Comparison

Compass vs NorthPin True North Compass

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

NorthPin True North Compass

This offline compass provides accurate headings with multiple stability modes and a magnetic interference detector. Save waypoints, get direction guidance, and access sun, moon, and Qibla information without an internet connection. It also offers various coordinate formats and a night mode.

Highlights
  • Offline compass with stable bearings
  • Magnetic interference detection
  • Waypoint saving and guidance
  • Offline sun, moon, and Qibla data
  • Multiple coordinate and heading formats
  • Night mode and home-screen widget
Features
Read full description

NorthPin is an offline compass you can trust — no ads, no analytics, no background tracking, and no internet needed. STABLE, HONEST HEADING • Smooth 0–360° bearings with 3 stability modes and a live jitter score • Magnetic interference detector with µT field strength and warnings • Guided figure-eight calibration to fix a wobbly compass TRUE NORTH, OFFLINE • Magnetic or True North with offline WMM declination — one-time location or manual coordinates WAYPOINTS & PIN DIRECTION • Pin a bearing and get left/right guidance until you are on target • Save named waypoints and use back-bearing to retrace your steps SUN, MOON & QIBLA — OFFLINE • Sun and moon azimuth, elevation, sunrise/sunset direction and moon phase • Offline Qibla direction, computed on your device FIELD TOOLS • Coordinates in DD, DMS, UTM and MGRS with one-tap copy • Heading in degrees, NATO mils (6400) or gradians • Red night mode to preserve night vision, home-screen widget and outdoor mode PRIVACY PROMISE No data collected. No account. Nothing is uploaded — your location never leaves your phone.

Screenshots

Compass4 screens
NorthPin True North Compass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: NorthPin True North Compass at Free against Compass's $0.99. NorthPin True North Compass also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Compass's advantage is chart position (#180 vs unranked) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

NorthPin True North Compass is free to download; Compass costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NorthPin True North Compass holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Compass ships an update every 6 months, NorthPin True North Compass every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Compass versus NorthPin True North Compass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompassNorthPin True North Compass
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#180 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPiet Jonaslapnito.cz s.r.o.

Customer experience

Compass

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

NorthPin True North Compass

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

NorthPin True North Compass

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Compass

No in-app purchases

None

NorthPin True North Compass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Compass free?
Compass costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NorthPin True North Compass free?
NorthPin True North Compass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Compass or NorthPin True North Compass?
NorthPin True North Compass is rated higher. Compass averages 3.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while NorthPin True North Compass averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Compass or NorthPin True North Compass have ads?
Neither Compass nor NorthPin True North Compass shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Compass or NorthPin True North Compass?
Compass ships an update every 6 months, and NorthPin True North Compass every 5 months. Most recently, Compass was updated on October 26, 2026 and NorthPin True North Compass on October 25, 2026.

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