512 Studios Live vs Black Rock Compass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
512 Studios Live
Stream live shows and access past episodes from a legendary studio. Explore studio details, gear information, and book recording sessions directly through the application.
- Live show streaming
- Access to past episodes
- Studio information
- Gear details
- Session booking
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The official app of 512 Studios Live! Use the app to watch the show live on select dates, or pull up your favorite episode from previous seasons. Learn more about the studio, the legendary gear, and book a session all from the app.
Black Rock Compass
Navigate and discover everything happening at Burning Man. Find friends, events, and essential locations like porta-potties with real-time guidance. Plan your schedule and stay connected with your crew, even with limited cell service.
- Full Burning Man event schedule
- Real-time friend finder compass
- Navigate to friends, art, events & porta potties
- Interactive BRC map
- Save events and build personal schedule
- Bluetooth status broadcasts
- Offline location sharing via Bluetooth
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Black Rock Compass is your companion for Black Rock City. There's always more happening than you can see. BRC helps you catch more of it — and find your people (and the nearest porto) while you do. Browse thousands of events by day and vibe — music, workshops, parties, fire, food, art, and more. Save favorites and build your personal schedule. Find your crew with a real-time compass needle that points directly at your friends. Set a status so everyone knows what you're up to — "at camp", "heading to temple", "come find me". Works with GPS and Bluetooth when cell signal drops. Explore the BRC map with layers for camps, art installations, events, and friends. Tap anything for details and directions. Message your crew directly or in groups. Messages queue offline and deliver when signal returns. Set your status and share your location with nearby friends over Bluetooth — no cell signal needed. Your crew sees where you are and what you're doing, even in the deep playa. Plan a hop crawl — a route between events, bars, or art installations. Pick a vibe and go. Feeling spontaneous? Hit Surrender and let the playa decide what's next. FEATURES: - Full event schedule - Real-time friend finder compass - Navigate to friends, art, events & porta potties - Interactive BRC map with camps, art & events - Save events and build your personal schedule - Bluetooth status broadcasts — tell your crew what you're up to - Offline location sharing via Bluetooth — no signal needed - Hop crawl planner for themed routes - Direct and group messages - Built for the desert — works mostly offline Black Rock Compass is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Burning Man Project. Your companion for Black Rock City, browse the full event schedule, find your crew with a real-time compass, explore the city map with camps, art, and portos, and plan your days. Works fully offline out on the playa.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: 512 Studios Live at 100% against Black Rock Compass's 50%. 512 Studios Live also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Black Rock Compass's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (149 vs 5). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
512 Studios Live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Black Rock Compass has 149 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of 512 Studios Live's written reviews are positive against 50% of Black Rock Compass's.
512 Studios Live ships an update every 5 months, Black Rock Compass every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 512 Studios Live | Black Rock Compass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | 4.8 (149 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 149 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Death By Misadventure, LLC | Benjamin Ritter |
Customer experience
512 Studios Live
Black Rock Compass
In-app purchases
512 Studios Live
No in-app purchases
Black Rock Compass
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 512 Studios Live free?
Is Black Rock Compass free?
Which has better reviews, 512 Studios Live or Black Rock Compass?
Do 512 Studios Live or Black Rock Compass have ads?
Which is updated more often, 512 Studios Live or Black Rock Compass?
Other comparisons
