Comparison

arktur vs arch guide

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

Head to head
About

arktur

Features
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Uncover the stories behind what you see. EXPLORE YOUR SURROUNDINGS A fast map highlights interesting buildings around you, with seamless browsing. UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SEE Discover the history, design, and context of buildings, and learn more about their architects and styles. DISCOVER RELATED BUILDINGS Use See also to jump to similar buildings and keep exploring. PLAN YOUR OWN TOURS Save your favorites, curate custom architecture tours, and share them easily with friends. FIND EXACTLY WHAT FASCINATES YOU Modern classics? Brutalism? Typologies like housing, museums, or industrial sites? Filter by style, era, or typology to find what you’re looking for. Discover architecture right where you are. Or where you're heading.

About

arch guide

Features
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Actually see the city. Arch Guide is your personal architecture guide to California. It turns any trip through the city into a tour through design history, explaining the buildings you pass every day without a second look. California is full of architecture hiding in plain sight. Arch Guide stops you, and tells you why it matters. WHAT'S INSIDE Audio-narrated tours across neighborhoods Real architectural history, from Case Study Houses to Craftsman landmarks A style identifier: snap any building, anywhere, and find out what you're looking at Turn-by-turn navigation to every stop Ask Ellie anything about a building while you're standing in front of it A photo journal that keeps every building you've seen EXPLORE YOUR WAY Go at your own pace. Pull up any building on the map to read up on it, follow a guided tour, or build a route of your own anywhere in the city. FOR ARCHITECTURE LOVERS AND THE CURIOUS Whether you already know the big names or you've just always wondered about a building near you, this is architecture without the homework. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego are our first cities. More are on the way.

Screenshots

arktur4 screens
arch guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: arktur at none against arch guide's 10. arktur also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.4). On price, update cadence, 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. arch guide sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. arktur asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

arktur ships an update every 6 days, arch guide weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
arktur versus arch guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterarkturarch guide
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB39 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFritz SchulzARCH GUIDE LLC

In-app purchases

None

arktur

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

arch guide

One-time10
  • Bunker Hill on - DTLA$5.99
  • Broadway's Mile - DTLA$5.99
  • Dena's Quiet Empires - Pasadena$5.99
Show 7 more
  • N. University Park - DTLA$5.99
  • Balboa Park - San Diego$5.99
  • Gaslamp Gilded Bricks - San Diego$5.99
  • Arroyo Seco Pkwy - Pasadena$8.99
  • Wilshire Corridor - Mid Wilshire$8.99
  • Desert Modernism - Palm Springs$8.99
  • 3-Tour Pack$17.99

Questions

Is arktur free?
arktur is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is arch guide free?
arch guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do arktur or arch guide have ads?
Neither arktur nor arch guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, arktur or arch guide?
arktur ships an update every 6 days, and arch guide weekly. Most recently, arktur was updated on October 11, 2026 and arch guide on October 16, 2026.

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