Compass Retro vs Talking compass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Compass Retro
Experience a photorealistic retro compass that transforms your device into an intuitive navigation tool. It offers a full-screen analog display with smooth needle alignment to true north. Choose between light and dark themes for a visually appealing experience.
- Full-screen photorealistic display
- Smooth true north alignment
- Intuitive analog instrument feel
- Light and dark theme support
- Purpose-built for reliable navigation
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A full-screen, photo-realistic retro compass fills your display, recreating the look and feel of a classic analog instrument. When you hold your device flat, the needle smoothly aligns to true north, turning your phone into a dedicated, intuitive navigation tool. The app supports both light and dark themes, each with its own carefully crafted photograph: in light mode, the compass rests in bright, daytime lighting; in dark mode, it's bathed in the warm glow of an evening sunset. This app is purpose-built for one thing only-being a beautiful, reliable compass-with no extra screens, menus, or distracting features.
Talking compass
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Know your direction without looking at your phone. Talking Compass is a simple, high-contrast compass that speaks your direction and guides you using sound and haptics. Perfect for hands-free use, outdoor adventures, and accessibility. FEATURES • Spoken Direction Hear your heading in real time with customisable speech modes. • North Finder Guided feedback helps you align perfectly with North. • Heading Lock Lock your direction and get alerts if you go off course. • Directional Haptics Feel your direction with unique vibration patterns for each direction. • Haptics Only Mode Use vibration-only feedback for silent navigation. • Adaptive Speech More guidance when moving, less when still. • High Contrast Design Clear, bold interface for visibility in bright conditions. • Built for Accessibility Large tap targets and full VoiceOver support. Simple!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Talking compass at none against Compass Retro's 1. Talking compass also leads on ads (none vs shown). Compass Retro's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price 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 Retro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Talking compass asks for nothing beyond the download.
Compass Retro ships an update every 8 days, Talking compass monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Compass Retro | Talking compass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | akira ohmachi | Steven Johnson |
In-app purchases
Compass Retro
- Remove Ads$1.99
Talking compass
No in-app purchases









