Altitude App vs MagVar
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Altitude App
This navigation tool provides your current altitude using GPS or a digital elevation model. It offers flexibility with unit selection and target altitude setting, even working on devices without GPS.
- GPS and ASTER DEM altitude sources
- Metric and feet unit switching
- Optional target altitude setting
- Works on devices without GPS
- iPad multitasking support
Read full descriptionHide full description
This altimeter delivers the altitude of your current position either from the device (GPS) or from the ASTER digital elevation model (with a horizontal accuracy of 30m). Depending on your current position and your device one of the two methods is more correct. Using GPS on the device is known for a large error in the altitude for difficult receiver conditions it's not available for network based positioning at all. Therefore this altimeter works on iPods and iPhones without a GPS sensor. More features: - switch between metric and feet units - set an optional target altitude - switch between Device, ASTER and combined altitude - support for the iPad multitasking (split view..)
MagVar
This navigation tool calculates magnetic variation, the difference between true and magnetic north, essential for plotting courses on maps. It's designed for pilots, sailors, cartographers, and anyone using maps and a compass.
- Magnetic variation calculation
- True vs. magnetic north difference
- Map overlay display
- Accurate for 2025-2029
- Declination and inclination calculation
Read full descriptionHide full description
MagVar is targeted towards anyone interested in navigation. This includes, pilots of aircraft, captains of sea going vessels, cartographers, engineers and surveyors. Anyone who uses maps and a compass will find the declination calculation (also referred to magnetic variation) very useful. (Declination is the difference between true and magnetic north and used when plotting a course on a map.) MagVar calculates the magnetic flux density for any location on the Earth and then uses this data to calculate magnetic variation. The model is accurate for dates ranging from January 1, 2025 up through December 31, 2029. Using the model, the app calculates declination and inclination. As the user pans the map, the magnetic variation is calculated and graphically shown as a map overlay.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: MagVar at 100% against Altitude App's 44%. MagVar also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and chart position (#58 vs #187). Altitude App's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 23 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, 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
Altitude App costs $0.99 and MagVar $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MagVar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Altitude App's written reviews are positive against 100% of MagVar's.
Altitude App ships an update every 6 months, MagVar every 23 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Altitude App | MagVar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Rating | 3.8 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months — better | Every 23 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #187 | #58 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Piet Jonas | Robert Walker |
Customer experience
Altitude App
MagVar
In-app purchases
Altitude App
No in-app purchases
MagVar
No in-app purchases
