Comparison

The Alternatives vs Afterdark

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

Head to head
About

The Alternatives

Features
Read full description

The Alternatives lets you explore alternative versions of your favorite places—past, present, and future—through interactive, location-based AR. Wander your streets, uncover hidden histories, and imagine bold new possibilities for your neighborhood’s future. Help reimagine the places you love and discover a whole new dimension to your everyday surroundings. Explore, remix, and co-create alternative versions of your local world. See Alternatives all around you! What will your neighborhood become?

About

Afterdark

Explore a vast database of over ten thousand haunted locations across the U.S. Discover nearby paranormal spots, share your experiences, and compete with friends on a leaderboard. The app features an interactive map and allows users to request new locations.

Highlights
  • Discover thousands of haunted locations
  • Track visited spots and climb leaderboards
  • Explore nearby haunted places
  • Interactive map for navigation
  • Request new location submissions
Read full description

Uncover what lurks in the shadows. Afterdark is your guide to more than 10,500 haunted locations across the globe, abandoned asylums, cursed cemeteries, restless hotels and roadside legends. Find the haunts hiding near you, visit them in person, and prove you're the bravest ghost hunter on the leaderboard. EXPLORE THE HAUNTED • Near You: See the haunted places closest to where you're standing. • Trending: Find out which haunts the community is visiting right now. • New Locations: Browse the latest spots added by fellow explorers. • Map Preview: Explore a featured haunted city on the interactive map. • Look Around: Preview a location at street level before you go. • Save for Later: Bookmark the haunts you plan to visit. VISIT & COMPETE Get within a mile of a haunted location to check in. Every visit goes on your record and moves you up the global Visit Leaderboard. Bring your bravest friends and see who can visit the most haunts. SHARE YOUR ENCOUNTERS Read stories from people who have been there, then add your own. Leave a comment about what you saw, heard or felt, and share locations with friends. BUILD THE MAP Know a haunted spot we're missing? Submit it and help the community grow. Top contributors are recognized in the app, and every location shows who added it. You can also request updates to existing locations to keep the records accurate. AFTERDARK+ Unlock every haunt, everywhere: • The Full Haunted Map: Scan the whole country for paranormal hotspots and get directions to any of them. • Everything Near You: See every haunt around you, not just the closest few. • Search: Look up any haunted location by name or city. • Haunted Road Trips: Pick a distance and let the spirits plan a route through nearby haunts, or choose your own stops. Every trip is put in the shortest driving order, with directions to each haunt. • Haunted Notifications: Get an alert when you come within a mile of a haunted location, even when the app is closed. • Echoes of the Unseen: Let the spirits weave a haunted tale from each location's history. Choose an explorer's account, a campfire legend, recovered journal pages or a paranormal case file. Every tale is different. (Requires iOS 26 and an Apple Intelligence–compatible device.) Choose a yearly plan with a 7-day free trial, a monthly plan, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Sign in with Apple to track your visits, build your profile and join the leaderboard, or continue as a guest and start exploring right away. The spirits are waiting. Download Afterdark and begin the search. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Afterdark+ Yearly and Monthly are auto-renewing subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm your purchase, or when the free trial ends. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

The Alternatives2 screens
Afterdark4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Alternatives at none against Afterdark's 3. The Alternatives also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Afterdark's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, 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. Afterdark sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. The Alternatives asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Alternatives ships an update every 6 weeks, Afterdark every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
The Alternatives versus Afterdark: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe AlternativesAfterdark
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (43 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—81.8% of reviews
Number of ratings—43 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size841 MB30 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperTrust Up L3CNoah Giboney

In-app purchases

None

The Alternatives

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Afterdark

Subscriptions2
  • Afterdark+ Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Afterdark+ Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Afterdark+$39.99

Questions

Is The Alternatives free?
The Alternatives is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Afterdark free?
Afterdark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do The Alternatives or Afterdark have ads?
Neither The Alternatives nor Afterdark shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Alternatives or Afterdark?
The Alternatives ships an update every 6 weeks, and Afterdark every 2 days. Most recently, The Alternatives was updated on October 17, 2026 and Afterdark on October 25, 2026.

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