MapCompass vs TideView
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MapCompass
This navigation app displays a compass directly on a map, providing real-time speed, altitude, and direction. It also includes a level feature for added utility.
- Compass on map
- Route navigation
- Speed display
- Altitude display
- Direction display
- Level tool
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Compass Display a compass on the map Route navigation Display speed, altitude, and direction show Level
TideView
Visualize ocean tides in 3D using augmented reality. See how water levels change now, in 12 hours, and even 80 years into the future. Predict potential flooding and understand the impact of global warming on coastal areas.
- Augmented reality tide visualization
- Predict tidal changes up to 80 years
- Global warming impact simulation
- AR aiming crosshairs for height analysis
- Uses NOAA data for tide stations
- Supports tide stations within 200 miles
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TideView is a unique AR App for the iPhone that allows a visual 3D appreciation of the tidal expanse. It enables you to interact with the flow of tidal water and to predict with limited certainty where sea water will appear now, in 12 hours and in 80 years! Like other tidal level Apps on the iPhone, TideView takes your current location and searches for the nearest tidal stations that support sea level reporting every 6 minutes. You choose a date, time and a station that best reflects the water level where you are currently standing. Find a location on the beach that is just at the sea water level and move the phone until it detects the horizontal plane of the beach. The next 12 hours of water levels will appear before you taking the beach as a baseline for the tide level at that location. An AR 3D arch of lines follows the water level above and below ground depending on where you are in the tide cycle. You can rotate the tide view or walk around it! A tide aiming crosshairs will descend when activated to the level of the iPhone camera lens allowing you to take aim at a location for analyzing heights at various tide levels. For example if you want to see if your kayak camping spot will be underwater at high tide! TideView gives you a unique window into the workings of global warming. It allows to to compensate for the increase in base water levels for the next 100 years. By adjusting the time-view you can change the base water level and see what affect it will have on your condo in Florida! This is a dynamic change which you can watch as you adjust it. The aiming sight then allows you to scope out what will be underwater at high tide when your grandchildren take over the condo fees. --Gets Data from best source: NOAA --Allows use of Tide Stations within 200 miles of your location --Allows use of current time Zone --Shows current High Tide, Low Tide and Levels --Dates for sea level rise 2020 to 2100 --Aiming crosshairs/ camera level reads feet below high tide line dynamically Disclaimer: Measuring tide levels is very inexact and depends on a host of local and other factors. Never depend on this App for making any important decisions in your life.
Screenshots
Verdict
MapCompass and TideView both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of TideView's written reviews are positive against 0% of MapCompass's. TideView also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). MapCompass's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 11 months). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MapCompass against 5.0 for TideView. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of MapCompass's written reviews are positive against 100% of TideView's.
MapCompass ships an update every 3 months, TideView every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MapCompass | TideView |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 著显 朱 | Robert Werner |
Customer experience
MapCompass
TideView
In-app purchases
MapCompass
No in-app purchases
TideView
No in-app purchases









