The Garden Guide vs Illinois
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Garden Guide
Explore the Chicago Botanic Garden with this app. Discover plants, find your way around, and learn about the garden's features through tours and audio guides. It's a helpful companion for both visitors and home gardeners.
- Navigate 385 acres and 26 gardens
- Discover plant information by name, color, or characteristics
- Access walking tours and audio guides
- Pin favorite locations
- Track seasonal blooms
- Personal garden docent
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When your question is: “How do I find…” Your answer is: The Garden Guide Packed with information about the Chicago Botanic Garden, our app is the perfect companion as you navigate, discover, learn about, and explore all 385 acres, 26 gardens, 4 natural areas, and our outstanding collection of 2.6 million plants. Get to know the Garden with the help of our Walking Tours and Audio Guides. Or, be your own guide--set out on your own and pin your favorite places. Discover what’s in bloom year round and locate any plant on the grounds by its name, color, or characteristics. Think of it as your personal garden docent--whether you’re visiting the Garden grounds or working in your own backyard.
Illinois
Navigate the University of Illinois with this comprehensive digital companion. Access class schedules, your student ID, campus maps, and event information. Utilize an AI assistant for university-related questions and discover wellness resources.
- Customizable home screen
- Class schedules and locations
- Digital student ID and bus pass
- AI-powered university assistant
- Interactive campus maps with amenities
- Campus event listings
- Wellness resources
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Your digital companion to the University of Illinois, the Illinois app is for you, whether you’re a student, a Fighting Illini fan, an employee, or a first-time visitor. Features include: • A customizable home screen to make the app your own • Campus map with amenities like ADA entrances, all-gender restrooms, and lactation spaces • Class schedules, locations, and building floor plans • Illini ID, library card, and MTD bus pass • Digital business card • Wellness and safety resources, including SafeWalk requests and 24/7 crisis hotlines • Residence hall dining menus tailored to your food preferences • Groups: create or join one, or explore the official Illinois communities you’re already part of • University events, including Fighting Illini sports, Campus Recreation group fitness classes, arts, culture, and more Your quickest path to support is to report issues at https://go.illinois.edu/AppFeedback.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Garden Guide at 64% against Illinois's 11%. The Garden Guide also leads on rating (3.6 vs 2.7) and ads (none vs shown). Illinois's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (118 vs 13). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Garden Guide holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Illinois has 118 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of The Garden Guide's written reviews are positive against 11% of Illinois's.
The Garden Guide ships an update every 7 months, Illinois every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Garden Guide | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (13 ratings) — better | 2.7 (118 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 64.3% of reviews — better | 10.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 118 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chicago Horticultural Society | University of Illinois |
Customer experience
The Garden Guide
Illinois
In-app purchases
The Garden Guide
No in-app purchases
Illinois
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Garden Guide free?
Is Illinois free?
Which has better reviews, The Garden Guide or Illinois?
Do The Garden Guide or Illinois have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Garden Guide or Illinois?
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