Comparison

arch guide vs ArchSpy

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

Head to head
About

arch guide

Features
Read full description

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.

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 Unlock deeper historical content and offline access with a subscription.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

arch guide4 screens
ArchSpy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: arch guide at weekly against ArchSpy's monthly. ArchSpy's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.4). 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. arch guide sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and ArchSpy sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

arch guide ships an update weekly, ArchSpy monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
arch guide versus ArchSpy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterarch guideArchSpy
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.417.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB3 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperARCH GUIDE LLCMorgan Senkal

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
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 arch guide free?
arch guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ArchSpy free?
ArchSpy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do arch guide or ArchSpy have ads?
Neither arch guide nor ArchSpy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, arch guide or ArchSpy?
arch guide ships an update weekly, and ArchSpy monthly. Most recently, arch guide was updated on September 30, 2026 and ArchSpy on October 9, 2026.

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