Comparison

Crowsflight vs CrowFlies

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

Head to head
About

Crowsflight

This app offers intuitive, mapless navigation using GPS and a compass. It displays distance and heading, allowing you to drop markers, search for destinations by address or what3words, and view saved locations on a map. It works offline for navigation and supports iCloud sync.

Highlights
  • Mapless GPS navigation
  • Heading pointer
  • Drop location markers
  • Search by address or what3words
  • Offline navigation
  • iCloud location sync
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

Crowsflight is a GPS compass that simply points. No instructions, maps to read or paths to follow. When we ask for directions on the street, a friendly finger pointing towards the destination is often more than enough. By combining location data (GPS) with the compass, Crowsflight provides mapless navigation in an intuitive, glance-at-it kind of way. It uses only GPS to navigate, so once you’ve loaded your destination/s, you don’t need a data connection to navigate. Crowsflight is perfect for wandering around foreign cities. MAIN VIEW -Displays distance in metric or imperial units -Drop a marker at your current position (if you have a data connection, Crowsflight will attempt to autoname your location) -Heading pointer changes width as the compass/GPS accuracy increases or decreases LIST VIEW -Search for a new destination by address or placename -Input latitude and longitude manually (e.g. open search, enter 40.692,-73.944) -search for what3words (offline) -Location list view shows your relative distance to each location, so you can see how places compare (distances are scaled logarithmically, so shorter distances show greater difference) -Rearrange your location list by long-pressing the row -Share your current location via email -Launch Maps to get turn-by-turn directions MAP VIEW -Map view shows and allows you to select all your saved locations. It’s another way to see what is around you. -Drag and drop pins in map view to pinpoint and adjust locations -Longpress in map view to save a new location on your map. (if you have a data connection, Crowsflight will attempt to autoname your location) OTHER FEATURES -Works offline (searching is the only function that requires an internet connection) -Opens custom url schemes (e.g. crowsflight://&ll=42.923580,-78.793953&q=BUFFALO). You can send Crowsflight destinations to yourself and friends via email. To get the browser bookmarklet for easy sharing, go to http://cwandt.com/#crowsflight -Backup your locations to your computer through iTunes file sharing -save and sync locations to iCloud APPLE WATCH - same pointing interface as iPhone app - swipe to select from locations that you've add on your phone. -pro tip: If your running app keeps taking over as frontmost app, you can double press the crown to switch back to the last app. *Crowsflight is not meant for driving. Most cars have too much magnetic interference to show the compass reliably in the car anyways. You probably want turn by turn directions if you’re driving, but just in case you were thinking about it...we don’t recommend it.

About

CrowFlies

Easily mark and navigate back to your car, hotel, or any saved location, even offline. Track your steps, distance, and path traveled. Ideal for exploring new places or finding your way home.

Highlights
  • Mark current location
  • Navigate back to saved points
  • Offline compass functionality
  • Track steps and distance
  • Save multiple points of interest
  • Choose true or magnetic north
Features
Read full description

Ever been in a different city and needed to find your car? Or the train station, your hotel, or your tent at a festival? Nobody likes walking in circles. CrowFlies fixes that. Save where you are before you set off and its compass always points straight back, as the crow flies. Or drop a pin anywhere on the map and let the compass show the way there, even with no signal. It tells you how far you have to go, and counts your steps along the way. Great for exploring new places, meeting friends in a park or a crowd, and finding your way home after a run or a ride somewhere new. WHAT'S IN 6.0 • Made for iPhone Duo. Open the device and the map sits beside the compass. Half open, the map takes the top half and the compass the bottom. Folded, everything you need fits the outer display, with the controls down the side. • Made for iPad. The same side-by-side layout, with your waypoints, the compass and the map all on one screen. • The map follows your places. Flick through your saved points and the map highlights each one; tap a pin and the list moves with you. • Add waypoints straight from the map, with an address looked up for you or the exact spot you pressed. • A fresh look with Liquid Glass controls, and it follows your light or dark setting. WHAT YOU GET • A compass that points to any saved place, with distance and bearing. • Save your current spot with one tap. • Long-press anywhere on the map to add a waypoint, snapped to the nearest road or exactly where you pressed. • Step count and walked distance on the compass screen. • True north or magnetic north, metres or feet, your choice. • Works without an internet connection once a place is saved.

Screenshots

Crowsflight4 screens
CrowFlies4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Crowsflight at Free against CrowFlies's $5.99. Crowsflight also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 27.0). CrowFlies's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 72%). On update cadence, ads, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Crowsflight is free to download; CrowFlies costs $5.99 up front. CrowFlies sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Crowsflight asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Crowsflight versus CrowFlies: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrowsflightCrowFlies
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.6 (35 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews72.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings35 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCW&TTony Davis

Customer experience

Crowsflight

All ratings33 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral12.2%
Negative15.7%

CrowFlies

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Crowsflight

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • Compass won't calibrate properly
  • Directional readings off by 90+ degrees
  • App freezes at instruction screen
  • App opens spontaneously after unlocking phone
  • Search function returns locations in wrong countries
Show 8 more
  • What3Words integration no longer works
  • Location name disappears when tapped, preventing copy/paste
  • Pop-up info bubbles won't disappear and block navigation
  • App thinks user is in wrong location (e.g., New York when elsewhere)
  • Distance calculations wildly inaccurate (e.g., 1.26 miles when at saved location)
  • Yellow compass arc doesn't move/respond
  • Search buttons disappear from bottom of screen
  • App stopped tracking after updates

Requested features

18 requests
  • Apple Watch support
  • Gyroscope-based active pointer for hands-free navigation
  • Metric kilometers display option
  • Ability to organize locations into groups/categories
  • GPS-based accuracy instead of compass-only
Show 13 more
  • Larger, configurable font sizes
  • Dark mode or color theme options
  • Help/tutorial menu for new users
  • Elevation information for destinations
  • LED light option for night navigation
  • Search by intersection (e.g., 6th Ave & 3rd St)
  • Sort search results by proximity
  • SMS sharing of locations in addition to email
  • Integration with What3Words addresses
  • Multiple location list organization
  • Ability to enter GPS coordinates in DMS format
  • Alias/naming system for GPS coordinates
  • Train transit option in addition to walk/bike/car/plane

CrowFlies

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Crowsflight

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

CrowFlies

One-time5
  • No Advertisements$0.99
  • Unlimited Waypoints$0.99
  • Path Tracking$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Pedometer$0.99
  • All Extras$2.99

Questions

Is Crowsflight free?
Crowsflight is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CrowFlies free?
CrowFlies costs $5.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do Crowsflight or CrowFlies have ads?
Neither Crowsflight nor CrowFlies shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crowsflight or CrowFlies?
Crowsflight ships an update every 3 months, and CrowFlies every 3 months. Most recently, Crowsflight was updated on October 24, 2026 and CrowFlies on October 23, 2026.

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