Comparison

Explore Maeshowe vs Bluebird

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

Head to head
About

Explore Maeshowe

Discover a 5,000-year-old Neolithic tomb in 3D. Explore its interior and exterior, view historical Norse graffiti, and learn about its alignment with the midwinter sun. Includes an animated tour and photographic slideshow.

Highlights
  • Animated virtual tour
  • Photographic slideshow
  • Interactive 3D model
  • Norse graffiti details
  • Midwinter sun alignment info
  • World Heritage Site context
Features
Read full description

Learn about Maeshowe, part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. Explore the historic cairn in 3D, discover Norse graffiti from the 1100s and see how the entrance passage to Maeshowe is perfectly aligned with the setting of the midwinter sun. Discover Maeshowe with this interactive app, featuring: • an animated virtual tour • a photographic slideshow of the site • an interactive 3D model of the tomb’s interior and exterior • more about Maeshowe and how to visit the Heart of Neolithic Orkney. ABOUT MAESHOWE Maeshowe is one of Europe’s finest chambered tombs, built over 5,000 years ago. It is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site and is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. This app was developed by the Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation (CDDV) LLP. Historic Environment Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art School of Simulation and Visualisation formed CDDV in 2010. FEEDBACK WELCOME We are always looking for feedback so please send any ideas on how we can improve the app to web@hes.scot. Want to show how much you love Maeshowe in 3D? Rate us in the app store.

About

Bluebird

Features
Read full description

Quickly learn to speak and understand Icelandic with interactive video lessons narrated in any of 146 languages. "Affordable, responsive, easy to set up, and simple to access, Bluebird is loaded with user-friendly features and contains an enormous amount of content. This is an excellent resource for users seeking a handy, enhanced mobile experience for language learning." - Library Journal Choose from 2,000 pre-recorded lessons (over 5 years of lessons) or create a truly personalized course that revolves around the things you love. If you’re learning for your job, you can even create a personalized course for any of 60 occupations. Bluebird uses the scientifically proven spaced repetition technique, so you’ll learn quickly and retain what you learn long-term. Just listen and repeat – it’s that easy. Learn Icelandic hands-free. No typing or swiping needed. Learn while you’re exercising, cooking, commuting, or relaxing at home. You can even stream your Bluebird lessons to smart speakers. You’ll Learn: * 2,000 high frequency words. (84% of everyday speech includes these powerful words.) * The top 100 verbs – with conjugations in the past, present, and future tenses. * How to build complete sentences on your own. * How to manage dozens of everyday situations. * How to handle complex conversations. Watch Your Progress: * 2,000 quizzes will test your knowledge and reinforce what you learn. * Each quiz contains a variety of question types to evaluate your listening, reading, and writing skills. * See your statistics for both your lessons and quizzes at any time. A Global Approach Bluebird brings language learning to the world’s population in an unprecedented way. You can learn Icelandic from any of 146 narration languages. Something for Everybody Whether you’re preparing for a trip or want to learn Icelandic for fun, school, or work, Bluebird will teach you what you need to know, and ensure you remember what you learn long-term. And, with family-friendly content throughout, your whole family can enjoy learning Icelandic the Bluebird way. Unparalleled Content and Quality Bluebird has the most comprehensive language courses in the world, with an average of 10,000 instructional phrases per language. Each Bluebird lesson lasts between 15 and 45 minutes, with the average lesson lasting 30 minutes. Our curriculum is teacher-designed and human-translated; our narrators and actors are professional voice-over artists and native speakers of their respective languages; and our audio is studio-grade.

Screenshots

Explore Maeshowe4 screens
Bluebird4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Explore Maeshowe at none against Bluebird's 5. Explore Maeshowe also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). Bluebird's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 12 months). On price, 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. Bluebird sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Explore Maeshowe asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Maeshowe ships an update every 12 months, Bluebird every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Explore Maeshowe versus Bluebird: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore MaeshoweBluebird
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size345 MB45 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperHistoric Environment ScotlandPronunciator LLC

In-app purchases

None

Explore Maeshowe

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Bluebird

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited languages (1 month)$9.991 Month
  • Unlimited languages (1 year)$99.991 Year
One-time3
  • RAPID TEST PRODUCT$19.99
  • One Language Lifetime purchase$99.00
  • Lifetime purchase$199.99

Questions

Is Explore Maeshowe free?
Explore Maeshowe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bluebird free?
Bluebird is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Explore Maeshowe or Bluebird have ads?
Neither Explore Maeshowe nor Bluebird shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Explore Maeshowe or Bluebird?
Explore Maeshowe ships an update every 12 months, and Bluebird every 3 months. Most recently, Explore Maeshowe was updated on October 24, 2026 and Bluebird on October 27, 2026.

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