Desert X vs arch guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Desert X
Navigate and plan your experience at Desert X exhibitions. Discover information about artists, installations, and the organization behind the contemporary art events.
- Exhibition planning
- Route navigation
- Artist information
- Organization details
- Site-specific installation guide
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The Desert X app is a simple and effective way to plan and route your way throughout Desert X. For information about upcoming exhibitions, the artists, and the organization, please visit desertx.org Desert X is produced by The Desert Biennial, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in California, conceived to produce recurring international contemporary art exhibitions that activate desert locations through site-specific installations by acclaimed international artists.
arch guide
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Desert X at none against arch guide's 10. Desert X also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.4). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. arch guide sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Desert X asks for nothing beyond the download.
Desert X ships an update fortnightly, arch guide weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Desert X | arch guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (58 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 58 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 26.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | The Desert Biennial | ARCH GUIDE LLC |
In-app purchases
Desert X
No in-app purchases
arch guide
- Bunker Hill on - DTLA$5.99
- Broadway's Mile - DTLA$5.99
- Dena's Quiet Empires - Pasadena$5.99
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- 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 Desert X free?
Is arch guide free?
Do Desert X or arch guide have ads?
Which is updated more often, Desert X or arch guide?
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