Comparison

compass vs Compass mini

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

Head to head
About

compass

This tool provides detailed location information including weather, longitude, latitude, and altitude. It also offers GPS speed measurement and the ability to capture photos with location data embedded.

Highlights
  • Display longitude, latitude, altitude, and weather
  • Real-time GPS information
  • GPS speed measurement
  • Altitude and wind direction recording
  • Camera photography with location data
  • Ad-free experience with subscription
Features
Read full description

Compass is a professional compass positioning tool that uses network, GPS, mobile sensor and other data to determine the weather, longitude, latitude, altitude and other information of your location. It also supports real-time display of GPS information, GPS speed measurement, altitude, weather, pressure, wind direction and other practical information, making it easier for you to understand your geographical location. Functional characteristics: -Display data such as longitude, latitude, altitude, weather, etc. based on positioning information -Support functions such as wind direction and altitude recording -Support GPS speed measurement function -Support camera photography to display longitude and latitude Get subscription content: 1. Obtain all accurate geographic data 2. Unlimited number of GPS measurements of speed 3. There is no limit to the number of times a theodolite camera can record 4. Smooth and ad free experience *Our standard subscription options are: Provide professional subscription, including consecutive subscription packages for years. The subscription will be automatically updated, during which you can bid farewell to advertising interruptions; Unlimited access to all features, unlock all professional content, and prioritize feature updates. *We will charge a subscription fee from your iTunes account when you confirm your purchase and at the beginning of each renewal period. Subscriptions that include a free trial period will automatically renew as paid subscriptions. At least 24 hours before the end of the free trial period, you can cancel your subscription or try for free in iTunes settings. Cancelling the subscription will take effect on the last day of the current subscription cycle. Once the cancellation takes effect, your subscription service permissions will become invalid. Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/theodolite-privacy-policy User Agreement: https://sites.google.com/view/theodolite-service-agreement

About

Compass mini

This app provides a minimalist compass for identifying direction. It also displays altitude, barometric pressure, and coordinate information for your current location. Additional features include sunrise/sunset times and solar angles, with offline usability and widget support.

Highlights
  • Direction identification
  • Altitude and barometric pressure
  • Coordinate navigation
  • Location bookmarking
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Solar elevation and azimuth
  • Offline usability
Features
Read full description

Compass mini is an elegant and minimalist compass tool. You can use it to get the current location's altitude, barometric, and coordinate information, and identify direction. • Clean and lightweight, usable offline. • View altitude and atmospheric pressure information. • Coordinate navigation and location bookmarking. • Sunrise and sunset related times. • Solar elevation and azimuth angles. • Desktop and lock screen widgets. • Detailed latitude and longitude values. • Supports dark mode.

Screenshots

compass4 screens
Compass mini4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Compass mini at 96% against compass's 32%. Compass mini also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Compass mini sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Compass mini holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 121 and 61 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of compass's written reviews are positive against 96% of Compass mini's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

compass ships an update every 3 weeks, Compass mini every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
compass versus Compass mini: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametercompassCompass mini
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (121 ratings)4.8 (61 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.4% of reviews95.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings121 — better61
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.116.1
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer美霞 熊鑫 吴

Customer experience

compass

All ratings120 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral3.3%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive32.4%
Neutral5.4%
Negative62.2%

Compass mini

All ratings61 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.7%

Bugs and requests

compass

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Compass mini

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Clicking settings causes frame drops
  • Altitude display issues in some locations
  • No compass widget available
  • Latitude and longitude are阉割 (阉割 means 'castrated' or 'removed', implying it's disabled/unavailable in China)
  • watchOS 11 app not available despite update log

Requested features

17 requests
  • Switch angle to elevation in the center
  • More precise location targeting (e.g., to landmarks)
  • WatchOS integration
  • Change daytime color scheme for solar trajectory widget
  • Discount for in-app purchases
Show 12 more
  • Display future solar altitude angle changes
  • Add a compass widget
  • Calibrate using GPS
  • Display speed
  • Local saving of measurement data
  • Virtual query function for past locations
  • Change barometric pressure unit to kPa
  • Larger font size and black main color
  • More comprehensive city name display (including province and district)
  • Add Apple Watch version
  • More icons and new interfaces
  • Visual design for slope display (e.g., crosshair alignment)

In-app purchases

2 purchases

compass

Subscriptions2
  • 指南针定位专业版$0.991 Month
  • 指南针定位专业版3 Days trial$14.991 Year
1 purchases

Compass mini

One-time1
  • Compass mini · Pro$7.99

Questions

Is compass free?
compass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Compass mini free?
Compass mini is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, compass or Compass mini?
Compass mini is rated higher. compass averages 4.5 out of 5 from 121 ratings, while Compass mini averages 4.8 from 61 ratings.
Do compass or Compass mini have ads?
compass shows ads; Compass mini does not.
Which is updated more often, compass or Compass mini?
compass ships an update every 3 weeks, and Compass mini every 5 weeks. Most recently, compass was updated on November 7, 2026 and Compass mini on November 7, 2026.

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