Comparison

Horizon vs Compass Quest

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

Head to head
About

Horizon

Features
Read full description

Hold up your phone and watch the night sky come alive. Horizon-AR uses your camera, GPS, and device motion to place real-time augmented reality overlays exactly where celestial objects appear in the sky above you. TRACK THE SOLAR SYSTEM Follow the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn with a live arc overlay showing each object's full path across the sky tonight. Rise and set times update in real time based on your precise location. 110 MESSIER DEEP-SKY OBJECTS IN AR Activate Hot Targets mode and see every Messier object currently above your horizon floating in the AR view β€” galaxies, nebulae, open clusters, and globular clusters, each colour-coded by type. Tap any label to open a detail card showing: β€’ Object type and Messier catalogue number β€’ Common name (Andromeda Galaxy, Orion Nebula, Pleiades…) β€’ Current altitude above the horizon β€’ Apparent visual magnitude β€’ Recommended instrument β€” naked eye, binoculars, or telescope β€’ Favourite toggle, saved across sessions When objects cluster together, a single tap fans them out radially so you can reach each one individually. FILTER BY OBJECT TYPE Narrow the Hot Targets overlay to just galaxies, just nebulae, or just star clusters with a single tap. Objects you've starred appear in your Nightly Overview for quick access every session. FREEZE THE SKY Long-press anywhere to lock the entire AR view β€” overlays and camera image β€” as a still frame. Perfect for star parties, sketching, or sharing a screenshot. Tap once to unfreeze. NIGHTLY OVERVIEW Open the Tonight sheet for a full list of rise, transit, and set times for all solar system objects plus your Messier favourites, sorted for the coming night at your location. WORKS WITHOUT FULL PERMISSIONS No camera access? Horizon-AR switches to a star-field background with altitude rings and an azimuth grid so you can still explore the sky. Declined location? Enter coordinates manually and continue without interruption. No account. No subscription. No ads. Privacy: your location and camera data never leave your device.

About

Compass Quest

Features
Read full description

Most kids can name the Pyramids β€” but which way ARE they from your house? Compass Quest turns your child's device into a magic compass that points at real world wonders. STAND UP AND TURN Every day brings a new quest: "Find Machu Picchu!" Hold the device flat, turn slowly, and follow the hot-and-cold clues until the golden needle LOCKS ON. That moment β€” feeling that Peru is *that way* β€” is geography no textbook can teach. GUESS THE DISTANCE Before the answer is revealed, take a guess: how far away is it? Nail it for bonus stars. RANGE EXPLORER β€” A GAME OF SCALES Choose your ring: 100 km (day-trip wonders), 1,000 km (a plane ride away) or 10,000 km (the far side of the world). Point anywhere, lock the direction, and guess which famous landmark lies that way at that scale. Match it to earn the compass-rose stamp! FILL YOUR PASSPORT 121 hand-picked wonders across all 7 continents β€” from the Eiffel Tower to Easter Island, the Serengeti to Santa Claus Village. Every find earns a passport stamp, a fun fact, and progress towards Globe Trotter levels. Keep your daily streak alive! WHAT KIDS LEARN β€’ Real spatial geography: direction AND distance from THEIR home β€’ Compass reading: N, NE, E… by body memory β€’ 121 landmarks, countries, flags and kid-friendly facts β€’ The true scale of our planet MADE FOR FAMILIES β€’ No ads. No in-app purchases. No accounts. β€’ No internet connection β€” everything stays on the device β€’ Location is used only to compute directions and never leaves the device β€’ 5–10 minute sessions, designed for ages 8–12 Stand up, point your device, and feel where the world is.

Screenshots

Horizon4 screens
Compass Quest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Horizon at 15.1 against Compass Quest's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Horizon versus Compass Quest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHorizonCompass Quest
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size42 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael BartosAnand Sengupta

In-app purchases

None

Horizon

No in-app purchases

None

Compass Quest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Horizon free?
Horizon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Compass Quest free?
Compass Quest is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Horizon or Compass Quest have ads?
Neither Horizon nor Compass Quest shows ads.

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