Compass vs xcNav
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Compass
Provides a digital compass using your device's magnetic sensor or a sun-based calculation. Ideal for outdoor adventures like hiking and camping, offering reliable direction finding even without magnetic interference.
- Magnetic compass functionality
- Sun compass for direction finding
- Works without magnetic interference
- Suitable for hiking and camping
- Utilizes device sensors
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This application adds the a compass to your device. It either uses the built in magnetic compass (if available) or provides a sun compass (You just have to see the sun and know the time to determine the north direction). Use it for all your outdoor activities whether it's hiking, biking or for a boy scout camp. The sun compass is not affected by magnetic anomalies.
xcNav
This app provides essential navigation tools for paramotor pilots, including waypoints, ETAs, and live location sharing. It also offers group chat, airspace charts, weather information, and proximity warnings with external hardware.
- Navigation tools (waypoints, ETAs)
- Live location sharing
- Group chat
- Airspace sectional charts
- Weather tools
- ADSB-in proximity warnings
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- Navigation tools (waypoints, ETAs, etc) - Live location sharing - Live shared waypoints - Group chat - Airspace sectional charts - Weather tools - ADSB-in with proximity warnings (requires external hardware)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: xcNav at Free against Compass's $0.99. xcNav also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 6 months). Compass's advantage is chart position (#195 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
xcNav is free to download; Compass costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
xcNav holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of Compass's written reviews are positive against 20% of xcNav's.
Compass ships an update every 6 months, xcNav every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Compass | xcNav |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (3 ratings) | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 11.6% of reviews | 20.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #195 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Piet Jonas | Caleb Johnson |
Customer experience
Compass
xcNav
Bugs and requests
Compass
Reported bugs
6 issues- Compass needle doesn't move
- Inaccurate direction readings
- App doesn't work on iPhone/iPod Touch
- App is slow
- App uses location services and Google Maps, subject to distortions
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- App doesn't work on overcast days or at night
Requested features
2 requests- Add text to main display indicating "Point iPhone at the sun"
- Remove unnecessary website buttons
xcNav
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Compass
No in-app purchases
xcNav
No in-app purchases
