Comparison

Compass vs Car Camera DVR. PRO

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Magnetic compass functionality
  • Sun compass for direction finding
  • Works without magnetic interference
  • Suitable for hiking and camping
  • Utilizes device sensors
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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.

About

Car Camera DVR. PRO

Transform your iPhone into a high-definition dashcam. Record your drives with embedded time, location, and speed data. Easily export videos for evidence or sharing.

Highlights
  • Record HD videos (up to 4K, 60 FPS)
  • Embed time, speed, and location data
  • Record audio
  • Continuous loop recording
  • Store and playback videos in-app
  • Export videos to gallery
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a full featured Car DVR recorder at a fraction of the cost of the standalone device. Whenever you commute to work, go on a road trip or race on a race track, car camera is your ideal companion. Record HD definition videos while driving with embedded data about time, location and speed. Export recorded videos to use as an evidence in case of ticket or accident or just to share with your friends if you caught something interesting on tape. Car camera is the only app in App Store that is capable of recording high quality HD driving videos with data overlay. Features: Record videos with resolutions 640х480, 1280х720, 1920х1080, 4K and up to 60 FPS Embed data overlay into videos: current time, speed, coordinates, heading Record audio Metric and English units Continuous loop recording. Older videos are overridden by newer ones to preserve space on the device Store recorded videos within the application Video Playback within the application or with AirPlay enabled devices Export Videos to the gallery Privacy Policy: http://appannex.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Compass4 screens
Car Camera DVR. PRO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Compass at $0.99 against Car Camera DVR. PRO's $12.99. Car Camera DVR. PRO's advantage is review sentiment (55% vs 12%) and rating (4.2 vs 3.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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

Compass costs $0.99 and Car Camera DVR. PRO $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Car Camera DVR. PRO holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Car Camera DVR. PRO has 282 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of Compass's written reviews are positive against 55% of Car Camera DVR. PRO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Compass ships an update every 6 months, Car Camera DVR. PRO every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Compass versus Car Camera DVR. PRO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompassCar Camera DVR. PRO
Price$0.99 — better$12.99
Rating3.0 (3 ratings)4.2 (282 ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.6% of reviews55.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3282 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#193 — better#199
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB32 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPiet JonasOxagile LLC

Customer experience

Compass

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive11.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative88.4%

Car Camera DVR. PRO

All ratings282 ratings
Positive81.2%
Neutral3.5%
Negative15.2%
Written reviews478 reviews
Positive55.2%
Neutral13.2%
Negative31.6%

User reviews

Compass

From 3 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works well on older devices
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 👍 Offers sun and magnetic compass options
  • 👍 Maintains compatibility with older iOS versions

Room to improve

  • 👎 Does not work as a traditional compass
  • 👎 Requires sunlight to function
  • 👎 Misleading app description
  • 👎 Users feel ripped off/scammed
  • 👎 Inaccurate direction readings

Car Camera DVR. PRO

From 282 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Reliable recording
  • 💡 Useful features (speed, coordinates, time)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy performance (crashes, freezes)
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🚫 Inability to run in background
  • 📽️ Poor video quality/resolution

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
Show 1 more
  • 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

Car Camera DVR. PRO

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Recordings not saving properly
  • App crashing after iOS updates
  • Upside-down/incorrect orientation issues
  • Audio sync problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to record from both front and rear cameras
  • Option to save/export videos easily
  • Improved low-light/night recording
  • Landscape and portrait mode support
  • Ability to continue recording while using other apps

In-app purchases

None

Compass

No in-app purchases

None

Car Camera DVR. PRO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Compass free?
Compass costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Car Camera DVR. PRO free?
Car Camera DVR. PRO costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Compass or Car Camera DVR. PRO?
Car Camera DVR. PRO is rated higher. Compass averages 3.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Car Camera DVR. PRO averages 4.2 from 282 ratings.
Do Compass or Car Camera DVR. PRO have ads?
Neither Compass nor Car Camera DVR. PRO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Compass or Car Camera DVR. PRO?
Compass ships an update every 6 months, and Car Camera DVR. PRO every 8 months. Most recently, Compass was updated on September 21, 2026 and Car Camera DVR. PRO on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Compass or Car Camera DVR. PRO?
Compass currently peaks at #193 in the App Store charts, and Car Camera DVR. PRO at #199. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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