Comparison

Outside Maps vs Compass Eye Bearing Compass

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

Head to head
About

Outside Maps

View and navigate diverse mapping data on your iPhone or iPad. Access Ordnance Survey maps for Great Britain, worldwide OpenStreetMap, historic maps, and aerial imagery. Features include GPS tracking, compass, and waypoint management.

Highlights
  • View Ordnance Survey maps (Great Britain)
  • Worldwide OpenStreetMap support
  • Historic Ordnance Survey maps
  • Aerial photography
  • Real-time GPS tracking
  • Compass and bearing
  • Waypoint import/export (GPX)
Read full description

*** Please do not use reviews to report bugs or ask for features. I almost never read the reviews and I cannot contact you for additional information! Contact support@outsidemaps.com instead *** Outside Maps is an iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch application that enables you to view and navigate a wide variety of mapping data using an easy-to-use touch interface. Outside Maps supports Ordnance Survey mapping for Great Britain at various scales including 1:50000. Outside Maps supports WORLDWIDE coverage for OpenStreetMap, OpenCycleMap and the Stamen and Thunderforest map sources. Outside Maps supports historic 1" Ordnance Survey mapping from 1880-1990 and 1921-1947 courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. Outside Maps supports shaded terrain data for the UK only derived from Ordnance Survey OS Terrain 50. Outside Maps supports shaded terrain data for Scotland only derived from Scottish Government 1m LIDAR. Outside Maps includes ESRI aerial photography courtesy of ESRI. Outside Maps includes the following features: - Intuitive "slippy maps" interface - Native iPad support in both portrait and landscape modes - Current Ordnance Survey mapping is available - OpenStreetMap and derived data is supported at all available resolutions - Historic 1" Ordnance Survey data from 1880-1990 and 1921-1947 - OpenCycleMap support - Thunderforest "Landscape" and "Transport" mapping support - Stamen mapping support - ESRI aerial imagery - Hill-shading mapping for the UK at 50m and selected 1m resolution - Full Ordnance Survey OSTN02 adjustments for highest accuracy (+/- 1m accuracy) - Real-time position tracking via GPS (or WiFi-based positioning) - Compass and bearing (either using GPS and movement tracking or hardware compass if available) - "Lookahead" feature when moving at > 5mph - Waypoints functionality including import and export via GPX format - OS OpenSpace-driven postcode and placename lookup (online only) - Grid reference and latitude/longitude lookup (offline) - what3words support (online only)

About

Compass Eye Bearing Compass

This augmented reality compass app overlays bearing markers and zoom capabilities onto your camera view, offering advanced navigation features for land, sea, and air. It provides real-time map views, GPS data, and triangulation tools for precise direction finding.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality compass overlay
  • 8x digital zoom
  • Bearing markers and lines
  • Live map view with GPS
  • Triangulation bearings
  • Magnetic or True North setting
  • Artificial Horizon
Read full description

