 screens
Direction explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Where am I at Free against Direction explorer's $1.99. Where am I also leads on iOS requirement (7.0 vs 17.6). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Where am I is free to download; Direction explorer costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and August 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Where am I versus Direction explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhere am IDirection explorer
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 19 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB31 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPiet JonasStefano Rampazzo

Customer experience

Where am I

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Direction explorer

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Where am I

No in-app purchases

None

Direction explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Where am I free?
Where am I is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Direction explorer free?
Direction explorer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Where am I or Direction explorer have ads?
Neither Where am I nor Direction explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Where am I or Direction explorer?
Where am I ships an update every 19 months, and Direction explorer every 19 months. Most recently, Where am I was updated on September 17, 2026 and Direction explorer on August 27, 2026.

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