Comparison

Crowsflight vs City Compass

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

City Compass

This app acts as a world city finder, instantly locating thousands of cities worldwide relative to your position. It features a precise compass indicator for true or magnetic north and offers a distraction-free interface for navigation enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • World city discovery
  • Real-time nearest city highlighting
  • True/Magnetic North compass
  • Intuitive touch controls
  • Distraction-free interface
  • Smooth animations
Features
Read full description

Discover your favorite navigation companion with City Compass, the ultimate directional tool that transforms your device into a world city finder. WORLD CITY DISCOVERY • Instantly locate thousands of cities worldwide relative to your position • Smart highlighting identifies your nearest city in real-time • Explore global destinations with intuitive touch controls • Perfect for travelers, hikers, and navigation enthusiasts TRUE PRECISION NAVIGATION • Bright red triangle indicator points to true or magnetic north • Switch between True North and Magnetic North • Smooth, responsive compass rotation with intelligent gesture controls PREMIUM FEATURES • Clean, distraction-free interface design • Smooth animations and responsive touch controls • No ads, no subscriptions Whether you're planning your next adventure, learning geography, or simply curious about what lies beyond the horizon, City Compass delivers professional-grade navigation tools in a beautifully crafted app. Download City Compass today and never lose your sense of direction again.

Screenshots

Crowsflight4 screens
City Compass3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: City Compass at free against Crowsflight's paid. City Compass also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Crowsflight's advantage is ratings volume (33 vs 3) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

City Compass holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crowsflight has 33 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Crowsflight's written reviews are positive against 100% of City Compass's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crowsflight ships an update every 3 months, City Compass every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Crowsflight versus City Compass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrowsflightCity Compass
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (33 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCW&TDan Costin

Customer experience

Crowsflight

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

City Compass

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
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

City Compass

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Crowsflight

No in-app purchases

None

City Compass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Crowsflight free?
Crowsflight is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is City Compass free?
City Compass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Crowsflight or City Compass?
City Compass is rated higher. Crowsflight averages 4.6 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while City Compass averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Crowsflight or City Compass have ads?
Neither Crowsflight nor City Compass shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crowsflight or City Compass?
Crowsflight ships an update every 3 months, and City Compass every 6 days. Most recently, Crowsflight was updated on October 17, 2026 and City Compass on October 2, 2026.

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