WaterSounds vs Compass Direction
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WaterSounds
Experience healing and relaxation with a variety of soothing water sounds. This app supports background playback and features an automatic stop timer, making it ideal for sleep, meditation, or focused study.
- Variety of water sounds
- Background playback
- Automatic stop timer
- Widget timer support
- Healing and relaxation
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It is an application that provides healing by water sound. Enjoy various water sounds. If you have any requests such as "I want this kind of water sound", please let me know in the review! ■ Features ・ Supports background playback ・ Automatic stop by widget timer is possible ■ Usage scene ・ When sleep is introduced ・ At the time of relaxation such as yoga, meditation ・ When you want to concentrate on study
Compass Direction
This app provides accurate compass headings and directions with a real-time GPS map. Easily switch between map and camera views, and access features like altitude, speed, and a torch. Enjoy a beautiful and intuitive interface with haptic feedback and accessibility support.
- Accurate compass headings and directions
- Real-time GPS map with zoom
- Altitude, latitude, and longitude display
- Speedometer
- Integrated torch
- Switch between map and camera view
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AS FEATURED ON: TechRadar and more. Compass Direction - Digital is an easy to use compass app which allows you to find accurate compass headings and directions along with a realtime GPS map. Switch between the map and the view by holding the device up! WHY YOU’LL LOVE COMPASS DIRECTION - DIGITAL: The app allows you to use a digital compass - and it looks beautiful whilst doing so! NOTABLE FEATURES: • The app includes heading, direction, altitude, latitude, longitude, speedometer, and a torch • Switch between map types by tapping the screen and pinch to zoom in/out • Switch between the map and view by holding the device up • Accurate realtime compass direction and heading • Realtime GPS coordinates • Simple and beautiful user interface • Small haptics when interacting, improving the overall experience • VoiceOver support • 3D Touch GET IN TOUCH: If you have any questions or feedback, I'm all ears. Compass Direction - Digital was created by an individual in his free time, and I’d love to know what you think. I’m available through Twitter @elohohel. Terms of Use (EULA) - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: WaterSounds at 87% against Compass Direction's 34%. WaterSounds also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Compass Direction's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months) and chart position (#193 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. WaterSounds sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Compass Direction sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
WaterSounds holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 597 and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of WaterSounds's written reviews are positive against 34% of Compass Direction's.
WaterSounds ships an update every 3 months, Compass Direction every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WaterSounds | Compass Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (597 ratings) — better | 4.6 (2.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.7% of reviews — better | 34.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 597 | 2.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #193 — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tomohiro Ohwada | Rihab Mehboob |
Customer experience
WaterSounds
Compass Direction
User reviews
WaterSounds
From 597 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎵 Authentic, high-quality water and nature sounds
- 🎚️ Adjustable volume control for individual sounds
- 🔀 Ability to layer multiple sounds simultaneously
- ⏱️ Built-in customizable timer feature
- 😴 Effective for relaxation and sleep
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent playback - sounds don't play reliably
- 📖 Lack of help documentation or instructions
- 🔊 Volume levels vary inconsistently between sounds
- 🔋 Limited sound selection compared to user expectations
Compass Direction
From 2.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Accurate and easy to use
- 💡 Useful for specific use cases
- 👍 Visually appealing
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate compass direction
- 🔒 Requires subscription to use
- 🔒 No free trial
- 🐛 Doesn't work as expected
- 🔒 Forces users to subscribe
Bugs and requests
WaterSounds
Reported bugs
3 issues- Sounds fail to play intermittently
- App stops working unexpectedly
- Inconsistent audio output across different sound selections
Requested features
7 requests- Headset play/pause button support
- AirPlay support
- Water fountain sounds (including tiered backyard fountains)
- Lake and pond sound options
- Stream and brook sound options
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- More river and waterfall variations
- Increased maximum volume levels
Compass Direction
Reported bugs
4 issues- Compass always showing wrong directions
- App freezes or becomes non-functional
- Restore purchase feature not working
- App crashing or not loading properly
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to calibrate the compass
- Option to purchase a one-time fee instead of subscription
- Offline map support
- Ability to set waypoints and get directions
In-app purchases
WaterSounds
- Remove Ads$1.99
- Development support$1.99
- Remove Ads & Support$2.99
Compass Direction
- Compass 1 Week$3.997 Days
- Compass 1 Week$4.997 Days
- Compass 1 Month3 Days trial$5.991 Month
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- Compass 1 Month$9.991 Month
- Compass 1 Year3 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Compass 6 Months$29.996 Months
- Compass 1 Year3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Compass Lifetime$69.99
- Compass Lifetime$99.99
