Compass vs Claude
Claude is a thinking partner you chat with. Compass is where your own thinking gets captured and kept.
Compass is an iPhone app for founders who think out loud, in early access now.
Updated . We make Compass. Here is where each tool fits.
The short answer
Use Claude for deep analysis, long documents and careful writing. Use Compass to capture your own thinking by voice and see how it adds up. Claude now remembers context across chats on every plan. Compass is a notebook: each spoken thought becomes a filed note, linked to earlier notes and people, with a weekly review of what keeps coming up.
Choose Compass if
- Your best ideas arrive between meetings and you would rather say them than type.
- You want a searchable record of your own notes, sorted by founder topic.
- You want X and LinkedIn drafts built from what you actually said.
Choose Claude if
- You need strong reasoning over long documents, code or research.
- You want a free plan, or apps on the web, desktop and Android.
- You prefer to think problems through in conversation with an assistant.
You can use both: Claude to go deep on a problem, Compass to keep the running record that feeds it.
Keep Claude for deep work. Capture the thinking that feeds it.
Join the early access list in seconds
14-day free trial, then $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr.
Price will increase to $19.99/mo after the first 100 founding members.
Compass vs Claude at a glance
| Feature | Compass | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A voice-first notebook for founders | A general AI assistant for chat, writing and analysis |
| Capture | Tap record and talk, or type. Each thought becomes its own note. | Type or talk inside a chat, including voice mode |
| Memory | Keeps every note and links it to earlier notes | Memory across chats on every plan; past-chat search on paid plans |
| Organization | Files each note into founder categories automatically | A chat list, plus Projects you set up, each with its own memory |
| Patterns over time | Surfaces recurring themes and sends a weekly review | Looks back across chats when you ask it to |
| Build-in-public posts | Drafts X and LinkedIn posts from your notes for you to edit and approve | Writes any post you prompt it for |
| Deep work | Built for short spoken notes | Strong at long documents, analysis and code |
| Platforms | iPhone only (iOS 17 or later) | Web, desktop, iPhone and Android |
| Price | 14-day free trial, then $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr, early access price. Price will increase to $19.99/mo after the first 100 founding members. | Free plan; Pro is $17/mo billed annually or $20 monthly |
Why use Compass if you already have Claude?
Capture first, prompts later
With Claude you start by writing a prompt. With Compass you tap record and say what is on your mind. The note is transcribed and filed without you deciding where it goes.
A record, not a chat log
Claude's memory helps it answer you better. Compass keeps the notes themselves, linked by topic and person, so you can see how your thinking on a hire or a pivot changed over a month.
Patterns and posts from your own words
Compass reviews your notes each week for themes that keep recurring, and turns notes you choose into X and LinkedIn drafts that you edit and approve before they post.
Where Claude is better
Depth of reasoning
Claude reads long documents, works through complex analysis and writes carefully in many styles. Compass is not built for that kind of work.
Free, and on every device
Claude has a free plan that includes memory and Projects, and runs on the web, desktop, iPhone and Android. Compass is iPhone only, and it is a paid subscription after the free trial.
Bring your context with you
Claude can import memory from other AI assistants, so you do not start from zero when you switch. Compass starts from the notes you record in it.
Claude is an excellent reasoning partner, and Compass does not try to compete with it on analysis or writing. Claude helps you think deeper in a session. Compass keeps what you think between sessions, filed and connected, so your next deep session starts from a real record.
Common questions
Doesn't Claude have memory now?
Yes. Since March 2026 memory is on for free Claude users too, paid plans can also search past chats, and each Project keeps its own memory. Claude uses that memory to answer you better. Compass keeps every note you record as a note, files it by topic and links it to earlier notes and people.
Is Compass built on Claude?
It uses Claude models through Anthropic's API to organize and review your notes. Compass is its own notebook, not a Claude chat. Voice notes are transcribed by OpenAI's open-source Whisper model, running on Cloudflare, and longer recorded conversations by AssemblyAI. Cloudflare also runs the search model that finds related notes. Our Privacy Policy lists each of these providers.
Should I use Claude or Compass for strategic planning?
Both, for different steps. Capture the raw thinking in Compass as it happens during the week. When you sit down to plan, take the patterns Compass surfaced into a deeper session with Claude.
What does Compass cost?
14-day free trial, then $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr. Everyone on the early access list keeps $9.99/mo for as long as their subscription stays active. Price will increase to $19.99/mo after the first 100 founding members. Join the early access list now and subscribe when Compass is live.
Sources
We checked each claim about Claude against these pages. Features and prices change, so check the latest before you decide.