Black Spectacles vs AREchitect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Black Spectacles
Prepare for ARE® and CSE® exams with engaging videos, flashcards, and quizzes. Download content for offline viewing anytime, anywhere.
- Exam preparation
- Engaging videos
- Interactive flashcards
- Quizzes
- Offline video downloads
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Black Spectacles helps you prepare for the ARE® and CSE® exams with engaging videos, interactive flashcards, and quizzes. You can also download your prep videos and watch them offline anytime, anywhere.
AREchitect
Prepare for architecture licensing exams with structured study materials and practice questions. Identify weak areas, review explanations, and track your progress towards exam readiness. Flashcards and timed mini-mock exams reinforce learning.
- Exam-style practice questions
- Structured question sets
- Detailed answer explanations
- Performance insights for weak areas
- Review Center for saved/missed questions
- Timed Mini Mock exams
- Study progress tracking
- Flashcards for concept reinforcement
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AREchitect helps architecture professionals prepare for the ARE with a clear, structured study experience. The current version includes focused preparation for the PjM, PA, PPD, and PDD divisions, with additional ARE divisions planned for release in the coming weeks. Key features: • Practice with exam-style questions • Progress through structured question sets • Review detailed explanations for correct and incorrect answers • Identify weak content areas with performance insights • Revisit saved and missed questions in the Review Center • Test your knowledge with timed Mini Mock exams • Track study progress and exam readiness • Use flashcards to reinforce important concepts Question sets unlock progressively as you complete your current set, giving you a clear goal and helping you build consistent study momentum. AREchitect is an independent exam-preparation resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCARB.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AREchitect at 5.0 against Black Spectacles's 3.8. AREchitect also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Black Spectacles's advantage is ratings volume (13 vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
AREchitect holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Black Spectacles has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Black Spectacles ships an update fortnightly, AREchitect monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Black Spectacles | AREchitect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (13 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Black Spectacles, LLC | Bin Liu |
Customer experience
Black Spectacles
AREchitect
In-app purchases
Black Spectacles
No in-app purchases
AREchitect
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Black Spectacles free?
Is AREchitect free?
Which has better reviews, Black Spectacles or AREchitect?
Do Black Spectacles or AREchitect have ads?
Which is updated more often, Black Spectacles or AREchitect?
Other comparisons
