Comparison

Compass & GPS vs SWList

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

Head to head
About

Compass & GPS

This utility app helps you find your direction using the Earth's magnetic field. It displays cardinal directions, GPS altitude, and bearing, and allows location sharing. It also provides sunrise and sunset times for any selected date.

Highlights
  • Determines cardinal directions
  • Displays GPS altitude
  • Shows bearing (azimuth)
  • Location sharing
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Tilt indicator for accuracy
Features
Read full description

A compass is an instrument used to determine direction. This app helps you find your bearings while hiking, traveling, or when visibility is limited due to fog. The compass app determines the cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) using the Earth's magnetic field. This compass app displays GPS altitude. It also shows the bearing (azimuth) at the top of the screen. The application allows you to share your current location with others and view your position on a map. To view the aurora, use this compass app to find north in the Northern Hemisphere and south in the Southern Hemisphere. This compass app displays the tilt of the compass and helps indicate accurate directions. You can view today’s sunrise and sunset times. Select a date on the calendar to calculate the sunrise and sunset times for that date.

About

SWList

Discover and identify shortwave radio stations with access to curated EiBi and Aoki lists. Explore stations by frequency, band, or search criteria, and view detailed transmission information, including location on a map.

Highlights
  • Access EiBi and Aoki curated lists
  • Discover stations by frequency or band
  • Search by station name, country, or language
  • Connect to radio receivers via Hamlib
  • Filter for currently broadcasting stations
  • View station transmission details
  • Display transmitter location on map
Features
Read full description

SWList gives you access to the popular EiBi and Aoki lists, helping you easily discover and identify shortwave radio stations. The EiBi list, curated by Eike Bierwirth, is a highly valued resource within the SWL community.  The Aoki list, curated by Shigenori Aoki, is also widely used and recognized for its reliability. SWList offers four convenient ways to explore radio stations: - Enter a listening frequency to display stations transmitting nearby. - Select a specific radio band to view all stations within it. - Search by station name, country, or broadcast language. - Retrieve the frequency manually or automatically from your radio receiver, if connected via Hamlib. You can also filter results to show only stations that are currently broadcasting. For each station, detailed information is available, including transmission location, target area, and spoken language. If the transmitter’s location is available, you can display it on a geographic map and calculate the distance from your location. SWList also supports light and dark modes to suit your viewing preferences.

Screenshots

Compass & GPS4 screens
SWList4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Compass & GPS at Free against SWList's $3.99. Compass & GPS also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). SWList's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (67% vs 47%). On in-app purchases, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Compass & GPS is free to download; SWList costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Compass & GPS holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Compass & GPS has 13K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 47% of Compass & GPS's written reviews are positive against 67% of SWList's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Compass & GPS ships an update weekly, SWList every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Compass & GPS versus SWList: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompass & GPSSWList
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.7 (13K ratings) — better3.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews47.4% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13K — better4
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEONSOFTStefano Rampazzo

Customer experience

Compass & GPS

All ratings13,133 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews251 reviews
Positive47.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative47.0%

SWList

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Compass & GPS

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compass needle stuck or not moving
  • App freezes or crashes
  • Inconsistent performance across devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add option to disable recalibration requests
  • Improve compass accuracy and reliability
  • Integrate with mapping features

SWList

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Compass & GPS

No in-app purchases

None

SWList

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Compass & GPS free?
Compass & GPS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SWList free?
SWList costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Compass & GPS or SWList?
Compass & GPS is rated higher. Compass & GPS averages 4.7 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while SWList averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Compass & GPS or SWList have ads?
Compass & GPS shows ads; SWList does not.
Which is updated more often, Compass & GPS or SWList?
Compass & GPS ships an update weekly, and SWList every 2 months. Most recently, Compass & GPS was updated on November 5, 2026 and SWList on November 4, 2026.

Other comparisons