Comparison

Phalasarna vs Polis Inventory

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

Head to head
About

Phalasarna

Explore the ancient city of Phalasarna with this augmented reality app. Compare current ruins with 3D reconstructions and learn about its history, from its fortified harbor to its pirate port days. Test your knowledge with a built-in quiz.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality 3D reconstructions
  • Location-based exploration
  • Historical narrative
  • Built-in knowledge quiz
  • Snapshot photo feature
  • MapView for navigation
Read full description

Ancient Phalasarna is located on the west coast of Crete. The Phalasarna situated simulation tells the dramatic story of this fascinating city based on the archaeological findings and written sources. If you are traveling in this area you should download the app and visit Ancient Phalasarna (50 km west of Chania). Move around on the archaeological site with your iPhone or iPad and explore the current ruins and remains and compare with their realtime 3D reconstructions. You will experience Ancient Phalasarna as it may have looked in 330 BC when the fortified harbour was built with Persian funding to prevent Alexander the Great’s empire from further expansion. You can also witness the Roman attack on Phalasarna in 69 BC when Phalasarna had become a port for pirates. In the app you can use Snapshot to take parallel photos of both the real and the virtual environment and then share online. You can also test your knowledge about the site with the built–in quiz, as well as consult the MapView for easy navigation. NB! The Phalasarna app is location–based and works only when you are physically at Ancient Phalasarna. Download the app for free before you leave home or at your local hotel, to avoid roaming charges and limited cellular bandwidth.

About

Polis Inventory

Explore ancient Greek settlements from the Archaic and Classical periods. This interactive map visualizes and filters historical data based on physical and historical parameters, offering a digital companion to a seminal scholarly work.

Highlights
  • Interactive map of ancient Greek poleis
  • Search and filter by physical/historical parameters
  • Data based on scholarly inventory
  • View parameter definitions in-app
  • Export data in GeoJSON format
  • No user data tracking
Features
Read full description

Polis-Inventory maps the ancient Greek settlements from the Archaic and Classical periods (c. 650–325 BCE) as identified in the pioneering work published by the Copenhagen Polis Centre, An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis by M. H. Hansen and T. Nielsen (Oxford, 2005; here referred to as the “HN Inventory”). The digital dataset in Polis-Inventory, based on the HN Inventory, comes primarily from the website polis.stanford.edu, managed by Stanford University’s Department of Classics. The dataset reflects ongoing digitization and enhancement of the original print work by the Stanford team and subsequent classical scholars. We continue to advance the data, improving locations and correcting errors as they are encountered. Polis-Inventory is an informative, interactive companion to the HN Inventory, allowing visualization, search, and filtering of the poleis using a set of physical and historical parameters. Parameter definitions are available in context as you browse. Further detail and attribution can be found at odysseymaps.io, polis.stanford.edu, and in the HN Inventory itself. If you would like a copy of the data in this app, you can copy it to your clipboard in GeoJSON format from the About page. Privacy: No user data is tracked or stored by Polis-Inventory. Support: An optional Tip Jar is available to support ongoing development (tips are voluntary and don’t unlock features). Independence: Polis-Inventory is an independent companion and is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Stanford University or Oxford University Press.

Screenshots

Phalasarna4 screens
Polis Inventory4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Polis Inventory at 4.9 against Phalasarna's 4.0. Polis Inventory also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 14 months). Phalasarna's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 16.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. Polis Inventory sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Phalasarna asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Polis Inventory holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Phalasarna's written reviews are positive against 100% of Polis Inventory's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phalasarna ships an update every 14 months, Polis Inventory every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Phalasarna versus Polis Inventory: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhalasarnaPolis Inventory
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)4.9 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings48 — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS9.1 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size356 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCodeGrind ABJess Taylor

Customer experience

Phalasarna

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Polis Inventory

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Phalasarna

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Polis Inventory

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99

Questions

Is Phalasarna free?
Phalasarna is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Polis Inventory free?
Polis Inventory is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Phalasarna or Polis Inventory?
Polis Inventory is rated higher. Phalasarna averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Polis Inventory averages 4.9 from 8 ratings.
Do Phalasarna or Polis Inventory have ads?
Neither Phalasarna nor Polis Inventory shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phalasarna or Polis Inventory?
Phalasarna ships an update every 14 months, and Polis Inventory every 3 months. Most recently, Phalasarna was updated on October 24, 2026 and Polis Inventory on October 24, 2026.

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