Professional Augmented Reality Bearing Compass with real-time camera and map views, bearing markers and up to 8x zoom providing Compass Binocular features at a fraction of the cost. "..works nicely, we tried it out at the Voiles d'Antibes...the Captain's response when trying it out was 'Cool!'." - Boatbookings, The World's Leading Online Yacht Charter Broker Compass Eye can be used to help with navigation on land, sea or air as a bearing or marching compass. Compass Eye is fully gimballed and works accurately in all orientations and angles when held vertical and horizontal. “This app is a compass on steroids! It is fully gimballed so it will work in any orientation on your iPhone or iPad.  You can use it on land while hiking or as a hand bearing compass on the ocean or in the air while flying.” i-Marine Apps "The app's compass works way better than the iOS default compass and I don't have to wave my iPhone in the air every time I launch the app." Gizmodo Review (App of The Day, 6th December). MAIN FEATURES - Real time, accurate in all orientations - Compass overlaid on live camera view - 8x Digital zoom - Back, transit, or collision bearing markers - Draggable Green and red bearing lines - Triangulation bearings - Optional time, date and GPS location information - Magnetic or True North setting with variation based on location - Live map view with position and track - Artificial Horizon with roll and pitch readout - Night Vision and FLIROne® Infra-red support - Location sharing - Longitude and latitude degree display in DD° MM.mmm', DD° MM' SS.ss" and now DD.ddd° - iOS Dark mode support - Full screen on iPhoneX and later devices Enabling GPS also shows the Speed Over Ground (SOG) , Course Over Ground (COG) and optional COG bearing (purple). HOW TO USE Taking a bearing - look through your iPhone at the distant object, line it up with the centre line and read off the bearing! Zoom in to get more accuracy. Setting a bearing - look through your iPhone at the point you want to get to, tap the Bearing button (Top right) and follow the yellow bearing line. Setting a bearing from the map - lay the iPhone flat, rotate or drag a bearing line to line up with the point you are aiming for and follow that bearing. Triangulation - use the three bearing lines - yellow green and red to take bearings on 3 points. Capture the view including compass, bearings, time and location information (Camera button on left of screen) and then use the photo to plot a fix on a chart. Clearance bearings to a point on an approach - set one line to the minimum bearing (e.g. the angle the target must bear greater than) and the other line to the maximum bearing and navigate between the two. Use the colours according to the IALA lateral markings to help you remember which way to steer. e.g. in North America use red for the minimum bearing and green for the maximum (vice-versa in Europe!). SPECIFICATIONS Based on the iPhone camera the image specification at full zoom compares favourably with a 7x50 pair of binoculars: - Field of Vision at 1000m at 8x: 122m - Angle of view at 8x: approx 7 degrees - ISO 3200 or better. NAVIGATION SAFETY Compass Eye should only be used for basic navigation assistance. Never rely solely on the digital compass for determining direction, proximity or distance. The user is responsible for the prudent use of information provided by this application and must not use it for direct navigation. Requirements: iOS device with back facing Camera, Magnetometer and accelerometer (gps is optional). N.B. Battery consumption can go up considerably when the iPhone's GPS is enabled, Compass Eye allows you to turn off location display to preserve battery life. Terms of Use: http://seanav.net/termsofuse.php Privacy Policy: http://seanav.net/privacy.php Support: help@pocketmariner.com

Screenshots

Outside Maps3 screens
Compass Eye Bearing Compass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Outside Maps at Free against Compass Eye Bearing Compass's $4.99. Outside Maps also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). Compass Eye Bearing Compass's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 2.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Outside Maps is free to download; Compass Eye Bearing Compass costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Compass Eye Bearing Compass holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Outside Maps's written reviews are positive against 72% of Compass Eye Bearing Compass's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Outside Maps ships an update every 2 months, Compass Eye Bearing Compass every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Outside Maps versus Compass Eye Bearing Compass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOutside MapsCompass Eye Bearing Compass
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating2.0 (2 ratings)4.6 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.6% of reviews — better72.2% of reviews
Number of ratings25 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReplicade Ltd.Pocket Mariner Ltd.

Customer experience

Outside Maps

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral4.7%
Negative18.8%

Compass Eye Bearing Compass

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative22.2%

Bugs and requests

Outside Maps

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • Text to select map source invisible (white on white)
  • Tile cache unreliable when offline
  • Waypoints move around map accidentally
  • Map selection window not loading (iOS 8)
  • App crashes consistently (iOS 8)
Show 8 more
  • No iPhone 5 support
  • Not fitting larger iPhone screens
  • Help pages not mobile device friendly
  • Tendency for tiles not to match up
  • Tablecloth design instead of map
  • Opening map shows wrong location
  • Blue gridlines instead of map
  • App will not open (iOS 8)

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add zoom function for desktop version
  • Include a 1960's map
  • Ability to import custom map sources
  • Option for selected map source to remain default
  • Reinstate 'Save Waypoint' feature
Show 4 more
  • Add landscape view
  • Improve help section for mobile devices
  • Update for iPhone 5 screens
  • Sort out threading to prevent locking up

Compass Eye Bearing Compass

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Outside Maps

No in-app purchases

None

Compass Eye Bearing Compass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Outside Maps free?
Outside Maps is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Compass Eye Bearing Compass free?
Compass Eye Bearing Compass costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Outside Maps or Compass Eye Bearing Compass?
Compass Eye Bearing Compass is rated higher. Outside Maps averages 2.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Compass Eye Bearing Compass averages 4.6 from 5 ratings.
Do Outside Maps or Compass Eye Bearing Compass have ads?
Neither Outside Maps nor Compass Eye Bearing Compass shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Outside Maps or Compass Eye Bearing Compass?
Outside Maps ships an update every 2 months, and Compass Eye Bearing Compass every 5 months. Most recently, Outside Maps was updated on October 22, 2026 and Compass Eye Bearing Compass on October 26, 2026.

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