nomap vs Candle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
nomap
Navigate your surroundings using only directional arrows and haptic feedback. This app guides you to your destination without requiring you to constantly look at your screen, allowing you to experience your journey more fully. It also features a unique compass mode activated by shaking your phone.
- Arrow-based navigation
- Vibration guidance
- Hands-free walking
- Automatic rerouting
- Shake-activated compass
- Customizable routes
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Look up and walk forward. nomap is a navigation app that gets you to your destination using only arrows and vibrations. Our unique vibration system lets you reach your destination without constantly looking at your phone. Start walking with the guidance of vibrations. Are you spending your travels just looking at your phone? The journey to your destination can be a memorable part of your trip. While you're looking down at your map, you might miss a charming bakery right in front of you. With nomap, you don't need to keep staring at a boring map to get where you're going. As long as you're on the right path, your phone will keep the rhythm. Hold your phone straight and keep moving. When the rhythm stops, it's a sign to turn. Just spin around a bit, and you'll quickly find the right direction. If you take a wrong turn, don't worry. The app will automatically find a new route for you. - Secret Feature Once the navigation starts, try shaking your phone! It will turn into a compass that continuously points to your destination. This feature is handy when you want to know the direction to your destination or choose your own route. Enjoy your adventure while choosing the path you like. (You can revert back by shaking again.) nomap is a brand new app, released just in December 2023. We're excited to make it even more amazing! - When the Compass Points in the Wrong Direction... Sometimes the phone's compass may point in the wrong direction. If that happens, rotate your phone in a figure-eight a few times. It should recalibrate.
Candle
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Candle helps blind and visually impaired people find their way. The app is built for VoiceOver from the ground up: large buttons, clear announcements and vibration instead of looking at a map. COMPASS • Direction by vibration: Candle vibrates when you point your iPhone north or in one of the eight compass directions, and announces it. • Compass to a destination: hold the iPhone in front of you – Candle tells you the direction and distance to your destination. PLACES NEARBY • Explore: cafés, restaurants, pharmacies, ATMs, bus stops, taxi stands, hospitals, public toilets, pedestrian crossings and traffic lights with sound signals – sorted by distance while you walk. • Radar: point your iPhone in a direction and hear which places are there. • Wikipedia: articles about sights around you. YOUR PLACES AND ROUTES • Save favourite places – from your current position or by address search, also by voice. • Walking navigation to saved places, with announcements you choose: detailed or short. • Location notes: leave a hint at a spot, e.g. "stairs after the door" – when you pass it with Candle open, your iPhone vibrates and Candle tells you the hint. Add a new one quickly with a long press on the Candle icon. • Share places as a link and receive them from family and friends. PRIVACY No sign-up, no ads, no tracking. Your places and location notes stay on your device. For maps, places and routes Candle uses open services such as OpenStreetMap. OPEN SOURCE Candle is free and open source: github.com/freegroup/candle Found a bug or have an idea? We welcome feedback – especially from blind and visually impaired users.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: nomap at every 2 days against Candle's every 4 days. Candle's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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.
nomap ships an update every 2 days, Candle every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nomap | Candle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yu Ohama | Andreas Herz |
In-app purchases
nomap
No in-app purchases
Candle
No in-app purchases









