Handpicked Iceland vs Iceland Visually
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Handpicked Iceland
Discover authentic, sustainable local businesses handpicked by locals. This travel guide offers meaningful experiences while supporting local economies. Explore recommended restaurants, cafes, bars, stores, and activities.
- Locally curated recommendations
- Authentic and sustainable businesses
- Support local economies
- Places nearby feature
- Interactive map
- Regularly updated information
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TRAVEL BETTER A group of picky locals have hand-picked their favorite restaurants, cafés, bars, stores, and activities that are authentic, sustainable and give you meaningful experiences while supporting local businesses. You can look at HandPicked as your „local friend“ because we only suggest places that we would recommend to our dearest friends. GREEN TRAVEL GUIDE As a mission-driven company, we are dedicated to moving towards a more sustainable way of traveling and promoting local and sustainable businesses. We plant trees in our little forest every year, print our HandPicked guide in an environmentally-friendly print shop in Iceland, and stay plastic-free when it comes to distribution. Gigi, the founder, has published a magazine on sustainability and health since 2010, when the HandPicked concept was born in an article on restaurants using local ingredients before „local food“ was a trend! Since then, HandPicked has branched out and grown slowly but surely. ENJOY IT FOR FREE You‘ll get over 200 recommended HandPicked places, both in Reykjavik and around Iceland. REGULARLY UPDATED We update the information every year. We visit our HandPicked partners as regularly as we can, dine, drink, explore, and have a good chat to make sure everything is up to standard. SIMPLE PLEASE! We hate complicated things! The HandPicked App is super simple and fast, and there‘s no need to sign in to be able to save your favorite places etc. We also love the „Places nearby“ feature and the map that gives you an overview of the type of places you are looking for and how to get there.
Iceland Visually
Discover Iceland with a visually rich travel guide. Explore attractions, read user reviews, and view stunning photos to plan your trip. Offline functionality is available for limited use.
- Interactive map for inspiration
- User reviews and photos
- Guides for driving, aurora, and spas
- Search for attractions and hotels
- Bookmark places and get directions
- Offline functionality
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Use the map to find inspiration where you are - or where you are going. Let user reviews and gorgeous fullscreen photos by Iceland photographers guide your way. • Includes guides to driving in Iceland, seeing the aurora, finding natural spas and much more. • Search for attractions, hotels, gas stations etc. Whatever you can think of. • Bookmark places you want to see and start driving directions when you are ready to go! • Iceland Visually even works offline (limited functionality)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Handpicked Iceland at Free against Iceland Visually's $1.99. Handpicked Iceland also leads on update cadence (every 11 months vs every 29 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). Iceland Visually's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 71%) and ratings volume (235 vs 11). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Handpicked Iceland is free to download; Iceland Visually costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Iceland Visually holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Iceland Visually has 235 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Handpicked Iceland's written reviews are positive against 100% of Iceland Visually's.
Handpicked Iceland ships an update every 11 months, Iceland Visually every 29 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Handpicked Iceland | Iceland Visually |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (11 ratings) | 4.8 (235 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 235 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months — better | Every 29 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 86 MB | 230 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Guðbjorg Gissurardottir | Anders Peter Amsnaes |
Customer experience
Handpicked Iceland
Iceland Visually
In-app purchases
Handpicked Iceland
No in-app purchases
Iceland Visually
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Handpicked Iceland free?
Is Iceland Visually free?
Which has better reviews, Handpicked Iceland or Iceland Visually?
Do Handpicked Iceland or Iceland Visually have ads?
Which is updated more often, Handpicked Iceland or Iceland Visually?
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