Comparison

Desert X 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

Desert X

Navigate and plan your experience at Desert X exhibitions. Discover information about artists, installations, and the organization behind the contemporary art events.

Highlights
  • Exhibition planning
  • Route navigation
  • Artist information
  • Organization details
  • Site-specific installation guide
Read full description

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.

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

Desert X3 screens
arch guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. arch guide sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Desert X asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Desert X ships an update fortnightly, arch guide weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Desert X versus arch guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesert Xarch guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (58 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews69.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings58 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB39 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperThe Desert BiennialARCH GUIDE LLC

In-app purchases

None

Desert X

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 Desert X free?
Desert X 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 Desert X or arch guide have ads?
Neither Desert X nor arch guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Desert X or arch guide?
Desert X ships an update fortnightly, and arch guide weekly. Most recently, Desert X was updated on October 17, 2026 and arch guide on September 30, 2026.

Other comparisons