Comparison

Galactic Compass vs Zephy

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

Head to head
About

Galactic Compass

This app provides a floating arrow to guide you towards the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*. It calculates the direction based on your location, time of day, and Earth's orbital position, making it easy to find your way.

Highlights
  • Points to Sagittarius A*
  • Dynamic direction calculation
  • Location-based guidance
  • Time-of-day adjustment
  • Earth orbit consideration
Features
Read full description

Galactic Compass presents you with a floating arrow with one purpose: to point the direction of the central supermassive black hole of the Milky Way galaxy, known as Sagittarius A*. The middle of the galaxy is 26,000 light years.. but which way? The direction depends on: - the time of day - your location - the position of the Earth in its orbit It's hard to figure out in your head. Well now the answer is in your pocket. If you're ever lost, Galactic Compass can show you the way.

About

Zephy

Discover aircraft flying overhead with a live radar and compass. Track specific planes to see their origin and destination, or find the closest aircraft with a single tap. Enjoy a simple, clutter-free experience for sky-watchers.

Highlights
  • Live aircraft radar
  • Filter by distance, altitude, direction
  • Track specific aircraft
  • View aircraft origin and destination
  • Built-in compass
  • Track closest plane button
Features
Read full description

Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved looking up a the sky, wondering where the planes are headed towards. It’s just, there is something magical about spotting a plane and letting my imagination go wild, guessing where planes are coming from, trying to guess what model a plane is. That’s why I made Zephy. It’s a little app for people (like me) who just can’t stop watching the skies above. So, what can Zephy do? With Zephy, you can do more than just look. You can see what aircraft are flying above you with the radar, filter them by distance, altitude, direction, or only show the aircrafts that are in the air. You can even track a specific aircraft and see where it came from, where it’s going, and get directional input with the built-in compass. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, just use the “Track Closest Plane” button and Zephy will pick the nearest one for you. And now for the million dollar question. Why Zephy? I made it to be simple, personal, and clutter-free. No overwhelming data, no feeling like you’re in a crowded control tower. Just an app for people, who (like me) can’t resist looking up and seeing what’s flying above them. And if there are clouds in the way, you can always use the radar to find where the planes are.

Screenshots

Galactic Compass3 screens
Zephy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Galactic Compass at 91% against Zephy's 74%. Galactic Compass also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Zephy's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Galactic Compass holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 68 and 157 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Galactic Compass's written reviews are positive against 74% of Zephy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Galactic Compass ships an update every 3 weeks, Zephy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Galactic Compass versus Zephy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGalactic CompassZephy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (68 ratings) — better4.6 (157 ratings)
Positive reviews91.4% of reviews — better73.7% of reviews
Number of ratings68157 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.413.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperActs Not Facts LtdDennis Moes

Customer experience

Galactic Compass

All ratings68 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive91.4%
Neutral5.7%
Negative2.9%

Zephy

All ratings143 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral5.3%
Negative21.1%

Bugs and requests

Galactic Compass

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Shows wrong direction on iPad in landscape
  • Arrows pointing in opposite directions on iPhone and iPad simultaneously

Requested features

12 requests
  • Camera feed as background
  • Premium version with no new features
  • Dark mode for night viewing
  • Option to change arrow color
  • Update for non-flat phone orientation
Show 7 more
  • Crosshair overlay for precise pointing
  • ARKit for augmented reality option
  • Show speed relative to galaxy center
  • Show velocity vector using AR
  • Compass for other celestial objects (Pluto, JWST, Voyager 1)
  • Direction Earth is heading relative to galaxy center
  • Direction Sun is heading

Zephy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Galactic Compass

No in-app purchases

None

Zephy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Galactic Compass free?
Galactic Compass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zephy free?
Zephy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Galactic Compass or Zephy?
Galactic Compass is rated higher. Galactic Compass averages 4.8 out of 5 from 68 ratings, while Zephy averages 4.6 from 157 ratings.
Do Galactic Compass or Zephy have ads?
Neither Galactic Compass nor Zephy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Galactic Compass or Zephy?
Galactic Compass ships an update every 3 weeks, and Zephy fortnightly. Most recently, Galactic Compass was updated on October 14, 2026 and Zephy on October 21, 2026.

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