Comparison

Compass Retro vs Talking compass

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Full-screen photorealistic display
  • Smooth true north alignment
  • Intuitive analog instrument feel
  • Light and dark theme support
  • Purpose-built for reliable navigation
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Talking compass

Features
Read full description

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

Compass Retro4 screens
Talking compass4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Compass Retro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Talking compass asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Compass Retro versus Talking compass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompass RetroTalking compass
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerakira ohmachiSteven Johnson

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Compass Retro

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
None

Talking compass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Compass Retro free?
Compass Retro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Talking compass free?
Talking compass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Compass Retro or Talking compass have ads?
Compass Retro shows ads; Talking compass does not.
Which is updated more often, Compass Retro or Talking compass?
Compass Retro ships an update every 8 days, and Talking compass monthly. Most recently, Compass Retro was updated on October 11, 2026 and Talking compass on October 2, 2026.

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