Compass Free vs Any Text · Widgets
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Compass Free
This app functions as a sundial to determine cardinal directions using sunlight. Align the shadow of your finger with the app's shading to find north, south, east, and west.
- Measures cardinal points
- Uses sunlight
- Aligns finger shadow
- Indicates directions
Read full descriptionHide full description
Compass is a measuring instrument which indicates true direction under the sunlight. Put your finger in the middle of the compass and line it's shadow up with the app's shading.
Any Text · Widgets
Display any text on your Lock or Home Screen to keep important notes, goals, or tasks visible. Customize text with Markdown and utilize 20 different widgets. Integrates with Shortcuts for powerful automations and syncs across devices via iCloud.
- Customizable text widgets
- Lock Screen and Home Screen support
- Markdown styling (bold, italic, strikethrough)
- Live Activity and StandBy support
- iCloud device syncing
- Shortcuts app integration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Put any kind of text on your Lock Screen or Home Screen so you won't miss it. It could be an important note, your goal, a list of tasks, etc. It also supports Live Activity and StandBy. The app includes 20 widgets that lets you put different text on different Lock Screen configurations or Home Screen. You can style parts of the text bold, italic, or strikethrough using Markdown. Syncs seamlessly across your devices with iCloud. Simply tap the widget to open the app to edit the text. ■ Shortcuts The app is scriptable through the Shortcuts app, enabling a lot of powerful use-cases. For example, you could use an automation to change the text at a certain point in the day or at certain places. The only limit is your creativity. ■ Support You can contact me through the feedback button in the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Any Text · Widgets at 82% against Compass Free's 34%. Any Text · Widgets also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.1) and ads (none vs shown). Compass Free's advantage is price (Free vs $4.00) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On 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
Compass Free is free to download; Any Text · Widgets costs $4.00 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Any Text · Widgets holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Any Text · Widgets has 450 ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Compass Free's written reviews are positive against 82% of Any Text · Widgets's.
Compass Free ships an update every 22 months, Any Text · Widgets every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Compass Free | Any Text · Widgets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.00 |
| Rating | 2.1 (50 ratings) | 4.6 (450 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.4% of reviews | 81.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 50 | 450 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 22 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #33 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Masayuki Akamatsu | Sindre Sorhus |
Customer experience
Compass Free
Any Text · Widgets
User reviews
Compass Free
From 50 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple to use
- 🌞 Works with sun position
- 🆓 Free app
- 💡 Clever concept
- 🧭 Useful for basic navigation
Room to improve
- 🌤️ Requires sunlight to function
- 🌍 Not suitable for southern hemisphere
- 📍 Lacks GPS integration
- 🕰️ Doesn't adjust for daylight savings
- 🤷♂️ Unclear instructions
Any Text · Widgets
From 450 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Useful utility
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔒 Secure and bug-free
- 💡 Great for organizing screens
- 🔒 Helpful for lost phone info
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't work on some devices
- 🔒 Family sharing doesn't work
- 🔒 Text not showing on Lock Screen
- 👎 Text box too small
- 👎 Difficult to apply
Bugs and requests
Compass Free
Reported bugs
2 issues- Causes device freezes or crashes
- Inaccurate compass readings
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for southern hemisphere
- Integrate with GPS for more accurate direction
- Provide night mode or moonlight option
- Improve instructions and user guidance
Any Text · Widgets
Reported bugs
3 issues- Widget not showing on Lock Screen
- Text not updating in a timely manner
- Force show when locked doesn't work
Requested features
6 requests- Allow alternating/rotating text
- Add custom font support
- Provide full-width widget options
- Add custom widget background colors
- Enable editing widgets directly
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Add Apple Watch widget support
In-app purchases
Compass Free
No in-app purchases
Any Text · Widgets
No in-app purchases
