Galactic Compass vs Zephy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Points to Sagittarius A*
- Dynamic direction calculation
- Location-based guidance
- Time-of-day adjustment
- Earth orbit consideration
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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.
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.
- Live aircraft radar
- Filter by distance, altitude, direction
- Track specific aircraft
- View aircraft origin and destination
- Built-in compass
- Track closest plane button
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
Galactic Compass ships an update every 3 weeks, Zephy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Galactic Compass | Zephy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (68 ratings) — better | 4.6 (157 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.4% of reviews — better | 73.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 68 | 157 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Acts Not Facts Ltd | Dennis Moes |
Customer experience
Galactic Compass
Zephy
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
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- 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
Galactic Compass
No in-app purchases
Zephy
No in-app purchases









