# Compass vs Compass Direction

The clearest difference is ads: Compass at none against Compass Direction's shown. Compass also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 34%) and iOS requirement (12 vs 14.0). Compass Direction's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 7 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Compass sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Compass against 4.6 for Compass Direction. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.3K and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Compass's written reviews are positive against 34% of Compass Direction's.

Compass ships an update every 7 months, Compass Direction every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Compass | Compass Direction |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-professional/id1289069674/reviews)** | [4.6 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-direction-digital/id1620523385/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K | **2.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **66.9% of reviews** | 34.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 19 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12** | 14.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Peter Bohl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1075788156) | [Rihab Mehboob](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441916319) |

## 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


### Compass Direction

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-direction-digital/id1620523385)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Compass 1 Week | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Compass 1 Week | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Compass 1 Month | $5.99 | per month |
| Compass 1 Month | $9.99 | per month |
| Compass 1 Year | $24.99 | per year |
| Compass 6 Months | $29.99 | per 6 months |
| Compass 1 Year | $39.99 | per year |
| Compass Lifetime | $69.99 | one-time |
| Compass Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Accurate and easy to use
- 💡 Useful for specific use cases
- 👍 Visually appealing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inaccurate compass direction
- 🔒 Requires subscription to use
- 🔒 No free trial
- 🐛 Doesn't work as expected
- 🔒 Forces users to subscribe

**Reported bugs**

- Compass always showing wrong directions
- App freezes or becomes non-functional
- Restore purchase feature not working
- App crashing or not loading properly

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Compass free?

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

### Is Compass Direction free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Compass or Compass Direction?

Compass is rated higher. Compass averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while Compass Direction averages 4.6 from 2.7K ratings.

### Do Compass or Compass Direction have ads?

Compass Direction shows ads; Compass does not.

### Which is updated more often, Compass or Compass Direction?

Compass ships an update every 7 months, and Compass Direction every 3 days. Most recently, Compass was updated on September 23, 2026 and Compass Direction on September 24, 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.*