# Discover Pompeii — user reviews > 80 indexed App Store user reviews of Discover Pompeii by Fabio Sanna, rated 4.30/5 from 60 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/discover-pompeii/id1392934511/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/discover-pompeii/id1392934511.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 47 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 8 ## What do users think of Discover Pompeii? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 💰 Cost-effective alternative - 🗺️ Useful map and navigation - 💡 Informative content - 👍 Easy to use - ✅ Works offline (sometimes) - 🏠 Highlights visited places - 💧 Shows water fountains **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent GPS issues - 💸 Paid content not always accessible - 😵 Confusing Italian/English names - 😩 Repetitive/dry content - 🚫 No visual aids - 😵‍💫 Poor audio quality/narration - 📉 Free trial limitations - ❌ App crashes/freezes - 🔌 Requires constant screen on - 📍 Inaccurate location tracking **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes frequently - GPS signal lost or inaccurate - App goes to a black screen - Cannot purchase full version - Buy link not working - App disconnects from location - GPS locks up and doesn't move - Map not working - App shows old location - App crashes when zooming or rotating map - App does not work offline as advertised - GPS indicator is slow and rarely correct - App needs to be restarted to re-pin GPS - Audio stops and goes back to the start - Screen turns white after returning to app **Most requested features** - Add house numbers to the map - Include Italian place names alongside English - Add a compass feature - Allow saving locations in advance - Provide more historical context and community life details - Add an option to build an itinerary - Make visual aids available - Improve audio narration quality and speed - Indicate recommended places to visit - Add entrance locations for different sites - Allow map rotation ## Newest reviews (16 of 80) ### 2/5 — Grauenhafter Audioguide *2026-04-03* Die App an sich ist super, technisch einwandfrei. Aber der Audioguide ist grauenhaft. Es ist eine computergenerierte Stimmt, die einen von Computer übersetzten Text vorließt. Voller Fehler und sinnloser Informationen. Nehmt lieber den offiziellen Audioguide den es vor Ort zum ausleihen gibt. ### 2/5 — Mid *2025-09-19* Some of the content was useless (there were a million “this is one of the best houses in Pompeii”) or included too much judgment or opinion instead of facts. Fountain locations are inaccurate and it would be great if you could save locations in advance. Some of it was interesting/ helpful but I would not recommend. ### 2/5 — Soldi buttati *2025-07-13, version 24.10.07* L’app andava in crash , perdeva il segnale gps e mancano molte zone nella mappa di Pompei , praticamente dopo averla usata per circa un ora sono dovuto tornare all’ingresso e acquistare due guide audio . Soldi buttati . Voglio il rimborso ### 2/5 — Near miss *2023-09-24, version 23.04.26* Could have been good if the buy link actually worked, as it was it just wasted a lot of my time. ### 2/5 — Sounds good but… *2023-05-01* On site it fails in many ways even though I paid for the full version. You need the sat Nav to tell you where you are to find which audio to use. In Pompeii coverage is very poor so you’ll need to close and refresh the app to find out where you are, All the signage in Pompeii uses the Italian names but this menu of contents is in English making searching a guessing game. Worst of all the Audio simply describes what you see and gives almost no information beyond what you can learn from simply looking. The written info was not accessible on the full version. The only use I found in practice was to find the toilets quickly which I believe is available on the free version. Advice to the makers ..add the house numbers to the map ! **Developer response:** Thanks for your feedback Lythril, in the new version that become available last week we fixed the GPS issue, so you won't need to restart the app to pick up the new location, and added the italian version of the names in the map and in the list. We'll think about adding the house numbers as well. ### 4/5 — Worthwhile guide but buggy GPS *2023-04-13* I had hoped that since many of the reviews complaining about the lousy GPS were old that perhaps it had been resolved. No luck. Yes, restarting the app will re-pin your GPS position, but that's annoying. Otherwise it is a helpful app to have while wandering the ruins. **Developer response:** Thanks for your feedback Petersrole, in the new version that become available last week we finally managed to fix the GPS issue, so you won't need to restart the app to pick up the new location ### 2/5 — Free trial did not persuade me to buy *2023-01-29* I tried the free trial, and it seemed to be a map only with no pictures to help guide me. Also doesn’t seem to have an option to build your itinerary. Not what I needed - or, if there is more, this should be made obvious in the free trial section. ### 4/5 — Really useful *2022-09-22* Outstanding information presented directly. Able to switch apps (like the camera) and still able to listen to the narration. I will probably listen to the narration for all the sites that I did not get to see. One star off though for poor geolocation. The app would show where we were when we started the app, but would not track through the site unless we completely closed out of the app and restarted it. ### 2/5 — Content is dry and have to pay *2022-09-14* I read the other reviews that mentioned having to pay once you got to the site to unlock the content, so I was prepared for that (despite it not being advertised). The content is dull and repetitive, talking a lot about architectural styles which whilst important was not what I wanted to learn about. It would have been better to