Comparison

fDeck vs Compass Guide

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

Head to head
About

fDeck

This app provides a comprehensive flight deck with realistic instruments for aviation enthusiasts and pilots. It includes navigation tools, real-time weather, and traffic data, functioning as both a training aid and a supplementary instrument set.

Highlights
  • Realistic flight instruments (HSI, VOR, ADF, etc.)
  • Interactive aviation moving map
  • Live weather and ADS-B traffic data
  • Radio navigation training simulation
  • Worldwide aviation database
  • X-Plane flight simulator integration
Features
Read full description

fDeck turns your iPhone or iPad into a working aircraft instrument panel - a graphically beautiful flight deck for your pocket, with live weather, real ADS-B traffic, a flight planner and a powerful radio-navigation trainer. Trusted by 50,000+ pilots, student pilots and flight-sim enthusiasts worldwide. 100% ad-free. A FULL PANEL OF INSTRUMENTS Every instrument is hand-crafted to look and behave like the real thing - responsive, animated, and controlled with intuitive touch. Mix and match any combination to build your own flight deck: • Synthetic Vision (Vision PFD) • Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) • VOR receiver • Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) • Artificial Horizon • Altimeter (GPS/Baro) • Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI) • Aircraft compass with heading bug • Groundspeed indicator • Chronometer with fuel totaliser • Live weather & wind, with TAF/METAR in raw or decoded form Every instrument has its own built-in video tutorial. LEARN TO NAVIGATE Pan your aircraft anywhere on the map and watch every instrument respond in real time. Tune any VOR, NDB or radio aid from a worldwide database - or build your own virtual navaids to practise tracking radials, intercepts and holds. The best radio-navigation trainer you can carry. PLAN YOUR FLIGHT Build a flight plan and slave any instrument to it. Waypoints transition automatically as you fly, so every needle keeps pointing exactly where it should - no re-tuning between legs. FLY WITH CONFIDENCE • Worldwide aviation database: 20,000+ airports and navaids, updated monthly • Aviation moving map with airspace, airports and navaids • Optional 5/10/20NM range rings and enhanced radial lines • Live ADS-B traffic with a built-in traffic avoidance (TCAS) system • Tag your own aircraft registration to silence alerts on yourself • Export your tracks as GPX or KML FOR YOUR HOME COCKPIT Drive the instruments straight from X-Plane or Microsoft Flight Simulator via the flight simulation connection, and turn any device into a secondary instrument panel. PRIVACY YOU CAN TRUST No ads. No tracking across other apps. We never sell your data and collect only what is needed to run the app. NEW IN VERSION 3.0 • Vision: a brand-new synthetic vision PFD (early access - 2D now, 3D coming soon) • Now 100% ad-free • Microsoft Flight Simulator support, alongside X-Plane FDECK PREMIUM fDeck is free to download and use. Become a Premium member to unlock: • Premium and Early Access instruments (including Vision) • Unlimited user navigation stations • Monthly navigation database updates • Map weather overlays & live virtual radar • Live ADS-B traffic with TCAS alerting • Live TAF & METAR reports • Unlimited X-Plane & MSFS flight simulation connection • Crazy fast support from the dev! Premium is available as a monthly or annual subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. • Payment is charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase • Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends • Manage or cancel anytime in your account settings IMPORTANT fDeck is a training aid and a supplementary/backup instrument. It is not a certified instrument and must not be used as a primary means of navigation. Questions or ideas? I read every email personally - just use "Contact the developer" in the app, or the contact page on my website: https://fdeck.app/support/#contact Full details of our Terms of Service and Privacy policy can be found at the following URLs: Terms of Use: https://fdeck.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://fdeck.app/privacy/

About

Compass Guide

This application provides directional guidance and heading information using your device's compass. It's designed to help users find their way in various situations.

Highlights
  • Directional finding
  • Heading information
  • Outdoor navigation aid
  • Hiking GPS support
Features
Read full description

Compass Guide is a simple, reliable digital compass for hiking, navigation, and everyday direction-finding — no account required. FIND YOUR WAY • Live compass heading in true north or magnetic north • Calibration guidance and an accuracy indicator you can trust • Your coordinates, altitude, and speed at a glance NAVIGATE TO A DESTINATION • Set a destination by map, clipboard coordinates, or manual entry • See live bearing and distance to where you're headed • Save multiple destinations with Premium SEE THE SKY • Sun and moon position markers on the dial (Premium) • Night mode with a red-tinted display to protect your night vision MAKE IT YOURS • Six compass styles: Classic, Field, Nautical, Military, Surveyor, and Minimal • Choose degrees or mils, metric or imperial units • Keep the screen on, add a haptic tick at true north, and use the built-in flashlight SHARE YOUR HEADING • Export a shareable image card with your heading and location details GO PREMIUM YOUR WAY • Unlock every feature with a one-time purchase — no subscription • Or watch a short ad anytime to unlock Premium free for 24 hours Compass Guide works fully offline for core compass features and never asks you to create an account.

Screenshots

fDeck4 screens
Compass Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: fDeck at 90% against Compass Guide's 38%. fDeck also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Compass Guide's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. fDeck sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Compass Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

fDeck holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 328 and 126 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of fDeck's written reviews are positive against 38% of Compass Guide's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

fDeck ships an update every 3 weeks, Compass Guide fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
fDeck versus Compass Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterfDeckCompass Guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (328 ratings) — better4.5 (126 ratings)
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews — better37.5% of reviews
Number of ratings328 — better126
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size140 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDarren YeatesAPPS BAY LIMITED

Customer experience

fDeck

All ratings328 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.1%

Compass Guide

All ratings126 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral4.0%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

fDeck

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Compass inverted display
  • Map pointer inverted
  • VOR OBS reverse sensing (TO/FROM indication incorrect)
  • Maps fail to load/display
  • X-Plane simulator connection unreliable
Show 4 more
  • VSI inaccuracy compared to actual aircraft instruments
  • App incompatible with iPhone SE screen format
  • Ads cannot be closed and require app restart
  • Weather pressure readings 1mb inaccurate

Requested features

9 requests
  • Compass horizontal configuration support (180 degrees)
  • CarPlay functionality for in-vehicle navigation
  • EFIS version for advanced glass cockpit simulation
  • Local NOTAM integration
  • CAA airspace overlay for UK users
Show 4 more
  • User-defined waypoints with latitude/longitude input
  • Primary flight display (PFD) for airliner-style instruments
  • Accurate elevation data for locations
  • iPad split-screen compatibility

Compass Guide

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

fDeck

Subscriptions2
  • fDeck monthly lounge access$3.991 Month
  • fDeck annual lounge access$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • fDeck lifetime lounge access$49.99
1 purchases

Compass Guide

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is fDeck free?
fDeck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Compass Guide free?
Compass Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, fDeck or Compass Guide?
fDeck is rated higher. fDeck averages 4.8 out of 5 from 328 ratings, while Compass Guide averages 4.5 from 126 ratings.
Do fDeck or Compass Guide have ads?
Compass Guide shows ads; fDeck does not.
Which is updated more often, fDeck or Compass Guide?
fDeck ships an update every 3 weeks, and Compass Guide fortnightly. Most recently, fDeck was updated on October 12, 2026 and Compass Guide on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons