Comparison

Compass ⊘ vs Compass Direction

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Compass Direction

This app provides accurate compass headings and directions with a real-time GPS map. Easily switch between map and camera views, and access features like altitude, speed, and a torch. Enjoy a beautiful and intuitive interface with haptic feedback and accessibility support.

Highlights
  • Accurate compass headings and directions
  • Real-time GPS map with zoom
  • Altitude, latitude, and longitude display
  • Speedometer
  • Integrated torch
  • Switch between map and camera view
Read full description

AS FEATURED ON: TechRadar and more. Compass Direction - Digital is an easy to use compass app which allows you to find accurate compass headings and directions along with a realtime GPS map. Switch between the map and the view by holding the device up! WHY YOU’LL LOVE COMPASS DIRECTION - DIGITAL: The app allows you to use a digital compass - and it looks beautiful whilst doing so! NOTABLE FEATURES: • The app includes heading, direction, altitude, latitude, longitude, speedometer, and a torch • Switch between map types by tapping the screen and pinch to zoom in/out • Switch between the map and view by holding the device up • Accurate realtime compass direction and heading • Realtime GPS coordinates • Simple and beautiful user interface • Small haptics when interacting, improving the overall experience • VoiceOver support • 3D Touch GET IN TOUCH: If you have any questions or feedback, I'm all ears. Compass Direction - Digital was created by an individual in his free time, and I’d love to know what you think. I’m available through Twitter @elohohel. Terms of Use (EULA) - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Compass ⊘2 screens
Compass Direction4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Compass Direction at every 3 days against Compass ⊘'s every 3 weeks. Compass ⊘'s advantage is review sentiment (62% vs 34%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Compass ⊘ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Compass Direction sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. 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 — 4.6 for Compass ⊘ against 4.6 for Compass Direction. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.3K and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Compass ⊘'s written reviews are positive against 34% of Compass Direction's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Compass ⊘ ships an update every 3 weeks, Compass Direction every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Compass ⊘ versus Compass Direction: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompass ⊘Compass Direction
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (6.3K ratings)4.6 (2.7K ratings)
Positive reviews62.1% of reviews — better34.5% of reviews
Number of ratings6.3K — better2.7K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristophe PereiraRihab Mehboob

Customer experience

Compass ⊘

All ratings6,263 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral4.2%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews643 reviews
Positive62.1%
Neutral10.0%
Negative28.0%

Compass Direction

All ratings2,704 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive34.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative60.3%

User reviews

Compass ⊘

From 6.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Useful
  • 🚀 Works great
  • 🗺️ Helpful for navigation
  • 🔍 Good for direction finding

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate readings
  • 🤷‍♀️ Inconsistent performance
  • 🔍 Struggles with direction
  • 🔌 Requires specific device orientation

Compass Direction

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app
  • 🚀 Accurate and easy to use
  • 💡 Useful for specific use cases
  • 👍 Visually appealing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate compass direction
  • 🔒 Requires subscription to use
  • 🔒 No free trial
  • 🐛 Doesn't work as expected
  • 🔒 Forces users to subscribe

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 Direction

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Compass always showing wrong directions
  • App freezes or becomes non-functional
  • Restore purchase feature not working
  • App crashing or not loading properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to calibrate the compass
  • Option to purchase a one-time fee instead of subscription
  • Offline map support
  • Ability to set waypoints and get directions

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Compass ⊘

One-time1
  • Upgrade to full version$2.99
9 purchases

Compass Direction

Subscriptions7
  • Compass 1 Week$3.997 Days
  • Compass 1 Week$4.997 Days
  • Compass 1 Month3 Days trial$5.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Compass 1 Month$9.991 Month
  • Compass 1 Year3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Compass 6 Months$29.996 Months
  • Compass 1 Year3 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time2
  • Compass Lifetime$69.99
  • Compass Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Compass ⊘ free?
Compass ⊘ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Compass Direction free?
Compass Direction is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Compass ⊘ or Compass Direction?
Compass ⊘ and Compass Direction are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6.3K and 2.7K ratings respectively.
Do Compass ⊘ or Compass Direction have ads?
Both Compass ⊘ and Compass Direction show ads.
Which is updated more often, Compass ⊘ or Compass Direction?
Compass ⊘ ships an update every 3 weeks, and Compass Direction every 3 days. Most recently, Compass ⊘ was updated on September 23, 2026 and Compass Direction on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons