Comparison

Labyl vs Chicago Architecture Center

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

Head to head
About

Labyl

Discover New York's architecture by simply taking a photo. Identify buildings, learn their history, architects, and construction year. Explore further with external links and save your favorites for later.

Highlights
  • Identify architecture with photos
  • Learn building history and architects
  • Explore buildings via external links
  • Save favorite buildings
  • Covers popular NYC neighborhoods
Features
Read full description

LABYL (Learn About Buildings you Love) is an award winning architectural wayfinding app developed by NDNY Architecture + Design (http://ndny.co/LABYL.php) that will allow you to explore the built environment in New York simply by taking a photo. The app includes some of the most popular neighborhoods and destinations such as Chelsea, West Village, the Highline and lower Manhattan. With over 500 buildings in the database the app will provide reliable results for queried buildings including information on the history, the architect and helpful links to learn about the project in more detail. Labyl is simple to use and is a powerful tool for tourists, students, architecture enthusiasts and professionals interested in heuristic adventures. Labyl strives to make New York’s architecture accessible to all. LABYL lets you - Identify interesting architecture simply by taking a photo - Learn about the history of the buildings, the design team and year of construction - Dive deeper into each building by exploring external links - Save your favorite buildings so you can access them later at your leisure Labyl was recently awarded "Technological Innovation of the Year" at the NYC Construction Awards (https://www.newyorkconstructionawards.com/winners/) and has been shortlisted for an award by the Society of American Registered Architects (http://www.sarany.org/2018-design-awards-winners)

About

Chicago Architecture Center

Discover Chicago's renowned architecture through self-guided tours with expert audio commentary. Access event information, book tickets for tours and cruises, and explore the city's design innovations from anywhere.

Highlights
  • Self-guided architectural tours
  • Expert audio commentary
  • Curate Open House Chicago experience
  • Event and program listings
  • Book river cruise and tour tickets
Features
Read full description

With the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) app, you can now explore the city’s architecture from anywhere. Reaching over 700,000 people a year through programs, exhibitions, tours and more, the CAC is the leading organization devoted to celebrating and promoting Chicago as a center of architectural innovation. Download the app and start exploring your city today: Curate your Open House Chicago experience See Chicago’s architecture for yourself on self-guided tours with expert audio commentary Watch a program featuring top industry speakers Get your tickets to our award-winning river cruise and tours Whether you’re at home or on the go, you can now discover the City of Architecture like never before.

Screenshots

Labyl4 screens
Chicago Architecture Center4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Labyl at 100% against Chicago Architecture Center's 20%. Labyl also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.8) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Labyl holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Labyl's written reviews are positive against 20% of Chicago Architecture Center's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Labyl versus Chicago Architecture Center: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLabylChicago Architecture Center
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (14 ratings) — better3.8 (25 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1425 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB4 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAnanth SampathkumarCHICAGO ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION INC

Customer experience

Labyl

All ratings14 ratings
Positive78.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Chicago Architecture Center

All ratings25 ratings
Positive68.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative28.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

None

Labyl

No in-app purchases

None

Chicago Architecture Center

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Labyl free?
Labyl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chicago Architecture Center free?
Chicago Architecture Center is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Labyl or Chicago Architecture Center?
Labyl is rated higher. Labyl averages 4.3 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Chicago Architecture Center averages 3.8 from 25 ratings.
Do Labyl or Chicago Architecture Center have ads?
Neither Labyl nor Chicago Architecture Center shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Labyl or Chicago Architecture Center?
Labyl ships an update every 3 months, and Chicago Architecture Center every 3 months. Most recently, Labyl was updated on November 2, 2026 and Chicago Architecture Center on November 3, 2026.

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