# Vias Animae vs Direction explorer

The clearest difference is price: Vias Animae at Free against Direction explorer's $1.99. Vias Animae also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 19 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Vias Animae is free to download; Direction explorer costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Vias Animae ships an update every 4 days, Direction explorer every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Vias Animae | Direction explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 19 months |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Size | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Librasoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/1021256246) | [Stefano Rampazzo](https://appshunter.io/developer/396660919) |

## What reviewers say

### Vias Animae

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vias-animae/id1564652841)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Direction explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/direction-explorer/id1665620873)

This app overlays a compass heading line onto Apple Maps, showing your current direction and distance to identified targets like villages or mountains. It allows for detailed map study, manual origin point entry, and the placement of pins with detailed information about selected locations.

**Highlights:** Compass overlay on Apple Maps, GPS-based direction line with distance marks, Freeze origin point and direction line, Manual origin point entry, Colored pins for target identification, Detailed information boxes for targets, Offline mountain database

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Vias Animae free?

Vias Animae is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Direction explorer free?

Direction explorer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Vias Animae or Direction explorer have ads?

Neither Vias Animae nor Direction explorer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Vias Animae or Direction explorer?

Vias Animae ships an update every 4 days, and Direction explorer every 19 months. Most recently, Vias Animae was updated on October 3, 2026 and Direction explorer on September 29, 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.*