Comparison

Peaks USA vs AR AlpineGuide

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

Head to head
About

Peaks USA

Identify mountains in real-time using augmented reality. Point your camera at a peak to see its name, elevation, and distance displayed on your screen. Explore over 70,000 recognized summits across the contiguous United States.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality peak labeling
  • Real-time name, elevation, and distance display
  • Identifies over 70,000 US summits
  • State-by-state data downloads
  • Contiguous US coverage
Features
Read full description

Peaks USA augments reality by drawing virtual mountain labels on your device's camera. See mysterious peaks on the horizon? Launch Peaks USA and point your camera to see peak names, elevations and distances labeled neatly on your display in real-time. YOUR FIRST STATE IS FREE! Additional states can be purchased individually or in a steeply discounted bundle for all 48 contiguous states. Peaks USA can label more than 70,000 federally recognized summits in the contiguous United States of America. Data for each state is downloaded separately within the app.

About

AR AlpineGuide

Identify mountains in real-time by pointing your device. See names, altitudes, and distances of over a million peaks worldwide in an augmented reality view. Explore 3D terrain and share your discoveries.

Highlights
  • Identify 1M peaks worldwide
  • Augmented reality peak naming
  • 3D terrain visualization
  • View from any map location
  • Photo sharing
  • Adjustable peak name display
  • Import photos for labeling
Read full description

Point your iOS device at the mountain and you'll see the name, altitude, and distance of the mountaintop. You can identify the names of all the mountain peaks in the 360-degree panoramic AR view. All features are free to use. Thanks to your support, we have reached 2.5 million downloads across all platforms, both domestic and international. Features - It has data from nearly one million peaks around the world. - It uses three-dimensional coordinates and a gyroscope to display the name at the peak, even if you tilt the camera. The display makes it easy to check. - The three-dimensional terrain is displayed semi-transparently, so it is easy to compare it with the actual shape of the mountain and check the location of the peak. - When you point your iOS device downward, the view switches to a 3D view looking down from the sky. - You can check the names of the terrain and mountains that can be seen from any location specified on the map. - You can take a photo with the name of the peak and share it via SNS or email. - Swiping the AR display up, down, left, or right allows you to adjust the position of the peak name display. - It is possible to adjust the position of the peak name display after the picture is taken. - You can import photos taken with another app and add the peak name. ※ If the direction is not correct (e.g. it always shows North), if your iOS device has a cover on it If there is a sensor in the case, please remove it. The metal or magnet on the cover may interfere with the sensor and cause it to malfunction. Terms of Service https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Peaks USA2 screens
AR AlpineGuide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Peaks USA at none against AR AlpineGuide's shown. Peaks USA also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). AR AlpineGuide's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (795 vs 4). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Peaks USA sells 19 one-off in-app purchases and AR AlpineGuide sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Peaks USA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AR AlpineGuide has 795 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 21% of Peaks USA's written reviews are positive against 42% of AR AlpineGuide's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Peaks USA ships an update every 2 months, AR AlpineGuide weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Peaks USA versus AR AlpineGuide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPeaks USAAR AlpineGuide
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better4.6 (795 ratings)
Positive reviews20.5% of reviews42.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4795 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.316.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB171 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWalk About Appsにゃんこソフトウェア

Customer experience

Peaks USA

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive20.5%
Neutral12.8%
Negative66.7%

AR AlpineGuide

All ratings789 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive42.4%
Neutral10.5%
Negative47.1%

Bugs and requests

Peaks USA

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

AR AlpineGuide

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App not launching after updates
  • Constant pop-up notifications
  • Camera view not working, only black screen
  • Compass spinning uncontrollably

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow selecting elevation range to display
  • Add ability to download/save images locally
  • Improve language support and translations

In-app purchases

19 purchases

Peaks USA

One-time19
  • WashingtonFree
  • New HampshireFree
  • North CarolinaFree
Show 16 more
  • ColoradoFree
  • CaliforniaFree
  • ArizonaFree
  • UtahFree
  • MontanaFree
  • OregonFree
  • Washington$0.99
  • North Carolina$0.99
  • Tennessee$0.99
  • Colorado$0.99
  • California$0.99
  • Arizona$0.99
  • Utah$0.99
  • Montana$0.99
  • Oregon$0.99
  • All Peaks$2.99
6 purchases

AR AlpineGuide

Subscriptions5
  • Ad-Free$0.991 Month
  • Ad-Free$1.992 Months
  • Ad-Free7 Days trial$3.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Ad-Free$5.991 Year
  • Ad-Free7 Days trial$5.991 Month
One-time1
  • AdFree (Forever)$14.99

Questions

Is Peaks USA free?
Peaks USA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AR AlpineGuide free?
AR AlpineGuide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Peaks USA or AR AlpineGuide?
Peaks USA is rated higher. Peaks USA averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while AR AlpineGuide averages 4.6 from 795 ratings.
Do Peaks USA or AR AlpineGuide have ads?
AR AlpineGuide shows ads; Peaks USA does not.
Which is updated more often, Peaks USA or AR AlpineGuide?
Peaks USA ships an update every 2 months, and AR AlpineGuide weekly. Most recently, Peaks USA was updated on October 29, 2026 and AR AlpineGuide on November 1, 2026.

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