Comparison

arktur vs ArchSpy

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

ArchSpy

Discover the history and architecture of buildings around you using augmented reality. Point your phone to identify structures, view key facts like year built and architect, and explore detailed stories. Unlock deeper historical content and offline access with a subscription.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality building identification
  • Key facts: year built, architect, style
  • Detailed historical stories
  • Offline access for travel
  • Log of visited buildings
  • Credited public sources
Features
Read full description

ArchSpy — the story behind the buildings around you. Ever walked past an old building and wondered what it was, who built it, or why it looks the way it does? Point your phone and find out. ArchSpy uses augmented reality to reveal the history and architecture of the buildings around you — names, dates, architects, styles, and the stories behind them. ArchSpy works anywhere — point it at a building and it tells you what the world's open records know. Local and national archives go deeper in Portland, San Francisco, and Chicago, across the United States through the National Register of Historic Places, and in England, Ireland, and Australia. Every fact is credited to the record it came from. FREE TO EXPLORE • Point your camera to identify nearby buildings in AR • See the key facts: year built, architect, style, and a short history • Discover the architecture you walk past every day GO DEEPER WITH KEYSTONE • The full history of every building — complete architectural descriptions and the people, events, and stories behind them • Offline access for walking and travel • A log of the buildings you've visited Built by an independent developer who loves old buildings. Every source is public and credited. More cities are coming — tell us where you want ArchSpy next. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Keystone is an auto-renewing subscription: $3.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. Introductory pricing may be available to new subscribers; the offer price and its duration are shown on the purchase screen before you buy. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the standard price unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the period ending. Manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://archspy.app/privacy

Screenshots

arktur4 screens
ArchSpy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: arktur at none against ArchSpy's 6. arktur also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). 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. ArchSpy sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. arktur asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

arktur ships an update every 6 days, ArchSpy every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
arktur versus ArchSpy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterarkturArchSpy
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB3 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFritz SchulzMorgan Senkal

In-app purchases

None

arktur

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

ArchSpy

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly1 Year trial$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • Small Tip$2.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Big Tip$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Very Big Tip$14.99

Questions

Is arktur free?
arktur is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArchSpy free?
ArchSpy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do arktur or ArchSpy have ads?
Neither arktur nor ArchSpy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, arktur or ArchSpy?
arktur ships an update every 6 days, and ArchSpy every 2 weeks. Most recently, arktur was updated on October 11, 2026 and ArchSpy on October 24, 2026.

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