Pro Compass vs Compass Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pro Compass
This app offers a realistic pocket compass experience with modern features like MGRS, sun/moon tracking, and GPS coordinates. It provides multiple display styles and advanced measurement tools for various applications.
- Realistic 3D floating compass hardware
- Nine compass display modes
- Magnetic and true direction display
- Sun and Moon position tracking
- MGRS, UTM, and GPS coordinate formats
- Two-axis inclinometer with bubble levels
- Support for over 230 geodetic datums
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Pro Compass replicates the look and feel of classic pocket compass hardware in use since the 1800s, adding modern features and technologies. The app uses advanced OpenGL graphics (normally reserved for games) to render 3D floating compass hardware for realistic operation. Pro Compass offers nine different compass modes with direct read, traditional, and rosette styles capable of displaying degrees, quads, or mils (the direct read mode shows a North-South needle and reversed East-West convention). In all display modes, Pro Compass shows both magnetic and true direction simultaneously, with a rotating outer true ring that is automatically adjusted for local magnetic declination. Sun and Moon position are marked on the compass rings and continually updated. Pro Compass displays location and altitude, with decimal, degree-minute-second, UTM, and MGRS position formats. An optional "Datum Pack" adds over 230 geodetic datums covering regions and countries on all continents around the world. The app also contains a built in two-axis inclinometer that drives two independent bubble levels and a bullseye level. The inclinometer has angle readout dials for each axis, making it useful for many different types of measurements including slopes, pitches, sight lines, and geological angles like dip and strike. After using Pro Compass, you'll see why it's the best and most realistic compass available on the App Store! Also be sure to check out the new Pro Compass for Watch, available for all Apple Watch models running watchOS 6 or later. ***** IMPORTANT ACCURACY NOTE ***** Pro Compass reports accuracy directly from the magnetometer sensor in your device. This accuracy is determined by the hardware, not the application itself. To improve results, operate Pro Compass away from any electronics or other sources of electro-magnetic interference, including car dashboards, aircraft cockpits, metal structures, and other devices. Please contact the developer via the support link if you need additional information about accuracy or operation of Pro Compass.
Compass Guide
This application provides directional guidance and heading information using your device's compass. It's designed to help users find their way in various situations.
- Directional finding
- Heading information
- Outdoor navigation aid
- Hiking GPS support
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Compass Guide is a simple, reliable digital compass for hiking, navigation, and everyday direction-finding — no account required. FIND YOUR WAY • Live compass heading in true north or magnetic north • Calibration guidance and an accuracy indicator you can trust • Your coordinates, altitude, and speed at a glance NAVIGATE TO A DESTINATION • Set a destination by map, clipboard coordinates, or manual entry • See live bearing and distance to where you're headed • Save multiple destinations with Premium SEE THE SKY • Sun and moon position markers on the dial (Premium) • Night mode with a red-tinted display to protect your night vision MAKE IT YOURS • Six compass styles: Classic, Field, Nautical, Military, Surveyor, and Minimal • Choose degrees or mils, metric or imperial units • Keep the screen on, add a haptic tick at true north, and use the built-in flashlight SHARE YOUR HEADING • Export a shareable image card with your heading and location details GO PREMIUM YOUR WAY • Unlock every feature with a one-time purchase — no subscription • Or watch a short ad anytime to unlock Premium free for 24 hours Compass Guide works fully offline for core compass features and never asks you to create an account.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Compass Guide at Free against Pro Compass's $1.99. Compass Guide also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). Pro Compass's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (72% vs 40%). On ratings volume, 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
Compass Guide is free to download; Pro Compass costs $1.99 up front. Pro Compass sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Compass Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Compass Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 73 and 126 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Pro Compass's written reviews are positive against 40% of Compass Guide's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Pro Compass ships an update every 6 months, Compass Guide fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pro Compass | Compass Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (73 ratings) | 4.5 (126 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.3% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 73 | 126 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #87 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.4 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Craig Hunter | APPS BAY LIMITED |
Customer experience
Pro Compass
Compass Guide
Bugs and requests
Pro Compass
Reported bugs
8 issues- GPS location places users in wrong geographic areas
- True north display shows 'NA' without troubleshooting guidance
- Compass heading inconsistent on same fixed location
- Map loading takes excessive time
- Inclinometer calibration stuck in progress loop
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- Compass appears frozen in some instances
- Magnetic declination not automatically adjusting for location
- East/West orientation reversed in some configurations
Requested features
15 requests- Watch app integration with data sharing
- Manual compass calibration/adjustment feature
- Red backlight option for astronomers
- Topographic map overlay
- Bearing input and route planning capabilities
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- Ability to remove bubble levels from display
- Native iPad optimization and larger graphics
- DM.mm coordinate format option
- Pointer color customization (red/green needle)
- GMT/time display integration
- Map orientation by direction of travel
- Coordinate spacing for easier plotting
- UK Ordnance Survey coordinate support
- Device-specific bias compensation
- Automatic magnetic declination database by location
Compass Guide
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pro Compass
- Datum Pack$2.99
Compass Guide
- Premium$2.99








