Sakura Guide vs Kyoto Audio Guide step
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sakura Guide
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Explore Japan like never before. Sakura Guide transforms your visit to Japan with professionally crafted audio guides for temples, shrines, gardens, and cultural landmarks. No tour groups, no schedules — just you and the story behind each place. What you get: Expertly researched audio guides covering history, architecture, and cultural significance Available in English, designed for international visitors Perfect for: First-time visitors wanting deeper context Return travelers exploring beyond the obvious Anyone who prefers self-paced discovery over guided tours
Kyoto Audio Guide step
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A self-guided, fully offline audio walking tour through eight of Kyoto's most evocative places — Fushimi Inari Taisha, Nijō Castle, Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, the Gion district, Nishiki Market, and the Arashiyama bamboo grove. Each guide is broken into short, location-aware segments. The narration plays for a few minutes, then pauses — giving you time to walk, look, and arrive at the next spot at your own pace. When you're ready, you press play again. What you get • Eight curated walking guides • Pause-between-segments pacing so you walk, not rush • Background playback — lock your phone, audio keeps going • Lock-screen and Control Center controls (play, pause, skip 5s, scrub) • 2× speed with pitch correction for replays • Built-in "Open in Maps" links to the exact starting point of each tour • No accounts, no tracking, no network calls — everything works offline once installed For travelers who'd rather know what they're standing in front of than just photograph it Voice rendering by natural-sounding AI text-to-speech.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Kyoto Audio Guide step at none against Sakura Guide's shown. Sakura Guide's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Sakura Guide | Kyoto Audio Guide step |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wasabi Interactive | Dmytro Gerasymchuk |
In-app purchases
Sakura Guide
No in-app purchases
Kyoto Audio Guide step
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sakura Guide free?
Is Kyoto Audio Guide step free?
Do Sakura Guide or Kyoto Audio Guide step have ads?
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