# Compass vs Grid Square Life

The clearest difference is price: Compass at Free against Grid Square Life's $3.99. Compass also leads on ratings volume (2.4K vs 5) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Grid Square Life's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and chart position (#131 vs unranked). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Compass is free to download; Grid Square Life costs $3.99 up front. Compass sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Grid Square Life asks for nothing beyond the download.

Compass holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Compass has 2.4K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 67% and 67% positive.

Compass ships an update every 7 months, Grid Square Life every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Compass | Grid Square Life |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-professional/id1289069674/reviews)** | [4.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grid-square-life/id1570759190/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 6 months** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#131** |
| Size | 19 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Peter Bohl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1075788156) | [Borys Buslovskyi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724242207) |

## What reviewers say

### Compass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-professional/id1289069674)

This app helps you navigate by displaying your direction on a compass, overlayed on a satellite or map view. It provides your street address, GPS coordinates, and altitude, along with What3Words coordinates for precise location identification.

**Highlights:** Compass direction display, Satellite and map view overlay, Street address and GPS coordinates, Altitude display, What3Words coordinates, Zoom functionality, Accuracy indicator

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AdFree and Widgets for 1 month | $0.99 | per month |
| 3 months ad-free + Widgets | $1.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 year Ad Free + Widgets | $4.99 | per year |
| Ad Free without limits | $10.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate compass
- 👍 Useful features like location and elevation
- 🗺️ Detailed map overlay
- 🔍 Precise direction indication

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Compass direction inaccurate
- 🌐 Issues with non-English language support
- 💢 Annoying ads
- 🤔 Calibration problems

**Reported bugs**

- Compass direction completely off
- App crashes on launch
- Barometric pressure widget not working
- Location tracking issues

**Requested features**

- Option to remove ads
- Customizable compass display
- Improved calibration controls
- Support for imperial units


### Grid Square Life

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grid-square-life/id1570759190)

**Currently charting:** #131 Top Paid · Navigation (US App Store)

This app calculates your Maidenhead Locator (Grid Square Locator) using GPS coordinates. It also displays nearby points of interest like radio beacons, lighthouses, and national parks, along with your geographic coordinates, altitude, and a compass. You can track your distance from home and visualize your position within grid squares.

**Highlights:** Grid Square Locator calculation, Nearby points of interest, Geographic coordinates and altitude, Compass for orientation, Distance to home location, Graphical grid square visualization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Compass free?

Compass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Grid Square Life free?

Grid Square Life costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Compass or Grid Square Life?

Compass is rated higher. Compass averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Grid Square Life averages 4.4 from 5 ratings.

### Do Compass or Grid Square Life have ads?

Neither Compass nor Grid Square Life shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Compass or Grid Square Life?

Compass ships an update every 7 months, and Grid Square Life every 6 months. Most recently, Compass was updated on October 29, 2026 and Grid Square Life on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*