Comparison

AR AlpineGuide vs swisstopo

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

Head to head
About

AR AlpineGuide

Identify mountains in real-time by pointing your device. See names, altitudes, and distances of over a million peaks worldwide in an augmented reality view. Explore 3D terrain and share your discoveries.

Highlights
  • Identify 1M peaks worldwide
  • Augmented reality peak naming
  • 3D terrain visualization
  • View from any map location
  • Photo sharing
  • Adjustable peak name display
  • Import photos for labeling
Read full description

Point your iOS device at the mountain and you'll see the name, altitude, and distance of the mountaintop. You can identify the names of all the mountain peaks in the 360-degree panoramic AR view. All features are free to use. Thanks to your support, we have reached 2.5 million downloads across all platforms, both domestic and international. Features - It has data from nearly one million peaks around the world. - It uses three-dimensional coordinates and a gyroscope to display the name at the peak, even if you tilt the camera. The display makes it easy to check. - The three-dimensional terrain is displayed semi-transparently, so it is easy to compare it with the actual shape of the mountain and check the location of the peak. - When you point your iOS device downward, the view switches to a 3D view looking down from the sky. - You can check the names of the terrain and mountains that can be seen from any location specified on the map. - You can take a photo with the name of the peak and share it via SNS or email. - Swiping the AR display up, down, left, or right allows you to adjust the position of the peak name display. - It is possible to adjust the position of the peak name display after the picture is taken. - You can import photos taken with another app and add the peak name. ※ If the direction is not correct (e.g. it always shows North), if your iOS device has a cover on it If there is a sensor in the case, please remove it. The metal or magnet on the cover may interfere with the sensor and cause it to malfunction. Terms of Service https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

swisstopo

Explore Switzerland with detailed national maps, including hiking, cycling, and aviation data. Enjoy offline access to all features and data without ads or logins. Plan and record your own tours with navigation tools.

Highlights
  • Detailed national maps
  • Offline map access
  • Hiking and cycling routes
  • Aviation charts
  • Tour planning and recording
  • Map change reporting
Features
Read full description

On the road with the best app of the year: the swisstopo app won the "Master of Swiss Apps 2021" award. Use the famous national maps to discover even the most remote places in Switzerland and topics such as hiking, cycling, snow sports and aviation. All functions and data of the app as well as offline use are free of charge. The app is free of advertising and does not require a login. - all scales from 1:10 000 to 1:1 million - current aerial image and historical maps - official hiking, mountain hiking and alpine hiking trails - closures of hiking trails - snowshoe and ski routes - SwitzerlandMobility routes - public transport stops ON THE ROAD - free offline maps (1:25 000 to 1:1 million) - draw, record, import and share your own tours - set tour type (hiking, cycling, mountain biking) and personal pace - tour guide (arrival time, remaining distance) - panorama mode (labelled panorama, view tour in "3D") - save markers, add notes, share TOOLS such as measure, compare and search (for geographical names, addresses or coordinates) Report changes to maps and geodata AVIATION - aeronautical charts, obstacles, airspaces - landing sites - restrictions for drones and model aircrafts Do you have a question? Then write to us: support-cd@swisstopo.ch

Screenshots

AR AlpineGuide4 screens
swisstopo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: swisstopo at none against AR AlpineGuide's 6. swisstopo also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (74% vs 42%). AR AlpineGuide's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price 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

Both are free to download. AR AlpineGuide sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. swisstopo asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AR AlpineGuide holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AR AlpineGuide has 784 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 42% of AR AlpineGuide's written reviews are positive against 74% of swisstopo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AR AlpineGuide ships an update weekly, swisstopo monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
AR AlpineGuide versus swisstopo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAR AlpineGuideswisstopo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (784 ratings) — better4.3 (20 ratings)
Positive reviews42.4% of reviews74.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings784 — better20
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size175 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerにゃんこソフトウェアswisstopo

Customer experience

AR AlpineGuide

All ratings784 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive42.4%
Neutral10.5%
Negative47.1%

swisstopo

All ratings20 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive74.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.6%

Bugs and requests

AR AlpineGuide

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App not launching after updates
  • Constant pop-up notifications
  • Camera view not working, only black screen
  • Compass spinning uncontrollably

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow selecting elevation range to display
  • Add ability to download/save images locally
  • Improve language support and translations

swisstopo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

AR AlpineGuide

Subscriptions5
  • Ad-Free$0.991 Month
  • Ad-Free$1.992 Months
  • Ad-Free7 Days trial$3.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Ad-Free$5.991 Year
  • Ad-Free7 Days trial$5.991 Month
One-time1
  • AdFree (Forever)$14.99
None

swisstopo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AR AlpineGuide free?
AR AlpineGuide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is swisstopo free?
swisstopo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AR AlpineGuide or swisstopo?
AR AlpineGuide is rated higher. AR AlpineGuide averages 4.6 out of 5 from 784 ratings, while swisstopo averages 4.3 from 20 ratings.
Do AR AlpineGuide or swisstopo have ads?
AR AlpineGuide shows ads; swisstopo does not.
Which is updated more often, AR AlpineGuide or swisstopo?
AR AlpineGuide ships an update weekly, and swisstopo monthly. Most recently, AR AlpineGuide was updated on October 19, 2026 and swisstopo on October 18, 2026.

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