know about the communities, how they lived and what life was like. The only upside is that the audio is clear and the women speaking is easy to understand. **Developer response:** Hi cometravelwithme, thanks for your feedback, in the new version we complitely rewritten and re-voiced the english audio guides, hopefully the new guides are more engaging and entertaining. ### 1/5 — Rubbish *2022-06-09, version 22.05.12* The app does not work offline which it clearly stated it did with the in-app £5.99 purchase. ### 2/5 — OK App, things that need to improve… *2022-05-23* Content problems: The information is a bit repetitive and often not *super* interesting (i.e. the location of the exhibit, you are already probably there; the style of the decoration etc) No indication as to which places were recommended to go to Some places not on the map, even though when there they have pretty big exhibits. All the names in the app are translated to english, when you’re there they are all in Italian, should have both. App problems: when returning the app the screen is white and the app needs to be restarted. GPS indicator is very slow, rarely correct (google maps at the same time was fine) I would recommend just getting a tour guide, especially if you are on a tight time scale. We had a whole day, so figured it out, I do feel that there must be better apps but maybe not, this did help a bit on the day. ### 1/5 — Waste of money *2022-04-21* 5.99€ for the audio guide was really wasted money. I could not use the map and therefore not find the attractions. The names and numbers of the attraction can’t be recognized in the app. Better use ANY other app or none. I can’t be much worse than this app. ### 1/5 — Pessima *2022-01-09, version 21:10.02* Pessima app. Descrizioni che sembrano prese da un libro di statistiche o di storia, lette da una voce robotica con l’espressività dei primi del duemila. Siamo tornati indietro ed abbiamo preso l’audioguida all’ingresso. Soldi buttati. ### 2/5 — Not Awesome *2021-12-23* This app should be getting a high rating, but the buggy GPS functionality is incredibly aggravating. Out of the 30 or so sites we visited within Pompeii, only twice did the GPS keep working as we starts walking to the next location. Every other time the arrow would freeze in your last location, requiring you force-quit and restart the app in order to get your location working again. It also stopped working any time you’d either listen to an audio segment or switch over to another app (like taking a photo, which I of course wanted to do repeatedly). After force-quitting and restarting the app countless times I was ready to throw the app out the window. Particularly because I paid for their premium access. I liked the audio content, but it was such a pain to use navigationally that I just can’t recommend the app until they’ve fixed this major issue. ### 1/5 — Pessima app *2021-11-02, version 14.0.2* Non aiuta a organizzare un tour si limita a commentare i vari siti senza suggerire un percorso la sconsiglio vivamente ### 2/5 — Not great *2021-10-11* I didn’t mind paying for it, as the guide was actually really helpful and provided a lot of information. But every time I was playing a track, the gps kept breaking so I had to keep restarting the app. Also it was missing quite a few places. I ended up not using it after about 20 minutes. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Disappointment *2024-04-06* When testing the trial version all worked well ( decided in Torca - Amalfi coast a few hours before departing to Pompei to buy the full audio content) but when opening the App in Pompei only a black screen was showing up- no matter where I was in this big area. So 8 Euros for nothing as we have no left this beautiful scenery- and in my lifetime I mostly will not return again… :-(! **Developer response:** Hello, I'm very sorry for this inconvenience. I realize this review is old, but I wanted to reassure everyone that this rare but disruptive glitch has definitely been fixed. ### 1/5 — Can’t buy full version *2023-10-03* Could not buy the full version of the app **Developer response:** Hello, unfortunately in Pompeii you might have a bad internet coverage which might make paying difficult in rare cases, so it's better to finalise your purchase in the hotel ### 1/5 — Waste of a download *2023-09-28* Plays 2 minutes of audio with the “Free Trial”, despite being billed as a free app. And then will not actually let you PAY to get past the paywall. AVOID unless you want to waste your time and end up swimming up stream past huge tour groups. **Developer response:** Discover Pompeii is a free app with in app purchases, unfortunately in Pompeii you might have a bad internet coverage which might make paying difficult in rare cases, so it's better to finalise your purchase in the hotel ### 1/5 — What a waste of money *2023-06-05* Canadian review… ZERO stars if it was possible. I did a ton of research before going as we didn’t want to do a tour or pay for a private guide, read the reviews and thought, ok, worth a try for the price. It wasn’t. It didn’t place where we were in Pompeii, so the only way to attempt to use it was to guess where you were and try to find that specific site in the app. About 30 minutes in, we just used the crappy printed map we got with our ticket which was not great, but way better than the app. If you are serious about information, I would suggest you hire a private guide out front. We watched several youtube videos on Pompeii before we left which honestly was the best thing I could recommend. Then when you get there you can see first hand what you learned and watched in the videos. Then when you get back, watch them again if you want a refresh, but don’t waste a cent on this app. Side note… GPS in Rome/Pompeii is not reliable and incredibly frustrating. We experienced this as well as many other tourists we spoke with. Take some old fashioned