Comparison

Discover LA vs arch guide

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

Head to head
About

Discover LA

Explore Los Angeles with this official guide. Discover daily events, find dining options based on real-time conditions, and uncover hidden gems. Navigate the city with public transit directions and save your favorite spots.

Highlights
  • Contextual event recommendations
  • Personalized meal suggestions
  • Activity and attraction guides
  • Film location finder
  • Neighborhood stay recommendations
  • Public transportation directions
  • Saved places feature
  • Traveler tools and Wi-Fi hotspots
Features
Read full description

The official guide to Los Angeles, the Discover L.A. app gives urban exploration a whole new meaning. Sleekly designed and packed with contextually crafted content based on time, weather and location, you’ll want to come back daily in search of what to do next in the City of Angels. Built in partnership with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the app features a wide variety of events taking place throughout Los Angeles on a daily basis. Key elements: · Typical L.A. weather! · Top daily events throughout Los Angeles · Find the perfect meal based on weather, time and distance leveraging Discover L.A.'s own custom intelligence algorithm · Wonderful activity guides for things to DO in L.A. -- discover awesome museums, parks, shops, and hidden gems · Go On Location: find places throughout Los Angeles featured in film and television · Locate places to STAY in neighborhoods based on your personal interests · Go Metro with easily accessible public transportation directions · Like a place? Tap the heart icon to save places to your Discover L.A. Passport · Traveler Tools provide a weekly L.A. weather report, currency exchange calculator, and helpful visitor links · Need Wi-Fi? Find available Hotspots across the entire city

About

arch guide

Features
Read full description

Actually see the city. Arch Guide is your personal architecture guide to California. It turns any trip through the city into a tour through design history, explaining the buildings you pass every day without a second look. California is full of architecture hiding in plain sight. Arch Guide stops you, and tells you why it matters. WHAT'S INSIDE Audio-narrated tours across neighborhoods Real architectural history, from Case Study Houses to Craftsman landmarks A style identifier: snap any building, anywhere, and find out what you're looking at Turn-by-turn navigation to every stop Ask Ellie anything about a building while you're standing in front of it A photo journal that keeps every building you've seen EXPLORE YOUR WAY Go at your own pace. Pull up any building on the map to read up on it, follow a guided tour, or build a route of your own anywhere in the city. FOR ARCHITECTURE LOVERS AND THE CURIOUS Whether you already know the big names or you've just always wondered about a building near you, this is architecture without the homework. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego are our first cities. More are on the way.

Screenshots

Discover LA4 screens
arch guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Discover LA at none against arch guide's 10. Discover LA also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.4). arch guide's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). On price 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. arch guide sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Discover LA asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Discover LA ships an update every 4 months, arch guide weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Discover LA versus arch guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiscover LAarch guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews52.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.3K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB39 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperLos Angeles TourismARCH GUIDE LLC

Bugs and requests

Discover LA

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to login and save places
  • Full-screen ads disrupt user experience
  • App crashes when accessing events page

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improve sign-in/registration process
  • Provide customer service contact information
  • Enhance user experience and navigation

arch guide

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Discover LA

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

arch guide

One-time10
  • Bunker Hill on - DTLA$5.99
  • Broadway's Mile - DTLA$5.99
  • Dena's Quiet Empires - Pasadena$5.99
Show 7 more
  • N. University Park - DTLA$5.99
  • Balboa Park - San Diego$5.99
  • Gaslamp Gilded Bricks - San Diego$5.99
  • Arroyo Seco Pkwy - Pasadena$8.99
  • Wilshire Corridor - Mid Wilshire$8.99
  • Desert Modernism - Palm Springs$8.99
  • 3-Tour Pack$17.99

Questions

Is Discover LA free?
Discover LA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is arch guide free?
arch guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Discover LA or arch guide have ads?
Discover LA shows ads; arch guide does not.
Which is updated more often, Discover LA or arch guide?
Discover LA ships an update every 4 months, and arch guide weekly. Most recently, Discover LA was updated on October 29, 2026 and arch guide on October 25, 2026.

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