Comparison

Theodolite vs Beacons

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

Head to head
About

Theodolite

This app combines a compass, inclinometer, rangefinder, GPS, and map with augmented reality features. Capture photos and videos with overlaid geographical data, and navigate using detailed offline maps. Share locations and collaborate with others for various outdoor and professional uses.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality viewfinder
  • Compass and inclinometer
  • GPS and map navigation
  • Data-overlay photo/video camera
  • Offline map support
  • Rangefinder and nav calculator
  • Coordinate system support
Currently charting
Read full description

Theodolite is a multi-function viewfinder that combines a compass, two-axis inclinometer, rangefinder, GPS, map, nav calculator, and geo-overlay photo/movie camera into one indispensable app. Theodolite was one of the very first augmented reality (AR) apps when it was released in 2009, and it’s been downloaded and used by millions of customers since then. Uses are endless, and the app is great for land measurements, outdoor sports, sightseeing, navigation, and finding your way around. Theodolite is a pro grade app and is used extensively by surveyors, geologists, architects, engineers, competitive sportsmen, first responders, military personnel, and search and rescue workers around the world. Theodolite lets you take data-overlay photos and movies with 2X-8X zoom. Overlay geographical data, angle markings, date/time, author/company info, and project notes directly on photos and movies for later reference. The same data is written into the metadata record of images, making image files self-contained data records. Third-party apps can tap into Theodolite's advanced camera functions with a camera sharing feature. View current position on the built-in map with optional offline Outdoors maps that include topo contours, roads, trails, landmarks, campgrounds, ski lifts, and more. Live map markers continually update distance/heading relative to the current location and also show wayfinding info in the main viewfinder. Draw polygons on the map to mark things like property boundaries and trails, and import/export polygon data via KML. Share map markers and nav calculator points with other users of Theodolite via text messages or e-mail. This powerful capability opens up a wide range of collaborative uses including team land surveying, accident investigations, spotting wild fires, triangulation of landmarks, and advanced tactical observation and targeting. With an optional in-app purchase to enable team tracking, you can share location with up to 20 people on Theodolite's map. Theodolite includes features for serious users like a reference angle mode, nav calculator, map marker import/export, manual and automatic data logging with CSV and KML export, clipboard integration, %grade display, mil compass readout, optical rangefinders (including a mil-based reticle, sniper-style stadiametric graphs, and a variable 4X-24X scope), and night filters to improve use in dark conditions. Theodolite can provide location in military grid reference system (MGRS) coordinates, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates, British/Irish National Grids, US National Grid, Maidenhead locator system, Map Grid of Australia, and six latitude/longitude formats. Optional US State Plane coordinates include SPCS27 and SPCS83 zones covering all US States. The optional Datum Pack adds over 230 geodetic datums to the app to improve position computation from GPS data, covering regions and countries on all continents around the world. AR Layers include navigational aids like the sun, moon, planets, and Polaris (North star), and the optional US Mountain Summits layer that shows over 70,000 US mountain summits in the viewfinder. Theodolite has been shown in Apple Keynotes, featured on the App Store, and has been a #1 selling Navigation app in App Stores around the world. Since its introduction in 2009, Theodolite has defined augmented reality navigation. The app continually introduces new technologies, pushing the limits of iOS app development and taking advantage of new hardware capabilities. Find out why Apple named Theodolite one of the most amazing apps available and showed it being used to explore the Great Wall of China. Where will you take it on your next adventure? Note: Theodolite is an iPhone app -- see “Theodolite HD” for use on an iPad. And be sure to check out the all-new "Theodolite for Watch" and put Theodolite on your wrist!

About

Beacons

Features
Read full description

Beacons AR turns your favorite places into luminous columns of light you can see through your camera. Raise your phone and look around: each saved location — your home, your office, a viewpoint on a hike — rises into the sky as a glowing colored beam, so you always know which way it is and how far. • See your places as colored light beams in augmented reality • Add a beacon from your current location, by picking a point on the map, or by entering coordinates • Name them, color them, edit or remove them anytime • On-screen labels show each beacon's name; far-away places stay visible on the horizon • Great outdoors for hikes and panoramas, and around town Inspired by the waypoint beacons of adventure games, brought into the real world. Your beacons stay on your device. No account, no ads, no tracking.

Screenshots

Theodolite4 screens
Beacons3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Beacons at Free against Theodolite's $8.99. Beacons also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 8) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months). Theodolite's advantage is chart position (#11 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Beacons is free to download; Theodolite costs $8.99 up front. Theodolite sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Beacons asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Theodolite ships an update every 4 months, Beacons every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Theodolite versus Beacons: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTheodoliteBeacons
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (902 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings902 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#11 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB100 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCraig HunterJr Cabbry

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Theodolite

One-time8
  • 1,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$0.99
  • Team Tracking$1.99
  • World Datum Pack$2.99
Show 5 more
  • US Mountain Summits AR Layer$2.99
  • 5,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$4.99
  • 10,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$8.99
  • 20,000 Outdoors Map Tiles$17.99
  • US State Plane Coordinates$24.99
None

Beacons

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Theodolite free?
Theodolite costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Beacons free?
Beacons is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Theodolite or Beacons have ads?
Neither Theodolite nor Beacons shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Theodolite or Beacons?
Theodolite ships an update every 4 months, and Beacons every 10 days. Most recently, Theodolite was updated on October 17, 2026 and Beacons on October 10, 2026.

Other comparisons