Comparison

Spyglass vs Compass

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

Head to head
About

Spyglass

This app is a comprehensive offline navigation tool for outdoor and off-road adventures. It combines a high-tech compass, GPS receiver, and augmented reality display with numerous tools for tracking, measuring, and celestial observation.

Highlights
  • Offline GPS and maps
  • Augmented reality display
  • Advanced compass and gyrocompass
  • Waypoint tracking and navigation
  • Sun, Moon, and star finder
  • Optical rangefinder
  • Camera with GPS data overlay
Features
Read full description

Spyglass is an essential offline GPS app for outdoors and off-road navigation. Packed with tools it serves as binoculars, heads-up display, hi-tech compass with offline maps, gyrocompass, GPS receiver, waypoint tracker, speedometer, altimeter, Sun, Moon and star finder, gyro horizon, rangefinder, coordinate converter, sextant, inclinometer, angular calculator and camera. It saves your custom places and waypoints, navigates precisely to them later, shows them on maps and using real-time augmented reality displays detailed GPS info, measures distances, sizes, angles, and does a lot more. COMPASS & GYROCOMPASS Accuracy improvement techniques, special compass modes and calibration methods available in Spyglass only make it a real instrument – the most advanced and accurate digital compass. FINDER, TRACKER & AR NAVIGATION Spyglass operates in 3D and uses augmented reality to show real-time object positions, info and directions to them overlaid over camera or maps. Save current position, add points from maps, manually enter location coordinates and bearings, add stars by hand or use a built-in star catalogue. Find saved places and objects later simply by following directional arrows. Spyglass tracks multiple targets simultaneously and shows their info – distance, direction, azimuth, elevation and estimated time of arrival. Copy, paste and share locations, coordinates and map links using many supported formats. GPS, SPEEDOMETER & ALTIMETER Find and track your location and get detailed real-time GPS data – coordinates in dozens of formats, altitude, course, current, maximum and vertical speed, using imperial, metric, nautical and surveying units. OFFLINE MAPS See your and targets’ positions on maps using different map styles and alternative map providers – plan waypoints and measure distances. Offline maps optimized for retina displays are available for download. TRACK STARS, SUN AND MOON & NAVIGATE BY STARS Track positions of stars, Sun and Moon with arc second precision – use them as a reference to calibrate compass for maximum accuracy. OPTICAL RANGEFINDER Measure distances to objects in real time with a rangefinder reticle similar to sniper sights. SEXTANT, ANGULAR CALCULATOR AND INCLINOMETER Find out heights of objects and distances to them – measure visually and calculate dimensions and distances. CAMERA Take pictures overlaid with all available GPS, positional and directional data. DEMO & HELP Videos: http://j.mp/spyglass_vids Manuals: http://j.mp/spyglass_help If you need specific map sources for hiking, cycling, skiing and many more outdoor activities, feel free to enjoy Spyglass PLUS. At confirmation of the Spyglass PLUS purchase, payment will be charged to your iTunes account, and it will be charged for renewal within 24-hours before the end of the current period. Automatic renewal can be turned off at any time in your Account Settings after purchase. After the cancellation of the renewal, Spyglass Plus will expire at the end of the current period. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us at https://spyglassnav.com Privacy Policy: https://www.unblip.com/tmp/privacy_and_terms/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.unblip.com/tmp/privacy_and_terms/terms.html

About

Compass

This app helps you navigate by displaying your direction on a compass, overlayed on a satellite or map view. It provides your street address, GPS coordinates, and altitude, along with What3Words coordinates for precise location identification.

Highlights
  • Compass direction display
  • Satellite and map view overlay
  • Street address and GPS coordinates
  • Altitude display
  • What3Words coordinates
  • Zoom functionality
  • Accuracy indicator
Features
Read full description

With “Compass Pro” you can orientate yourself optimally at your location. You can see the direction of the compass and match it with the satellite image or the map on the compass. That you know exactly where you are you get the street address, the exact GPS coordinates and the current height above sea level displayed. In addition, the position is displayed in What3Words (w3w) coordinates. To switch between satellite image and map view just tap the compass. You can zoom with the pinch-/spread Gesture or with the slider beneath the Address so that you can orient yourself at certain prominent points. The blue highlighted area indicates the current accuracy. Terms of Use : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Spyglass4 screens
Compass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Compass at none against Spyglass's shown. Spyglass's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months) and review sentiment (80% vs 67%). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Spyglass sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Compass sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Spyglass against 4.7 for Compass. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.9K and 2.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Spyglass's written reviews are positive against 67% of Compass's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spyglass ships an update every 6 weeks, Compass every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Spyglass versus Compass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpyglassCompass
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3.9K ratings) — better4.7 (2.4K ratings)
Positive reviews80.2% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings3.9K — better2.4K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#159 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.412 — better
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPavel AhafonauPeter Bohl

Customer experience

Spyglass

All ratings3,864 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews435 reviews
Positive80.2%
Neutral4.1%
Negative15.6%

Compass

All ratings2,349 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews141 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral5.7%
Negative27.7%

User reviews

Spyglass

From 3.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🗺️ Excellent navigation and mapping features
  • 🔍 Highly accurate compass and location tracking
  • 🔭 Useful augmented reality and sextant functions
  • 📸 Ability to capture geotagged photos
  • 🛠️ Comprehensive set of tools and utilities

Room to improve

  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤔 Steep learning curve and complex interface
  • 🗺️ Outdated or incomplete map data in some regions
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes reported
  • 💰 Subscription model for advanced features

Compass

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate compass
  • 👍 Useful features like location and elevation
  • 🗺️ Detailed map overlay
  • 🔍 Precise direction indication

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compass direction inaccurate
  • 🌐 Issues with non-English language support
  • 💢 Annoying ads
  • 🤔 Calibration problems

Bugs and requests

Spyglass

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compass not always accurate or consistent
  • Freezing or unresponsive issues after updates
  • Difficulty syncing waypoints and locations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved waypoint and location management
  • Larger text and UI elements for better readability
  • Integration with popular mapping and navigation apps
  • Offline elevation data and terrain analysis
  • Apple Watch companion app for on-the-go use

Compass

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Compass direction completely off
  • App crashes on launch
  • Barometric pressure widget not working
  • Location tracking issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to remove ads
  • Customizable compass display
  • Improved calibration controls
  • Support for imperial units

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Spyglass

Subscriptions3
  • Spyglass Plus$3.991 Month
  • Spyglass Plus (Month)3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Spyglass Plus (Year)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Spyglass Pro (Lifetime)$39.99
4 purchases

Compass

Subscriptions3
  • AdFree and Widgets for 1 month$0.991 Month
  • 3 months ad-free + Widgets$1.993 Months
  • 1 year Ad Free + Widgets$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ad Free without limits$10.99

Questions

Is Spyglass free?
Spyglass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Compass free?
Compass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spyglass or Compass?
Spyglass is rated higher. Spyglass averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while Compass averages 4.7 from 2.4K ratings.
Do Spyglass or Compass have ads?
Spyglass shows ads; Compass does not.
Which is updated more often, Spyglass or Compass?
Spyglass ships an update every 6 weeks, and Compass every 7 months. Most recently, Spyglass was updated on October 31, 2026 and Compass on October 29, 2026.

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