PlaceTrack vs Compass Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PlaceTrack
This app provides comprehensive location journaling and sharing for families. It tracks speed, altitude, and activity, with optional real-time sharing and directions to loved ones' locations. It also supports GPX track import and comparison.
- 24/7 location journaling
- Real-time family tracking
- Speed, altitude, and activity data
- GPX track import and overlay
- Street-level image viewing
- Optional safe location sharing
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PlaceTrack is a modern, cross-platform, full-featured location journaling and sharing app, available for iPhone, Apple Watch, and other platforms, and also offering compatibility with Car Play. It keeps a history of your locations 24/7 with almost no impact on battery life, capturing data on speed, course, altitude, and user activity. Additionally, its optional sharing features allow you to track your loved ones, monitor their travelling speed, get directions to their current location, and view street-level images of any place they are or they have been. You can also overlay and compare your location or your contacts' locations against a GPX track. This can be imported from files, Strava, or Apple Watch workout routes, as the app integrates seamlessly with HealthKit. In short: - personal location journaling h24 - Apple Watch and CarPlay compatibility - context data: location data can include location history, speed and course, altitude, whether you’re walking, running, moving in a vehicle or resting - Healthkit/Apple Watch and Strava integration for GPX import - optional safe location sharing with the people you trust, in real time - GPX merge, map overlay and export - POIs (Point of Interest) support and sharing - live data: force a contact’s device to immediately send a fresh location - passive and battery friendly: run in the background with no noticeable impact on battery life, location is periodically updated as the device moves - you are in control: set who sees your current location or who has access to your location history with fine-grained access controls Other features: - excellent battery usage: PlaceTrack uses SLC mode (Significant Location Change) and region monitoring, NOT continuous background. PlaceTrack is suspended in the background most of the time and is woken up only when you move significantly (detected using cell towers signal); most of the time it just sleeps and the GPS hardware is powered off to preserve battery. Install the app and forget about it - save your location history for later viewing - optionally share your recent location or location history with authorized PlaceTrack contacts - forced contact location updates: you can ask for a live location update from a contact and the backend platform will silently ask your contact device for a new location update - delayed sync: stores your locations when network is unreachable and pushes them to the PlaceTrack servers when you're back online - in-app streetview images - track overlays: import route data from Apple Watch, Strava and GPX files - location sharing works using address book phone numbers: your phone number is authenticated through an sms code on your first activation - your data, including your phone number and location, is always sent on a secure connection (ssl) and is never shared with any third party
Compass Pro
This app detects your geographical position, displaying your location name, coordinates, and altitude. It offers both vertical and horizontal compass orientation with customizable units. An optional pro version unlocks features like saving unlimited locations and a current location map.
- Detects geographical position
- Displays location name, latitude, longitude, and altitude
- Vertical and horizontal compass orientation
- Saves unlimited locations (Pro version)
- Current location map (Pro version)
- Intuitive graphics and ease of use
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Compass Pro is a very useful orientation tool to detect your position. Wherever you are, Compass Pro will show you the wind rose and your position indicating the name of the location, latitude, longitude and altitude (in meters or feet). You will have the possibility to save the data relating to any position where you are in the world. Make sure you have turned on the location services on your device, at this point the App will detect your geographical position. [Features] • Your position relative to the wind rose • Location name • Latitude and longitude • Altitude in feet or meters • Current address • Vertical and horizontal compass orientation • Units of measurement in meters or feet • Intuitive graphics • Ease of use Pro version (In-App purchase): • Save unlimited locations in favorites • Enable device flashlight • Current location map • Saved location address [Support] If you need help, please contact us at info@lionsapp.com, or visit the website www.lionsapp.com If you like the App, don't forget to rate us on the App Store.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PlaceTrack at 5.0 against Compass Pro's 4.4. PlaceTrack also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 22 months). Compass Pro's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $5.99) and ratings volume (12 vs 2). On review sentiment, ads 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
PlaceTrack costs $5.99 and Compass Pro $2.99 up front. Compass Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PlaceTrack asks for nothing beyond the download.
PlaceTrack holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Compass Pro has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of PlaceTrack's written reviews are positive against 50% of Compass Pro's.
PlaceTrack ships an update every 4 weeks, Compass Pro every 22 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | PlaceTrack | Compass Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.4 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 55.2% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 12 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 22 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #81 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.1 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nico Tranquilli | LionsApp di Nallbati Elton |
Customer experience
PlaceTrack
Compass Pro
Bugs and requests
PlaceTrack
Reported bugs
67 issues- Network status error
- Crashing issues
- App closes when accessing contacts
- AutoCheck-In Setup Failed error
- GPS always active
Show 62 moreShow fewer
- Background checkins not functional
- App crashes
- Background updates not working
- Cannot log in to Google with 2-step auth
- Application specific passwords do not work
- Known bug for weeks, no response to support emails
- App updated, but not fixed
- Updates only every 3-6 hours
- Background updates not working on 3G
- Background updates don't work
- App freezes and stops updating
- Location updates only when far away
- App self restarts a lot
- Map not showing
- Does not detect cell tower switching properly
- Location delayed
- Buttons are a tad small
- Crashes constantly
- Does not update location in background
- Updates location only when about 6 blocks away
- App updates location only when opening app
- Stops updating in iOS 4.1
- Map not showing
- Does not detect cell tower switching properly
- Location delayed
- Buttons are a tad small
- Crashes constantly
- Does not update location in background
- Updates location only when about 6 blocks away
- App updates location only when opening app
- Stops updating in iOS 4.1
- Background updates don't work
- App freezes and stops updating
- Location updates only when far away
- App self restarts a lot
- Map not showing
- Does not detect cell tower switching properly
- Location delayed
- Buttons are a tad small
- Crashes constantly
- Does not update location in background
- Updates location only when about 6 blocks away
- App updates location only when opening app
- Stops updating in iOS 4.1
- SMS code not received
- Account locked
- Network status error
- Crashing issues
- App closes when accessing contacts
- AutoCheck-In Setup Failed error
- GPS always active
- Background checkins not functional
- App crashes
- Background updates unreliable
- Login problems
- No refund
- UI has only 1 language
- Not working anymore
- Useless application
- Not secure
- Account locked
- SMS code not received
Requested features
17 requests- Introduce metric system option
- More website tracking options
- Update to work with Google+ location
- iPad version
- Send location when power status changes
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Enable different set of options when plugged in
- Email locations in Google Earth format
- More settings parameters
- Add avatar functionality
- Larger map view
- Force manual sync intervals
- Scheduled updates (20-30 min)
- More battery life settings (customizable)
- Push notifications for nearby friends
- Manual check-in option
- Open in maps button
- Visualisation of the entire route
Compass Pro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PlaceTrack
No in-app purchases
Compass Pro
- Compass Pro$2.99







