Comparison

Batphone vs MineAR

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

Head to head
About

Batphone

This app uses your device's microphone to identify your location indoors by analyzing ambient room sounds. It offers an alternative to GPS and iBeacon, aiming for greater accuracy in indoor positioning.

Highlights
  • Acoustic indoor localization
  • Room ambience analysis
  • Alternative to GPS/iBeacon
  • Compares with Location Services
  • Research tool
Features
Read full description

Batphone is a research tool which demonstrates a method determining your location within a building. It's meant to be an alternative to GPS or iBeacon, and it works by using the microphone to record room ambience. These acoustic room fingerprints are used to recognize previously-tagged rooms when they are revisited. For comparison, it also shows the position retrieved from Location Services, which determines your coordinates using radio signals from GPS satellites, wifi and cellular base stations. Our experiments have shown that Batphone's acoustic method is more accurate than the radio method. Try it for yourself and let us know what you think! Fore more details, please see the report titled "Indoor Localization without Infrastructure using the Acoustic Background Spectrum" which was presented at the 2011 MobiSys conference.

About

MineAR

Visualize your subsurface GIS data in 3D augmented reality directly in the field. Overlay your data with terrain and geography to identify obstructions, compare topography, and discover new exploration targets. Works offline and includes a NearMe service for points of interest.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality data visualization
  • Overlay subsurface data with terrain
  • Identify drilling obstructions
  • Offline functionality
  • NearMe service for points of interest
  • Import CSV and GEOJSON data
  • Data styling and organization
Features
Read full description

Data you can grasp. As a geoscience professional, we know you want an easier way to see your GIS data while you’re in the field. MineAR allows you to do exactly that. Our app seamlessly allows you to upload your subsurface data and lets you see it alongside your surrounding terrain and geography. MineAR helps eliminate costly mistakes by allowing you to engage with your data, see obstructions for your drilling and exploration targets, and compare the topography with where you need to drill in real space. Discover all of this on our app. ▶ How It Works 1 - LOAD YOUR DATA Expect accurate and dependable results that are fast and responsive. 2 - VIEW IT IN THE FIELD No more frustration. Confirm your drilling and exploration targets and cross-reference your data while never leaving the job site. 3 - DISCOVER Eliminate unknowns as you locate new minerals in real-time. ▶ Free MineAR App Features • No ads • NearMe service shows the roads, rivers, points of interest, and elevation models in augmented reality of your location. This service is particularly helpful in the discovery of new mining or digging locations so you can compare the topography and the terrain. • Augmented reality and virtual reality modes • Digital elevation model • Works on and offline • Compass and GPS keep you and your data centered with the elevation model. ▶ Additional Premium Features • IMPORT common datatypes: CSV, GEOJSON (points, lines and shapes!) • ORGANIZE your data by Project • VIEW and STYLIZE your data by any of the data's attributes. ▶ Free Trial! Subscription Information Thank you for being an early adopter! A free trial gives you complete access to the app and the ability to upload and view your own data. Sample data added for you to play with. ▶ Feedback: Having a problem, or want to request new features please contact us at support@gominear.com Terms of use: https://www.gominear.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Batphone1 screens
MineAR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MineAR at 5.0 against Batphone's 3.3. MineAR also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 19 months). Batphone's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, 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. MineAR sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Batphone asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MineAR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 5 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Batphone ships an update every 19 months, MineAR every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Batphone versus MineAR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBatphoneMineAR
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (4 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings45 — better
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB104 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStephen TarziaMap Life, LLC

Customer experience

Batphone

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

MineAR

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Batphone

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

MineAR

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Batphone free?
Batphone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MineAR free?
MineAR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Batphone or MineAR?
MineAR is rated higher. Batphone averages 3.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while MineAR averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Batphone or MineAR have ads?
Neither Batphone nor MineAR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Batphone or MineAR?
Batphone ships an update every 19 months, and MineAR every 3 months. Most recently, Batphone was updated on June 5, 2026 and MineAR on June 1, 2026.

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