Comparison

Compass vs Star Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Compass

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
Read full description

With “Compass Pro” you can orientate yourself optimally at your location. You can see the direction of the compass and match it with the satellite image or the map on the compass. That you know exactly where you are you get the street address, the exact GPS coordinates and the current height above sea level displayed. In addition, the position is displayed in What3Words (w3w) coordinates. To switch between satellite image and map view just tap the compass. You can zoom with the pinch-/spread Gesture or with the slider beneath the Address so that you can orient yourself at certain prominent points. The blue highlighted area indicates the current accuracy. Terms of Use : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Star Tracker

Explore the night sky in real-time by pointing your device upwards. Identify stars, planets, constellations, and satellites with an easy-to-use interface. Discover celestial events and a vast collection of deep sky objects.

Highlights
  • Real-time celestial object identification
  • Accurate night sky simulation
  • Extensive database of stars and planets
  • Satellite tracking (ISS included)
  • Simulation of landscape and atmosphere
  • Information on meteor showers and celestial events
Features
Read full description

Identify stars, constellations, planets, comets, satellites, and other deep sky objects in real time in the sky above you in just a few seconds, just by pointing the phone at the sky!.This application is easy to use and minimalist user interface, that makes it one of the best astronomical applications for adults and children who want to explore the night sky. Now have the planetarium that fits in your pocket, puts the universe at your fingertips, and is incredibly easy to use! Features: * View an accurate night sky simulation of stars and planets for any date, time and location. * Dive in a collection of many stars, nebulas, galaxies, star clusters and other deep sky objects. * Track artificial satellites, including the International Space Station. * Simulate landscape and atmosphere with realistic sunrise, sunset and atmosphere refraction. * Meteor showers, equinoxes, conjunctions, full/new Moon and etc. * Solar system bodies (solar system planets, the Sun, the Moon, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets) Stars: Sun, Sirius, Canopus, Alpha Centauri, Arcturus, Vega, Capella, Spica, Castor, etc. Planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, etc. Meteor showers: Perseids, Lyrids, Aquarids, Geminids, Ursids, etc. Constellations: Andromeda, Aquarius, Cancer, Capricornus, Cassiopeia, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Ursa Major, etc. Satellites: Hubble, SEASAT, ERBS, ISS, Aqua, Envisat, Suzaku, Daichi, Genesis, etc. For more information : Privacy Policy : http://nhapplab.in/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use : http://nhapplab.in/terms_of_use.html

Screenshots

Compass4 screens
Star Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Compass at 67% against Star Tracker's 0%. Compass also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Compass sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Star Tracker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Compass holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Compass has 2.4K ratings behind it against 126, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Compass's written reviews are positive against 0% of Star Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Compass ships an update every 7 months, Star Tracker every 41 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Compass versus Star Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompassStar Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.4K ratings) — better4.2 (126 ratings)
Positive reviews66.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.4K — better126
Update frequencyEvery 7 months — betterEvery 41 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB107 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeter BohlNalin Savaliya

Customer experience

Compass

All ratings2,349 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews139 reviews
Positive66.9%
Neutral5.8%
Negative27.3%

Star Tracker

All ratings126 ratings
Positive80.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Compass

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to remove ads
  • Customizable compass display
  • Improved calibration controls
  • Support for imperial units

Star Tracker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Compass

Subscriptions3
  • AdFree and Widgets for 1 month$0.991 Month
  • 3 months ad-free + Widgets$1.993 Months
  • 1 year Ad Free + Widgets$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ad Free without limits$10.99
3 purchases

Star Tracker

Subscriptions2
  • star tracker night one week$4.997 Days
  • star tracker night one year$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Star Tracker - Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Compass free?
Compass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Star Tracker free?
Star Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Compass or Star Tracker?
Compass is rated higher. Compass averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Star Tracker averages 4.2 from 126 ratings.
Do Compass or Star Tracker have ads?
Star Tracker shows ads; Compass does not.
Which is updated more often, Compass or Star Tracker?
Compass ships an update every 7 months, and Star Tracker every 41 months. Most recently, Compass was updated on October 21, 2026 and Star Tracker on October 15, 2026.

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