Comparison

Arve Big Tree vs Albany Is

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

Head to head
About

Arve Big Tree

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Visit Geeveston to see one of Tasmania's lost giants brought back to life through the magic of Augmented Reality.

About

Albany Is

An interactive audio storytelling experience that immerses you in the history and culture of Albany, Western Australia. Choose your path through branching narratives shaped by the voices and soundscapes of its residents.

Highlights
  • Interactive audio storytelling
  • Branching narrative paths
  • Real voices of locals and elders
  • Living map with location-based audio
  • Ambient soundscapes
  • Offline listening support
Features
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Albany Is - an interactive audio storytelling experience set in Albany, Western Australia, a place told in the voices of the people who live it. Choose a journey and listen as the story unfolds around you. At the turning points, you decide which thread to follow: tap a voice to hear where it leads, and the narrative branches to meet you. No two listens are quite the same. THE JOURNEYS Ten journeys, more than five hours of listening, each its own way into the town: • Country: deep time and living Menang knowledge of one of the oldest landscapes on earth • Edge: where the continent stops; Menang country, then a frontier and a garrison, and who endured it • Harvest: farming, fishing and the whaling years; the work that fed the south, and the reckoning after • Hidden Hands: the workers the record mislaid, from Menang families to the women who scrubbed other people's floors, now in their own voices • Restoration: lives spent putting country back together; what it takes to repair a place, and a community • Belonging: what makes a place yours, and the many ways people here put down roots • Crossings: the arrivals and departures that brought this town together, and tore it apart • Young: Albany kids interviewing Albany kids; the town's next chapter, in its own voice • Practices: wool dyed by hand, birdsong turned to music: different crafts, one kind of attention • Shared Futures: councillors and Menang Elders at one table, on the ground they share MANY VOICES, ONE PLACE Every journey is built from real recordings: more than 120 locals, elders, workers and storytellers, each with their own era and perspective. Meet them in the Voices browser, read a little about who they are, and jump straight to any of their moments in the story. A LIVING MAP Behind every story is a real Albany place. Once you've heard a journey through, its map opens up: tap a pin to hear the moments tied to that spot, and jump right in. It's the same town you can walk, told from the inside. LISTEN YOUR WAY • Choose your own path, or switch to a guided listen and let the story carry you • Full lock-screen, Bluetooth and car controls, so you can keep listening with the screen off • Ambient soundscapes and a standalone Atmosphere mode for when you just want the sound of the place MADE WITH AND FOR ALBANY Albany Is was made in partnership with the community whose stories it holds. It opens with a cultural advisory and an Acknowledgement of Country, and treats the voices within it with the care they're owed. Put your headphones on, choose a journey, and listen.

Screenshots

Arve Big Tree3 screens
Albany Is4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Albany Is at every 2 weeks against Arve Big Tree's every 11 months. Arve Big Tree's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Arve Big Tree ships an update every 11 months, Albany Is every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 6 level
Arve Big Tree versus Albany Is: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArve Big TreeAlbany Is
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size550 MB305 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHandbuilt Creative Pty LtdFORM Contemporary Craft and Design Inc

In-app purchases

None

Arve Big Tree

No in-app purchases

None

Albany Is

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Arve Big Tree free?
Arve Big Tree is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Albany Is free?
Albany Is is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Arve Big Tree or Albany Is have ads?
Neither Arve Big Tree nor Albany Is shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Arve Big Tree or Albany Is?
Arve Big Tree ships an update every 11 months, and Albany Is every 2 weeks. Most recently, Arve Big Tree was updated on October 26, 2026 and Albany Is on October 24, 2026.

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