Comparison

National Archives DocsTeach vs AR Science

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

Head to head
About

National Archives DocsTeach

This app allows students to learn from historical documents assigned by teachers or explore activities by historical era. Educators can create and share custom learning activities using primary sources from the U.S. National Archives.

Highlights
  • Access teacher-assigned activities
  • Explore activities by historical era
  • Analyze digitized primary sources
  • Create custom learning activities
  • Works with DocsTeach.org website
Features
Read full description

DocsTeach is the app for learning with documents, from the U.S. National Archives. Students can enter a classroom code to access and complete activities assigned to them, or choose from a selection of learning activities by historical era. The app works alongside the DocsTeach.org website, where educators can find or create primary source-based activities to share with students either on the website or on their iPads. For Students: • Complete activities assigned by your teacher using the classroom code provided. • Or choose an era and challenge yourself with an activity. • Inspect and analyze digitized primary sources in high resolution. • Engage in activities that help you make sense of stories, events, and ideas of the past using historical documents from the holdings of the U.S. National Archives. For Educators: • Create a classroom of engaging activities in your free account on the DocsTeach.org website, then share the classroom’s auto-generated code with your students to access on their iPads. • Include your favorite activities created by the National Archives or other educators. • Design your own activities to share using the custom activity-creation tools: Discussion Topic, Spotlight, Zoom/Crop, Compare and Contrast, White Out/Black Out, Finding a Sequence, Making Connections, Mapping History, Seeing the Big Picture, Weighing the Evidence, and Interpreting Data. • Learn more at DocsTeach.org/resources/app • Register for a free account at DocsTeach.org DocsTeach is the online tool for teaching with documents from the U.S. National Archives. It is a product of the National Archives education division and made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the support of Texas Instruments, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, and Capital One.

About

AR Science

Features
Read full description

To be able to use the application correctly, users must also access the AugmentedScience e-book (PDF). The application works by scanning the markers included in these PDF files. When the camera is pointed at the relevant marker, the corresponding augmented reality content will automatically open in the app. No additional button needs to be pressed. Please make sure that the PDF is either opened on another device or printed, and that the marker is clearly visible and sufficiently large for accurate scanning. You can download the AugmentedScience e-books in different languages from the links below: English (ENG): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HP0fKV1vskchAej-RabZa5098uVeDkfV/view?usp=drive_link Turkish (TR): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ycvgPK8G61GDciPS0pFao6INw4dQTnrl/view?usp=drive_link Polish (PL): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NWVcE8xtuUPj3FhsQpOz29zyju49L5MH/view?usp=drive_link Finnish (FN): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d49LrddonTcvtuzXffnFRcu9DV6y7uI4/view?usp=drive_link Greek (GR): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nBFL9RgopOFnMu1NyGDQ9f0zyDneH4rw/view?usp=drive_link If you experience any issues, please let us know which platform you are using (iOS/Android) and confirm that the marker is being scanned from the correct e-book.

Screenshots

AR Science4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: AR Science at every 5 weeks against National Archives DocsTeach's every 10 months. AR Science also leads on device support (3 vs 1). National Archives DocsTeach's advantage is iOS requirement (13.6 vs 15.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

National Archives DocsTeach ships an update every 10 months, AR Science every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
National Archives DocsTeach versus AR Science: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNational Archives DocsTeachAR Science
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.6 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB504 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNational Archives and Records AdministrationPiri Hesap

In-app purchases

None

National Archives DocsTeach

No in-app purchases

None

AR Science

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is National Archives DocsTeach free?
National Archives DocsTeach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AR Science free?
AR Science is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do National Archives DocsTeach or AR Science have ads?
Neither National Archives DocsTeach nor AR Science shows ads.
Which is updated more often, National Archives DocsTeach or AR Science?
National Archives DocsTeach ships an update every 10 months, and AR Science every 5 weeks. Most recently, National Archives DocsTeach was updated on November 1, 2026 and AR Science on October 28, 2026.

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