# Spyglass vs Compass

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spyglass | Compass |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spyglass/id332639548/reviews)** | [4.7 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-professional/id1289069674/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 2.4K |
| Positive reviews | **80.2% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#159** | — |
| Size | 66 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | **12** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pavel Ahafonau](https://appshunter.io/developer/319585607) | [Peter Bohl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1075788156) |

## What reviewers say

### Spyglass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spyglass/id332639548)

**Currently charting:** #159 Top Grossing · Navigation (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spyglass Plus | $3.99 | per month |
| Spyglass Plus (Month) | $3.99 | per month |
| Spyglass Plus (Year) | $29.99 | per year |
| Spyglass Pro (Lifetime) | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🗺️ 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-professional/id1289069674)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AdFree and Widgets for 1 month | $0.99 | per month |
| 3 months ad-free + Widgets | $1.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 year Ad Free + Widgets | $4.99 | per year |
| Ad Free without limits | $10.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Option to remove ads
- Customizable compass display
- Improved calibration controls
- Support for imperial units


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*