# The Guides vs Escavé

The clearest difference is price: Escavé at Free against The Guides's $2.99. Escavé also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). The Guides's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ratings volume (731 vs 5). On ads there is nothing between them.

Escavé is free to download; The Guides costs $2.99 up front. Escavé sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. The Guides asks for nothing beyond the download.

Escavé holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Guides has 731 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of The Guides's written reviews are positive against 100% of Escavé's.

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, Escavé every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Guides | Escavé |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (731 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-guides/id894022200/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escave/id6743010145/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **731** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 87.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 45 MB | 190 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [2 Fountains LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1730752274) | [Archaic Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1677469350) |

## What reviewers say

### The Guides

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-guides/id894022200)

Embark on a journey of challenging codes, puzzles, and interactive ciphers that test your wit and imagination. Unravel a fragmented story by finding clues and patterns, utilizing integrated decoding tools and a distress support system.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of challenging codes and puzzles, Interactive ciphers, Fragmented story to unravel, Integrated decoding tools (Morse, binary), Screenshot saving for clues, Distress support system

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Challenging and engaging puzzles
- 🧠 Exercises the mind
- 🎨 Minimalist and visually appealing
- 🕹️ Unique gameplay experience
- 🕵️‍♂️ Intriguing storyline and mystery

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤯 Puzzles can be overly complex or unclear
- 📱 Small text and UI elements on mobile
- 🤔 Lack of clear instructions or guidance

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzle solutions not being accepted correctly
- App crashes or freezes when switching between puzzles

**Requested features**

- More frequent updates and new content
- Improved UI and accessibility options
- Hint system or gradual difficulty scaling


### Escavé

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escave/id6743010145)

Explore the real world with augmented reality to solve riddles and find hidden objects. Scan your discoveries to collect them in a unique 3D inventory. Engage in daily challenges and build your collection.

**Highlights:** Augmented reality scavenger hunts, Solve daily riddles, Scan real-world objects, 3D inventory collection, Object detection gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Escave+ | $4.99 | per month |
| Streak Freeze | $0.99 | one-time |
| Escave Token | $0.99 | one-time |
| Streak Rewind | $0.99 | one-time |
| Double XP | $0.99 | one-time |
| Escave Token x6 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Escave Token x10 | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Guides free?

The Guides costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Escavé free?

Escavé is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, The Guides or Escavé?

Escavé is rated higher. The Guides averages 4.8 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while Escavé averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do The Guides or Escavé have ads?

Neither The Guides nor Escavé shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Guides or Escavé?

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, and Escavé every 2 weeks. Most recently, The Guides was updated on October 14, 2026 and Escavé on October 14, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*