paper maps with you just incase. **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for taking the time to leave a review, and we're truly sorry to hear about your experience. GPS coverage in Pompeii can indeed be unreliable at times, which unfortunately affects all location-based apps. That said, we've since made improvements to the app, including better recovery times for the GPS once it's again available. ### 1/5 — Horrible *2023-04-21* The app was constantly disconnected from my location so I had to keep referencing google maps to see where I was. It’s missing info on dozens of the locations including ones that would simply be helpful in directing yourself. The actual audio recordings are lacking in comparison to others I’ve used in that the narration is too fast to follow or gives little direction as to which direction the item being described is in. I saw that others may have found the app useful in pre-planning their visit but on the actual site I found it to be a frustrating waste of $8. ### 1/5 — Want my money back! *2023-04-19* Terrible app functionality. narrative was good but hard to follow while at places of interest. Screen images misleading. There are NO pictures or visual aids. On your own to guess what they are talking about. BIGGEST ISSUE: GPS is absolutely terrible. Very frustrating and basically ruined our experience. Nav constantly locks up and doesn’t move. U cannot pin anything and the descriptions of the sites are all in English BUT the actual sites are all in Italian. So guessing all the time about if u r at the right place. Doesn’t tell you where entrance to diff sites are so u end up wandering around and backtracking ALOT to get to the right place to enter any specific site. Don’t waste your money. Get a map at entrance and use official app. Tied to Pompeii site. U will be richer and happier. ### 1/5 — Useless *2022-10-04* Map not working. Would rate 0 if possible. Waste of money. ### 1/5 — Interesting commentary but poor app *2022-09-10* the stories at each location are well thought out and interesting but ……. - I downloaded the free version thinking it would be enough - only when you are onsite and start playing do you realise the limitations - then you have to pay for the app - the signal was so bad I really struggled to do it - the gps didn’t function in the app - it thought I never left the amphitheater all day which rendered the map useless - so you can only use the app then by searching by building and then you hit the next problem - outside each building is a sign - that sign is only in Italian - you must make an exact translation of that name in English for you to be able to find it in the app. That’s fine for ‘casa de’ but i was stumped on many of them It turned out to be the most frustrating app I have ever used and I wish I had stuck with the official one **Developer response:** Thanks for your feedback kdog0110, in the new version that become available last week we fixed the GPS issue, so you won't need to restart the app to pick up the new location, and added the italian version of the names in the map and in the list. ### 1/5 — App just doesn’t work at the site? *2022-08-31* App was glitchy and kept crashing. The locater arrow was never in the right place on the map so you were constantly getting confused you can’t rotate the map either and if you zoom in and out too much it crashes! Don’t buy it ### 1/5 — Pompeii July 2022 *2022-07-13, version 22.06.14* This App does not work unless you have permanent and good gps access. Theoretically I do but most of the time it cut out so was next to useless It was a waste of money The narrator has the weirdest accent and is not agreeable to listen to ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Ok *2023-08-26, version 23.04.26* Geolocalizzazione e spiegazioni complete. Mi sono trovata bene. Ho utilizzato questa app dopo avere tentato di utilizzare la guida ufficiale che nel mio caso dava troppi problemi. Consigliata! ### 5/5 — 2023, app works fantastic *2023-07-12* Title ### 5/5 — Better than at the site *2022-04-19* Excellent!! Way better than the audio guides at the site: I purchased 3 and 2 didn’t work. This was cheaper and much more user friendly. Do yourself a favor and get this guide before you visit! ### 5/5 — Great for informing your visit *2022-04-10, version 21:10.02* Excellent companion for a trip round Pompeii- it also acts as a useful map to guide you on your way ### 5/5 — Great app *2021-09-23* Worked great offline on my trip. I used it as a supplement to my in-person guide and for wandering by myself after. Sometimes the GPS will get stuck but you can fix it by restarting the app. One suggestion would be to add the Italian place names in parentheses so it’s easier to match them to the signage. **Developer response:** Hi Rpdakid, thanks for your feedback, we'll be adding the Italian name of the attractions in the next release ### 5/5 — Bin zufrieden! *2021-08-17* die beste Navi App ### 5/5 — Essential purchase *2020-10-20* This is half the price of the official version and its great. The voice is a pleasant and easy to understand. It even lists where to get water and where to use the toilet. Well worth the £ ### 5/5 — Better than there audio pack *2020-02-10, version 14.0.2* Love this app, full of knowledge.lets you know when you’ve been to a part already and plots you as you walk around. Only but I would like to of had as well is a compass as it always explains areas as “as to the east” etc but there is no way of knowing which direction to look. ### 5/5 — Money well spent *2019-11-19, version 14.0.2* Great for finding your way around Pompeii, we used it instead of paying for a guided tour ### 5/5 — Excellent Pompeii guide *2019-11-17* The audio guides are very detailed and the map and gps worked smoothly for me. Made our visit more interesting and we didn’t need to hire a tour guide --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-12.*