AR AlpineGuide vs swisstopo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
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.
- Detailed national maps
- Offline map access
- Hiking and cycling routes
- Aviation charts
- Tour planning and recording
- Map change reporting
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
AR AlpineGuide ships an update weekly, swisstopo monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AR AlpineGuide | swisstopo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (784 ratings) — better | 4.3 (20 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 42.4% of reviews | 74.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 784 — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 175 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | にゃんこソフトウェア | swisstopo |
Customer experience
AR AlpineGuide
swisstopo
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
AR AlpineGuide
- Ad-Free$0.991 Month
- Ad-Free$1.992 Months
- Ad-Free7 Days trial$3.991 Year
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- Ad-Free$5.991 Year
- Ad-Free7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- AdFree (Forever)$14.99
swisstopo
No in-app purchases








