Comparison

Peek vs Xplore Austin

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

Head to head
About

Peek

Connect with people around you in real-time through live group chats. This app facilitates authentic conversations based on physical proximity, ideal for students to find classmates, study partners, or new friends on campus.

Highlights
  • Live location-based group chats
  • University, major, and class-based chats
  • Automatic class group chats
  • Conversation prompts
  • Expiring chats
  • Community chats at favorite places
Features
Read full description

Campus curiosity just became competitive. PEEK by Butterfly Social Network is a social discovery app that turns profile views into a guessing game. Discover students from your university or explore profiles from universities everywhere, then take a peek at anyone who catches your attention. When someone visits your profile, you’ll receive three possible profiles and have 10 seconds to guess who peeked. Guess correctly, and you can connect with them. Guess incorrectly, and their identity stays a mystery forever. HOW PEEK WORKS •⁠ ⁠Discover people from your university •⁠ ⁠Explore students through the All Universities tab •⁠ ⁠Check out profiles and learn more about the people around you • Grow your Aura with every Peek •⁠ ⁠Peek at someone who catches your attention •⁠ ⁠Choose between three possible profiles when someone peeks at you •⁠ ⁠Guess correctly to unlock the connection •⁠ ⁠Start chatting and see where it goes PEEK makes meeting people feel exciting again. No endless swiping, forced introductions, or awkward first messages. It adds a little curiosity, mystery, and campus competition to your life. Whether you’re looking for new friends, classmates, campus connections, or someone you’ve secretly noticed, it all starts with one peek. Someone peeked at you. Can you guess who?

About

Xplore Austin

Discover local businesses, student deals, and campus events recommended by UT students. Connect with friends, find study spots, and support local ventures. Earn rewards for exploring Austin.

Highlights
  • Discover local businesses near UT campus
  • Read verified student reviews
  • Access exclusive student discounts
  • RSVP to campus events
  • Connect with friends
  • Interactive map with filters
  • Earn rewards and level up
Features
Read full description

Built by UT students. Find the best study spots, coffee shops, cheap eats, and local businesses near West Campus. No more gatekeeping. Xplore Austin is the UT student's guide to discovering the best local businesses near campus. Find coffee shops, restaurants, study spots, and student-run businesses—all reviewed and recommended by fellow Longhorns. PEER-TRUSTED REVIEWS See what other UT students really think. No fake reviews, just honest feedback from verified students with @utexas.edu emails. DISCOVER LOCAL GEMS Support small businesses and student-run ventures. Find hidden gems you won't see on other apps. EXCLUSIVE DEALS & EVENTS Access student discounts, happy hours, and campus events. Never miss out on what's happening around UT. CONNECT WITH LONGHORNS See where your friends eat, study, and hang out. Join group channels to discuss the best coffee spots, late-night eats, and study locations. EARN REWARDS Gain points and badges for exploring Austin. Level up from Newbie to West Campus Wizard as you discover new places. INTERACTIVE MAP Find businesses near you with real-time distances and directions to your favorite spots. FEATURES: - Browse 30+ local businesses near UT campus - Read verified student reviews and ratings - Save favorites and create collections - Discover exclusive student deals and discounts - RSVP to campus events and happy hours - Join community channels (Coffee Talk, Study Spots, Late Night Eats) - Earn points, badges, and level up - Interactive map with category filters - Upload photos with reviews - Connect with friends and see their recommendations - Direct messaging with other students - Student business owners can claim and manage their listings - Block users and report inappropriate content CATEGORIES: Coffee Shops - Study spots and caffeine fixes Restaurants - From tacos to fine dining Desserts - Sweet treats and boba Study Spots - Quiet places to focus Student-Run - Support fellow Longhorns Fitness - Gyms and workout spots Entertainment - Fun activities near campus GUEST MODE: Not a UT student? Explore as a guest to see what makes our community special. EXCLUSIVELY FOR UT STUDENTS: Full access requires a valid @utexas.edu email address. Built by students, for students. Discover Austin the Longhorn way. Hook 'em!

Screenshots

Peek4 screens
Xplore Austin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Xplore Austin at 5.0 against Peek's 4.5. Xplore Austin also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). Peek's advantage is ratings volume (39 vs 10). On price, review sentiment, 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Xplore Austin holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Peek's written reviews are positive against 100% of Xplore Austin's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Peek ships an update fortnightly, Xplore Austin every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Peek versus Xplore Austin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPeekXplore Austin
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (39 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings39 — better10
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB26 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperButterfly Social Network, Inc.Rasika Patel

Customer experience

Peek

All ratings32 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral3.1%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

Xplore Austin

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Peek

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Login issues
  • Compatibility problems on older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More customization options
  • Improved event discovery
  • Better privacy controls

Xplore Austin

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Peek

No in-app purchases

None

Xplore Austin

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Peek free?
Peek is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Xplore Austin free?
Xplore Austin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Peek or Xplore Austin?
Xplore Austin is rated higher. Peek averages 4.5 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Xplore Austin averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Peek or Xplore Austin have ads?
Neither Peek nor Xplore Austin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Peek or Xplore Austin?
Peek ships an update fortnightly, and Xplore Austin every 4 days. Most recently, Peek was updated on October 30, 2026 and Xplore Austin on October 21, 2026.

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