Compass ⊘ vs Compass_S
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Compass ⊘
This app transforms your device into a highly accurate and elegantly designed compass. It offers instant navigation, showing your location, altitude, and orientation with a user-friendly interface. Perfect for outdoor adventures and everyday use.
- Instant navigation with location, altitude, and orientation
- Rustic and elegant antique compass design
- Precision accuracy using device sensors
- User-friendly interface
- Suitable for outdoor adventures and everyday use
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A beautiful compass that just works. Compass ⊘ puts a brass antique compass in your pocket. Open it and the needle is already pointing north — no account, no setup, no clutter. FIND YOUR BEARING • A large, readable dial you can take in at a glance • Your heading in degrees, from 0° to 359°, named as a compass point • A gentle tap as you cross north, east, south and west, so you can hold a bearing without staring at the screen • True north or magnetic north, whichever you navigate by SEE IT IN THE REAL WORLD • Hold up your device and the compass points float on the horizon, over the live camera • Or set a 3D compass down on a table, a rock or the floor, and walk around it • Useful for orienting a paper map, siting solar panels, aiming a dish, or settling an argument about which way is north KNOW WHERE YOU ARE • The street and town you are standing in • Your altitude, in both feet and metres • A satellite map that turns as you turn MADE FOR THE OUTDOORS • The needle needs no signal, so it works far from any tower • Six compass faces to choose from • Built for iPhone and iPad Free to use. One optional purchase, never a subscription, removes the ads and unlocks the map and the other compass faces. Accuracy depends on your device's sensors. Keep it away from magnets, speakers and metal for the steadiest reading, and wave it in a figure eight when iOS asks to calibrate. WHAT PEOPLE SAY "Does what's supposed to do in a beautiful and straightforward way. The graphic interphase is impeccable! Great Job!!" — Abruna "As a boater I can reference position of our boat. I then determine the direction of wind/rain and effect it will have on mooring lines." — Popeye, SF Bay "Had the grandsons out hiking and found moss and confirmed north. Very handy app." — Moon water 62 "Use it a lot when showing houses. I'm able to see which direction the front door, bedroom windows etc are facing. Very accurate, I highly recommend it." — Ijdeluxe1 "Super easy to use and accurate. Use it to know where to spot the Space Station and it is spot on." — DirtDawgGolfer "Downloaded this app while in the middle of swamp in order to prove which direction was north. Won 20 bucks. Great app." — Fuzzyrc1
Compass_S
A straightforward compass app offering five distinct needle designs. It displays cardinal directions in multiple formats, including Japanese, and provides GPS coordinates like latitude, longitude, and altitude. The app includes features to help maintain accuracy and can be used for specific cultural practices.
- Five needle designs
- NESW and Japanese cardinal points
- Latitude, longitude, and altitude display
- Accuracy guidance for level positioning
- Ehomaki compass for Setsubun
- Ad-free and offline modes
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This is a simple and intuitive compass app. You can choose from five different needle designs. It displays directions in NESW and Japanese cardinal points, as well as latitude, longitude, and altitude. Please hold your smartphone flat when using the compass. Accuracy will decrease if the device is not held level. When tilted, the center icon of the needle will shift to help guide you into a level position. It can also be used as a compass to check the direction to eat "Ehomaki" during Setsubun. Displays directions like "North-northwest", "East-northeast", "South-southeast", and "West-southwest" in Japanese. Setsubun in 2026 falls on February 3rd, and the lucky direction is south-southeast. Useful as an Ehomaki compass for Setsubun. We resolved the issue where the app could be installed on devices without a magnetic sensor. Note: Since the compass relies on a magnetic sensor, it will not work on unsupported devices We have also added a function to detect environmental conditions that may affect compass accuracy and provide solutions. Now includes features to hide banner ads and use offline in mountains or at sea. Give it a try
Screenshots
Verdict
Compass ⊘ and Compass_S both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 62% of Compass ⊘'s written reviews are positive against 25% of Compass_S's. Compass ⊘ also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (6.3K vs 282). Compass_S's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ads 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
Both are free to download. Compass ⊘ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Compass_S asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Compass ⊘ against 4.6 for Compass_S. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Compass ⊘ has 6.3K ratings behind it against 282, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Compass ⊘'s written reviews are positive against 25% of Compass_S's.
Compass ⊘ ships an update every 3 weeks, Compass_S every 6 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | Compass ⊘ | Compass_S |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (6.3K ratings) | 4.6 (282 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.1% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.3K — better | 282 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 194 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Christophe Pereira | hiroyuki uchida |
Customer experience
Compass ⊘
Compass_S
Bugs and requests
Compass ⊘
Reported bugs
4 issues- Compass needle not moving
- Incorrect north direction
- App crashes on launch
- Compatibility issues with certain devices
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to calibrate compass
- Option to switch between true north and magnetic north
- Altitude display in feet
- More customization options
Compass_S
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Compass ⊘
- Upgrade to full version$2.99
Compass_S
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Compass ⊘ free?
Is Compass_S free?
Which has better reviews, Compass ⊘ or Compass_S?
Do Compass ⊘ or Compass_S have ads?
Which is updated more often, Compass ⊘ or Compass_S?
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