Comparison

ArtDoor vs GUAN · Deep Art Guide

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

Head to head
About

ArtDoor

Features
Read full description

No art history degree required. Just one short note on what to look for in each painting. You don't need to know anything to enjoy what's in front of you. ■ One painting a day A masterpiece arrives each morning. Listen to its short story and the day feels a little richer. Art continues on the days you don't visit a museum. ■ 2,500 paintings, explained simply From the Renaissance to Impressionism, from ukiyo-e to modern Japanese painting. Every work comes with a plain-English summary and three things worth looking at. No jargon. ■ Listen, don't read Painters' lives and artistic movements, as a podcast. 174 episodes across 28 series, in English and Japanese. An art history chart, technique guides, and how to look at a painting. ■ Point your camera Inside a museum, aim your camera at a painting and its commentary appears. No heavy audio guide handset, no queue. ■ Visiting Japan? A directory of 297 museums across Japan, with a map, opening information and check-ins. Find exhibitions near where you are staying. (Exhibition titles are listed in Japanese.) ■ Keep what you saw Favourite works, artists you follow, paintings you met through scanning. Your record builds quietly on your profile page. ― ArtDoor Premium ― Searching exhibitions, museum information and keeping records are free, forever. For those who want to go deeper, Premium (JPY 500/month, JPY 3,000/year with a 7-day free trial): ・Unlimited artwork scans (10 per month on the free plan) ・Every episode in Listen (first episode of each series on the free plan) ・Unlimited photo backup (10 photos on the free plan) ・Reminders the day before a visit ・Museum check-in and passport If you cancel, the photos and records you already saved stay with you. Find it, go, look, record, learn. One quiet app for your time with art. 【About subscriptions】 ・Payment is charged to your Apple ID account and renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. ・Cancel anytime from Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions on your device. ・No charge if you cancel during the free trial. Terms of Use: https://keita712.github.io/artdoor-privacy/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://keita712.github.io/artdoor-privacy/privacy.html

About

GUAN · Deep Art Guide

Features
Read full description

See art, beyond the surface. GUAN is an in-depth companion for art exhibitions. It helps you move from a quick look to a richer understanding of every work—without requiring an art-history background. • Explore exhibitions, venues, and individual works • Read guides organized through six connected perspectives • Listen to narrated guides at your preferred playback speed • Follow every key factual claim through its references • See Unverified Points whenever the evidence is incomplete • Search across exhibitions and works • Plan a visit and set on-device reminders • Use the app in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, or Traditional Chinese AI assists with public-source research, drafting, and synthesized narration. Automated citation checks and human editorial review follow. Errors may remain, and every work includes a way to report an issue. GUAN is designed as a companion for viewing and learning, not as a substitute for the museum’s current visitor information or for academic citation. Please check the exhibition organizer’s official site for current dates, hours, and admission details.

Screenshots

ArtDoor4 screens
GUAN · Deep Art Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: GUAN · Deep Art Guide at daily against ArtDoor's every 6 days. ArtDoor's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ArtDoor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and GUAN · Deep Art Guide sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArtDoor ships an update every 6 days, GUAN · Deep Art Guide daily. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
ArtDoor versus GUAN · Deep Art Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArtDoorGUAN · Deep Art Guide
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKeita TamuraXIAODONG LI

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ArtDoor

Subscriptions2
  • ArtDoor Premium (Monthly)$2.991 Month
  • ArtDoor Premium (Yearly)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • 50 Photo Slots$0.99
4 purchases

GUAN · Deep Art Guide

One-time4
  • GUAN PASS — Kūkai 2026$0.99
  • GUAN PASS — Daitokuji 2026$3.99
  • GUAN PASS — Hiroshige 2026$5.99
Show 1 more
  • Trip Pass · 30 Days$11.99

Questions

Is ArtDoor free?
ArtDoor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GUAN · Deep Art Guide free?
GUAN · Deep Art Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ArtDoor or GUAN · Deep Art Guide have ads?
Neither ArtDoor nor GUAN · Deep Art Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArtDoor or GUAN · Deep Art Guide?
ArtDoor ships an update every 6 days, and GUAN · Deep Art Guide daily. Most recently, ArtDoor was updated on October 31, 2026 and GUAN · Deep Art Guide on October 31, 2026.

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