BASEMENT NY vs Black Rock Compass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BASEMENT NY
Discover upcoming events and exclusive mix series from a vibrant club community. Explore resident artist profiles and stay updated on all happenings.
- Upcoming club calendar
- Access mix series
- Resident artist profiles
- Community updates
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See the full upcoming club calendar, access the BASEMENT and ARCHIVES mix series and learn more about our residents
Black Rock Compass
Navigate and discover everything happening at Burning Man. Find friends, events, and essential locations like porta-potties with real-time guidance. Plan your schedule and stay connected with your crew, even with limited cell service.
- Full Burning Man event schedule
- Real-time friend finder compass
- Navigate to friends, art, events & porta potties
- Interactive BRC map
- Save events and build personal schedule
- Bluetooth status broadcasts
- Offline location sharing via Bluetooth
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Black Rock Compass is your companion for Black Rock City. There's always more happening than you can see. BRC helps you catch more of it — and find your people (and the nearest porto) while you do. Browse thousands of events by day and vibe — music, workshops, parties, fire, food, art, and more. Save favorites and build your personal schedule. Find your crew with a real-time compass needle that points directly at your friends. Set a status so everyone knows what you're up to — "at camp", "heading to temple", "come find me". Works with GPS and Bluetooth when cell signal drops. Explore the BRC map with layers for camps, art installations, events, and friends. Tap anything for details and directions. Message your crew directly or in groups. Messages queue offline and deliver when signal returns. Set your status and share your location with nearby friends over Bluetooth — no cell signal needed. Your crew sees where you are and what you're doing, even in the deep playa. Plan a hop crawl — a route between events, bars, or art installations. Pick a vibe and go. Feeling spontaneous? Hit Surrender and let the playa decide what's next. FEATURES: - Full event schedule - Real-time friend finder compass - Navigate to friends, art, events & porta potties - Interactive BRC map with camps, art & events - Save events and build your personal schedule - Bluetooth status broadcasts — tell your crew what you're up to - Offline location sharing via Bluetooth — no signal needed - Hop crawl planner for themed routes - Direct and group messages - Built for the desert — works mostly offline Black Rock Compass is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Burning Man Project. Your companion for Black Rock City, browse the full event schedule, find your crew with a real-time compass, explore the city map with camps, art, and portos, and plan your days. Works fully offline out on the playa.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Black Rock Compass at every 2 days against BASEMENT NY's every 3 weeks. Black Rock Compass also leads on ratings volume (150 vs 9). BASEMENT NY's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
BASEMENT NY holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Black Rock Compass has 150 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two.
BASEMENT NY ships an update every 3 weeks, Black Rock Compass every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BASEMENT NY | Black Rock Compass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (9 ratings) — better | 4.8 (150 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 150 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | BASEMENT | Benjamin Ritter |
Customer experience
BASEMENT NY
Black Rock Compass
In-app purchases
BASEMENT NY
No in-app purchases
Black Rock Compass
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BASEMENT NY free?
Is Black Rock Compass free?
Which has better reviews, BASEMENT NY or Black Rock Compass?
Do BASEMENT NY or Black Rock Compass have ads?
Which is updated more often, BASEMENT NY or Black Rock Compass?
Other comparisons
