Compass mini vs Archies Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Compass mini
This app provides a minimalist compass for identifying direction. It also displays altitude, barometric pressure, and coordinate information for your current location. Additional features include sunrise/sunset times and solar angles, with offline usability and widget support.
- Direction identification
- Altitude and barometric pressure
- Coordinate navigation
- Location bookmarking
- Sunrise and sunset times
- Solar elevation and azimuth
- Offline usability
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Compass mini is an elegant and minimalist compass tool. You can use it to get the current location's altitude, barometric, and coordinate information, and identify direction. • Clean and lightweight, usable offline. • View altitude and atmospheric pressure information. • Coordinate navigation and location bookmarking. • Sunrise and sunset related times. • Solar elevation and azimuth angles. • Desktop and lock screen widgets. • Detailed latitude and longitude values. • Supports dark mode.
Archies Explorer
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Meet Archies Explorer — the walk tracker and star finder built for curious dogs and their humans. Go for a walk and track every step with live GPS mapping, distance, pace, and HealthKit integration. When the sun goes down, point your phone at the sky and explore 8,834 real stars and all 7 visible planets — Earth not included, you're standing on it. WALK TRACKER • Live GPS route map with distance, duration, and pace • HealthKit step counting and active minutes • Walk history with streaks and lifetime stats • Background location tracking STAR FINDER • 8,834 stars from the HYG astronomical catalog • All 7 planets with real-time positions, verified against the actual sky • Star colors, magnitudes, and distances • Rich mythology and science for every object • Tap any star or planet to learn more EXPLORE • Discover nearby parks and trails • View your past walk routes on the map • Search any location and get directions EXPLORER PRO (one-time purchase, no subscription) • Constellation overlays drawn on the live sky • Tonight's Sky with moon phase at a glance • ISS tracker and meteor shower calendar • Dog-friendly places on the Explore map • New sky features added regularly Part of the Archies Universe — built by a dad and his Miniature Schnauzer, figuring it out together.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Archies Explorer at every 5 days against Compass mini's every 5 weeks. 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
Both are free to download. Compass mini sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Archies Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Compass mini ships an update every 5 weeks, Archies Explorer every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Compass mini | Archies Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (61 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 95.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 61 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 15.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 鑫 吴 | Robert E. Farney |
Bugs and requests
Compass mini
Reported bugs
5 issues- Clicking settings causes frame drops
- Altitude display issues in some locations
- No compass widget available
- Latitude and longitude are阉割 (阉割 means 'castrated' or 'removed', implying it's disabled/unavailable in China)
- watchOS 11 app not available despite update log
Requested features
17 requests- Switch angle to elevation in the center
- More precise location targeting (e.g., to landmarks)
- WatchOS integration
- Change daytime color scheme for solar trajectory widget
- Discount for in-app purchases
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- Display future solar altitude angle changes
- Add a compass widget
- Calibrate using GPS
- Display speed
- Local saving of measurement data
- Virtual query function for past locations
- Change barometric pressure unit to kPa
- Larger font size and black main color
- More comprehensive city name display (including province and district)
- Add Apple Watch version
- More icons and new interfaces
- Visual design for slope display (e.g., crosshair alignment)
Archies Explorer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Compass mini
- Compass mini · Pro$7.99
Archies Explorer
- Archies Explorer Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Compass mini free?
Is Archies Explorer free?
Do Compass mini or Archies Explorer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Compass mini or Archies Explorer?
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