Planets vs Compass°
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Planets
Explore the solar system with a 3D guide. Discover planets, moons, and celestial events with interactive sky views and visibility information. Perfect for budding astronomers.
- 3D solar system guide
- 2D sky view
- 3D planetarium sky view
- Planet visibility times
- Rotating 3D planet and moon globes
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3D guide to the solar system for aspiring astronomers Over 10 million downloads! • Sky 2D: locate planets with flat view of sky • Sky 3D: planetarium style view of the sky • Visibility: shows times when planets are visible • Globe: rotating 3D globe of planets and moon
Compass°
This application provides a large, easy-to-read compass display to show your direction and heading. It utilizes your device's internal hardware for accurate estimations.
- Large display
- Easy to read
- Shows direction
- Shows heading
- Uses device hardware
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This app is a super simple compass that is very easy to read with a huge display showing you the direction and heading. This software is provided as is and uses the device's internal hardware to estimate direction. By continuing to use this app you agree to our Terms of Service.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Planets at none against Compass°'s shown. Planets also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 18 months) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Compass°'s advantage is ratings volume (59K vs 969) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, in-app purchases 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, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Compass° has 59K ratings behind it against 969, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of Planets's written reviews are positive against 82% of Compass°'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Planets ships an update every 4 months, Compass° every 18 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Planets | Compass° |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (969 ratings) | 4.8 (59K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.3% of reviews — better | 81.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 969 | 59K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 18 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Q Continuum | Tim O's Studios, LLC |
Customer experience
Planets
Compass°
User reviews
Planets
From 969 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Amazing app
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🌟 Accurate and informative
- 🔭 Helpful for stargazing
- 🎓 Educational for kids and adults
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🧭 Compass/orientation issues
- 🌑 Inaccurate moon phase information
- 🌍 Location/GPS issues
- 🔍 Limited search/zoom functionality
Compass°
From 59K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Accurate and reliable
- 💡 Convenient for various use cases
- 🔍 Provides clear direction information
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional issues with accuracy or calibration
- 🔋 Dependent on device signal/battery
- 💰 Ads can be intrusive
Bugs and requests
Planets
Reported bugs
4 issues- Moon phase information not accurate
- Compass/orientation not working correctly
- App crashes on certain devices or iOS versions
- Location/GPS not functioning properly
Requested features
5 requests- Add Pluto and other dwarf planets
- Include more detailed information on stars and constellations
- Provide notifications for celestial events
- Improve search and zoom capabilities
- Add night mode for better visibility in the dark
Compass°
Reported bugs
2 issues- Compass stuck on certain directions
- App crashes or fails to load
Requested features
3 requests- Paid ad-free version
- Additional features like GPS integration
- Improved accuracy and reliability
In-app purchases
Planets
No in-app purchases
Compass°
No in-app purchases
