Compass vs Rosebud
Rosebud helps you feel better. Compass helps you build better.
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
Rosebud and Compass overlap: both take voice or text, remember past entries and send weekly insights. The difference is focus. Rosebud is a guided journal for emotions, habits and personal goals. Compass is a notebook for building a company: it files notes by founder topic, keeps a list of the people you mention and drafts X and LinkedIn posts.
Choose Compass if
- Your notes are mostly about the company: customers, hires, fundraising, product.
- You want notes filed by founder topic, with the people in them.
- You build in public and want drafts that start from your own notes.
Choose Rosebud if
- You want guided reflection for mood, stress, habits and personal goals.
- You want Android or the web, or voice journaling in 20 languages.
- You want exercises such as CBT-based prompts and gratitude practice.
You can use Rosebud for personal reflection and Compass for the business.
Keep Rosebud for how you feel. Use Compass for what you are building.
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 Rosebud at a glance
| Feature | Compass | Rosebud |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Founder thinking: decisions, strategy and people | Personal growth: emotions, habits and goals |
| Capture | Voice or text notes, filed automatically | Guided entries by voice or text, in 20 languages |
| Memory | Keeps every note and links it to earlier notes | Remembers past entries and recognizes patterns across them |
| Weekly review | A weekly review of recurring themes | Weekly insights on themes, progress and emotional patterns |
| Organization | Founder categories such as product strategy, team and finances | Entries, plus goals and habits |
| Guided exercises | None; Compass is not a coaching app | CBT-based prompts, gratitude practice, goal and habit suggestions |
| Build-in-public posts | Drafts X and LinkedIn posts from your notes for you to edit and approve | Built for private reflection |
| Platforms | iPhone only (iOS 17 or later) | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and web |
| 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. | Bloom plan $12.99/mo or $107.99/yr |
Why pick Compass over a wellness journal?
Strategy, not therapy
Compass looks for patterns such as a worry about customer acquisition cost that comes up four times in two weeks. It is tuned for decisions, customers and the company, not mood.
The people in your notes
Compass keeps a list of the investors, customers and hires you mention, with context from the notes they appear in.
From notes to posts
When a note is worth sharing, Compass drafts an X or LinkedIn post from it. You edit and approve every draft before anything is posted.
Where Rosebud is better
Emotional support and guided reflection
Rosebud is designed to help you process feelings and build habits, with evidence-based exercises such as CBT techniques. Compass is not a wellness or therapy tool.
Languages and platforms
Rosebud supports voice journaling in 20 languages and runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and the web. Compass is iPhone only.
Goals and habits
Rosebud suggests goals and habits and helps you stay accountable to them. Compass reflects your notes back to you but does not run goal or habit check-ins.
Rosebud and Compass both run on AI and both remember what you tell them. Rosebud helps you understand how you feel. Compass helps you understand what you know about your customers, your team and your next decision.
Common questions
Is Compass an AI therapy or wellness app?
No. Compass is a notebook for founder thinking. It looks for patterns in what you say about the business, not your mental health. For guided emotional reflection, Rosebud is the better fit.
Does Rosebud have memory and weekly insights too?
Yes. Rosebud remembers past entries, recognizes patterns across them and sends weekly insights. Compass does similar work for founder topics, and adds a People list and X and LinkedIn drafts from your notes.
Can I use Rosebud and Compass together?
Yes. Use Rosebud for personal reflection and Compass for the company. They cover different parts of a founder's week.
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 Rosebud against these pages. Features and prices change, so check the latest before you decide.