# Past Chicago vs Barton Tiles®

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Past Chicago at none against Barton Tiles®'s 10. Past Chicago also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). Barton Tiles®'s advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Barton Tiles® sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Past Chicago asks for nothing beyond the download.

Past Chicago holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 17 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Past Chicago's written reviews are positive against 76% of Barton Tiles®'s.

Past Chicago ships an update monthly, Barton Tiles® every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Past Chicago | Barton Tiles® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/past-chicago/id511023472/reviews)** | [4.1 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barton-tiles/id637391422/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **17** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 76.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Boxcue Technologies LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/511023475) | [Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/637391425) |

## What reviewers say

### Past Chicago

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/past-chicago/id511023472)

Explore Chicago's past through thousands of historic photographs overlaid on an interactive map. Discover street scenes and buildings from different eras, search for specific locations, and view original archive details. This app offers a free, ad-free way to virtually wander through the city's history.

**Highlights:** Historic photos on an interactive map, Search by place or address, Filter by year, View full-screen photos, Save favorite places, Includes archive source and date information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Barton Tiles®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barton-tiles/id637391422)

This app supports users of the Barton Reading & Spelling System by streamlining tutoring sessions. It automatically displays necessary tiles and words for lessons, tracks student progress, and allows for easy note-taking and communication with students or parents.

**Highlights:** Student progress tracking, Automatic tile display, Automatic word generation, Digital note-taking, Email communication, Lesson setup

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Phonemic Awareness | $29.99 | one-time |
| Consonants & Short Vowels | $29.99 | one-time |
| Closed & Unit Syllables | $29.99 | one-time |
| Multi-Syllable words and Vowel Teams | $29.99 | one-time |
| Prefixes & Suffixes | $29.99 | one-time |
| Six Reasons for Silent-E | $29.99 | one-time |
| Vowel-R's | $29.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Vowel Teams | $29.99 | one-time |
| Influence of Foreign Languages | $29.99 | one-time |
| Latin Roots and Greek Combining Forms | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Past Chicago free?

Past Chicago is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Barton Tiles® free?

Barton Tiles® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Past Chicago or Barton Tiles®?

Past Chicago is rated higher. Past Chicago averages 4.5 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Barton Tiles® averages 4.1 from 17 ratings.

### Do Past Chicago or Barton Tiles® have ads?

Neither Past Chicago nor Barton Tiles® shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Past Chicago or Barton Tiles®?

Past Chicago ships an update monthly, and Barton Tiles® every 2 months. Most recently, Past Chicago was updated on November 1, 2026 and Barton Tiles® on November 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*