Altitude Compass vs Wadokei57 Astronomical clock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Altitude Compass
This app provides real-time altitude, pressure, and location data for outdoor activities. It offers customizable compass dials and display themes, with an optional full version for enhanced photo watermarking and personalization.
- Real-time altitude and pressure readings
- GPS coordinates and nearby addresses
- Customizable compass dials and themes
- Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy widgets
- Watermark camera for photos
- Photo information preservation
- Customizable watermark content
Read full descriptionHide full description
Altitude Compass is a focused, ad-free compass and altimeter for hiking, camping, and travel records. Core compass and altitude features are free, while Full Version adds a watermark camera for iPhone and iPad and more personalization. Free core features • View heading, altitude, barometric pressure, coordinates, and nearby addresses • Switch the altitude source between GPS information and the device altimeter when supported • Check level, speed, sunrise, and sunset information • Choose from multiple compass dials, altitude display themes, light or dark appearance, fonts, and units • View altitude with Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy widgets Full Version Choose Full Version when you want to record outdoor photos or further personalize Altitude Display: • High-quality watermark camera for iPhone and iPad: capture directly with the device camera and apply watermarks to high-resolution camera output rather than a screen or viewfinder capture • Photo information preservation: retain capture time, orientation, location, and other photo information whenever possible for continued recognition and organization in Photos and other apps • Custom watermark content: record altitude, pressure, coordinates, address, direction, time, and notes, with control over each field's visibility and order • HDR watermarked photos: supported iPhones can preserve richer highlight and shadow detail, with an option to save a more widely compatible JPEG instead • Custom background colors for Altitude Display You can try Full Version free for 3 days. The trial does not renew or charge automatically. A one-time in-app purchase permanently unlocks Full Version. There are no subscriptions. Customers who previously purchased the paid app automatically keep Full Version access and do not need to purchase it again. Network and privacy Core features such as heading, sensor altitude, and barometric pressure generally work offline. Nearby addresses, maps, in-app purchases, and purchase restoration require a network connection. The app contains no ads and does not collect personal data. Permissions • Location: GPS altitude, coordinates, speed, sunrise and sunset, maps, and addresses • Motion & Fitness: pressure and altimeter readings on supported devices • Camera and Photos: only when capturing and saving watermarked photos. Photo access is add-only; the app does not read your photo library. Device capabilities and readings may vary with hardware, system version, environment, and location signal. HDR watermarked photos require iPhone 12 or later with iOS 17 or later. The watermark camera is available on camera-equipped iPhones and iPads, with HDR features offered according to device capabilities.
Wadokei57 Astronomical clock
This app combines a traditional Japanese clock based on sunrise and sunset with a miniature planetarium. It displays celestial movements, moon phases, and seasonal changes, all optimized for Apple Watch.
- Traditional Japanese time system
- Miniature planetarium with star simulation
- Moon phase and seasonal displays
- Complications for Moon, Sun, Venus
- Time navigation via crown rotation
- Offline operation
Read full descriptionHide full description
This Apple Watch app combines a Japanese "Wa-dokei" (traditional Japanese clock) based on sunrise and sunset with the world's smallest planetarium. The red hand at the top of the clock shows the current time. The center hand indicates the phases of the moon and the seasons. ● Key Features ・Complications for the Moon, Sun, Venus, and traditional Japanese time ・Traditional Japanese time: A system dividing the day (sunrise to sunset) and night (sunset to sunrise) into six segments each ・Displays time periods based on the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs, synchronized with local sunrise and sunset times based on latitude and longitude ・Simulates the starry sky for locations around the world ・Time navigation by rotating the crown ・Displays a gradient on the day/night ring representing night sky brightness based on moon phase and altitude ●About WADOKEI The ancient Japanese WADOKEI has 12 animals named for each hour of the day. ・子: Mid-night – when the Rat is most active. ・丑: Early hours of night – when the Ox is chewing the cud. ・寅: Late hours of night – when the Tiger is prowling and seeking food. ・卯: Sunrise – when the Hare and the Rabbit are busy foraging for food. ・辰: Early morning – when the divine Dragon rises to control the rain (the dawn sunrise determining the day’s weather). ・巳: Mid-morning – when the Snake becomes active. ・午: Mid-day – when the Horse cavalry return from drill. ・未: Early-afternoon – when the Sheep is eating grass. ・申: Mid-afternoon – when the Monkey becomes active hunting scraps. ・酉: Late-afternoon – when the C**k returns from the forest to roost. ・戌: Early-evening – when the Dog keeps watch. ・亥: Late-evening – when everything is quiet and the Pig or Boar forages. (source:wadokei.org) In this app, the hour of 酉 is set to the time of sunset. ● Celestial Simulation ・Real-time Celestial Calculation: Accurate sunrise and sunset times for your current location. ・Constellation Display: Accurately depicts over 1,000 stars and 88 constellations. ・Sun and Moon Orbits: Track the movement of celestial bodies in real time. ・Tracks the movement of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in real time. ●Privacy & Security ・Location Information: Used Only for Astronomical Calculations; No External Transmission ・Offline Operation: No Internet Connection Required ・Data Protection: All Calculations Performed Locally ・Battery Optimization: Long-Lasting Operation with Efficient Algorithms ● 24 Solar Terms Calendar ・Calculates and displays the 24 solar terms based on the solar orbital position ・Moon Phase Display: Precisely reproduces the phases of the moon, from new moon to full moon. Inverted left and right in the Southern Hemisphere. ・Seasonal Hand: Turn the crown to simulate seasonal changes throughout the year. ● Apple Watch Optimization Swipe to switch between Japanese clock display, starry sky display, and settings screen. Switch between Japanese clock display and starry sky display with index finger and thumb gestures. (Series 9 and later) Double-tap the Japanese clock display screen to switch the kanji characters to animal illustrations. Location support: Accurate astronomical calculations anywhere in the world. ● Expanded Starry Sky View Observe the constellations. Turn the crown to move through time. ・The starry sky rotates in real time with the electronic compass. ・Displays the direction and altitude of the stars. ・Displays the positions of the sun and moon. ● Intuitive Operation ・Long Press: A 10-second animation of seasonal changes throughout the year. ・Swipe: Switch between Japanese clock and starry sky view. < Download now > Timeless beauty meets cutting-edge technology Would you like to watch a millennium of time on your wrist? This software uses the following libraries: ●SunCalc Copyright (c) 2025, Vladimir Agafonkin All rights reserved. (BSD-2-Clause license)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Altitude Compass at Free against Wadokei57 Astronomical clock's $3.99. Wadokei57 Astronomical clock's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads 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
Altitude Compass is free to download; Wadokei57 Astronomical clock costs $3.99 up front. Altitude Compass sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Wadokei57 Astronomical clock asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Altitude Compass | Wadokei57 Astronomical clock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (17 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 95.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 锦滔 欧 | Shinichi Sekiguchi |
Customer experience
Altitude Compass
Wadokei57 Astronomical clock
In-app purchases
Altitude Compass
- 3-day TrialFree
- Full Version Unlock$0.99
Wadokei57 Astronomical clock
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Altitude Compass free?
Is Wadokei57 Astronomical clock free?
Do Altitude Compass or Wadokei57 Astronomical clock have ads?
Which is updated more often, Altitude Compass or Wadokei57 Astronomical clock?
Other comparisons















