Compass Free vs Compass
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
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You can find directions without a magnetic compass, as long as there is sunlight. Hold your finger upright at the center of the screen and turn your device. Just line up the white line with your finger's shadow, and the correct directions are shown. It needs neither GPS nor a network connection and works completely standalone. Just make sure your device's clock is set correctly.
Compass
This application displays your current direction and heading in a large, easy-to-read format. Customize the look by selecting your preferred background and arrow style to suit your needs.
- Large format display
- Direction and heading indicator
- Selectable background
- Selectable arrow style
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Compass- is a simple app that shows the direction and heading in a large format that is easy to read. Features: 1) Select the desired background 2) Select the desired arrow 3) Point to get the direction and heading If you like this app, please consider giving it a rating. Your support will help keep the updates coming! Thank you for your support!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Compass at 4.1 against Compass Free's 2.1. Compass also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 34%) and ads (none vs shown). Compass Free's advantage is update cadence (every 10 months vs every 41 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Compass holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49 and 190 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Compass Free's written reviews are positive against 73% of Compass's.
Compass Free ships an update every 10 months, Compass every 41 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Compass Free | Compass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (49 ratings) | 4.1 (190 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.4% of reviews | 72.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 49 | 190 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months — better | Every 41 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 6.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Masayuki Akamatsu | Horizon Business, Inc. |
Customer experience
Compass Free
Compass
User reviews
Compass Free
From 49 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
Compass
From 190 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Large and easy to see
- 👍 Works well and dependable
- 👍 Quick and no setup
- 👍 Accurate and spot on
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate readings
- 🐛 Does not work on iPad
- 🐛 Only works when flat
- 🐛 Ads present
- 🐛 Wildly different readings between devices
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
Compass
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inaccurate readings compared to native app
- Compass does not work if phone is mounted on dash
- Compass does not work on iPad
- Compass readings are all over the map
Requested features
2 requests- Indicate reciprocal bearing
- Option to remove ads
In-app purchases
Compass Free
No in-app purchases
Compass
No in-app purchases
