Rivian vs Drive Stories
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rivian
Control and manage your electric vehicle with your smartphone. Use your phone as a key, monitor charging, plan trips with charging stops, and access vehicle support and service. Keep your vehicle updated and ready for your next adventure.
- Phone as vehicle key
- Remote lock/unlock
- Remote climate control
- Trip planning with charging stops
- Charger and point of interest map
- Vehicle status monitoring
- Service and roadside assistance
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The Rivian app works with your R1T and R1S to make driving and owning your Rivian simple. Use your phone as a key, manage charging sessions, tap into support and so much more: • Accept delivery of your Rivian • Make your phone a key to your R1T or R1S • Lock and unlock your vehicle remotely • Warm up or cool down your vehicle before you get in • Plan trips in the app to see recommended routes and charging stops based on your preferences • Search the map for points of interest and nearby chargers—and send any destination to your vehicle • Check your Rivian's range and current charging status • Connect with our support team to ask questions and troubleshoot • Request and track vehicle service and roadside assistance • Start available vehicle software updates from the app • Connect with your home Rivian Wall Charger Keep the World Adventurous Forever.
Drive Stories
Experience your travels with location-based audio stories that bring places to life. Discover history, landmarks, and fascinating facts as you drive, with seamless in-car integration. Transform every journey into an immersive narrative.
- Location-based audio stories
- Seamless in-car use
- Apple CarPlay integration
- Over 40 languages
- 15 story categories
- Choice of 10 voices
- Global location selection
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Drive Stories : Location-Based Audio Stories *** 2025 Fast Company Innovation Award *** 2025 Online Design Award *** 2026 Webby Award Nominee Discover a new way to experience your drives with Drive Stories, an innovative audio travel app that brings locations to life. As you travel, Drive Stories delivers captivating, location-based factual stories about the places you pass through—whether it’s the history of a small town, the lore of a landmark, or fascinating facts about your surroundings. Perfect for road trips, commutes, or spontaneous adventures, the app transforms every journey into an immersive narrative experience. Designed for seamless in-car use, Drive Stories is fully compatible on Apple iOS devices and Apple CarPlay, ensuring safe and easy access to stories while keeping your focus on the road. Simply launch the app, choose a location and category, and enjoy audio stories tailored to your route. Your first 5 stories are free - no strings attached - then choose a monthly or annual plan. Drive Stories is an invitation to discover — a hands-free experience that delights, informs, & entertains by fostering a deeper connection with the people, places, & histories of the places you are traveling through. Awarded by some of the top industry experts, including a 2025 Fast Company Innovation Award. Download the app today and experience one of the smartest and most robust travel apps on the market. FEATURES: - Integrated into Apple CarPlay for seamless use while driving - Available in over 40 languages - Choose from 15 categories from any location you select - Choose from 10 different voices to find the one you like to listen to the most - Choose ANY location in the world, wherever you are - Focus on what matters - audio stories keep your eyes off your phone and on your surroundings ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, DRIVE STORIES WORKS The app will automatically find your GPS coordinates and based on your geolocation, will identify 10 of the nearest cities, towns and villages near you. Simply tap a location and category and hit play. SELECT FROM 15 CATEGORIES * Introduction (of Location) * Important People * Wildlife & Nature * Economy & Industry * Food * Architecture * Sport * Political & Social * For Kids * Points of Interest * Art, Literature & Music * Science & Innovation * Entertainment * Local Language * Weird & Wonderful ABOUT DRIVE STORIES Drive Stories is a passionate return to the open road and the driving experience, helping unlock location stories from all around the world - allowing us to create enjoyable moments of open-road freedom and a leading example of how technology can help unlock knowledge and information in an exciting new way. Drive Stories wants to make every drive a memorable one, no matter where the road takes you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Rivian at 4.4 against Drive Stories's 3.3. Rivian also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 4). Drive Stories's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 45%). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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. Drive Stories sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Rivian asks for nothing beyond the download.
Rivian holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rivian has 1.4K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of Rivian's written reviews are positive against 80% of Drive Stories's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rivian | Drive Stories |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (1.4K ratings) — better | 3.3 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 45.1% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.4K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #207 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 419 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rivian | Thomas Moeller |
Customer experience
Rivian
Drive Stories
Bugs and requests
Rivian
Reported bugs
3 issues- Widgets disappearing after app updates
- Inconsistent phone-as-a-key performance
- Charging status not updating correctly
Requested features
4 requests- Remote access to cameras and Gear Guard videos
- Ability to control more vehicle functions like windows, frunk, and charge port
- Integration with Apple Watch and other smart devices
- Customizable charge scheduling and energy cost tracking
Drive Stories
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Rivian
No in-app purchases
Drive Stories
- Monthly$2.991 Month
- Annual$34.991 Year






