Google Cardboard vs AR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Google Cardboard
Experience virtual reality on your iPhone. This app guides you through setting up a compatible viewer and offers initial immersive experiences to explore.
- VR viewer setup
- Introductory VR experiences
- iPhone compatibility
- Cardboard viewer integration
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Cardboard puts virtual reality on your iPhone. The Google Cardboard app helps you set up a Cardboard viewer and includes a few experiences to get you started. To fully enjoy this app you'll need a Cardboard viewer. Learn more and get your own Cardboard viewer at http://g.co/cardboard. Do not use this app while driving, walking, or otherwise by being distracted or disoriented from real world situations that prevent you from obeying traffic or safety laws.
AR
Engage in augmented reality archery battles by connecting a physical AR-Bow accessory. Aim and shoot virtual arrows at on-screen targets and enemies. Enjoy continuous updates with new features and games.
- Augmented reality gameplay
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Virtual archery combat
- Regular updates
- Suitable for all ages
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Experience augmented reality like never before with the Worlds AR-Bow! Connect your AR-Bow via Bluetooth, open the app, and draw the bowstring to release arrows at your enemies! Keep your app up-to-date for new improvements and new games! Fun for all ages
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Google Cardboard at Free against AR's $5.99. Google Cardboard also leads on ratings volume (598 vs 68). AR's advantage is review sentiment (37% vs 24%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). 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
Google Cardboard is free to download; AR costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.8 for Google Cardboard against 2.8 for AR. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Cardboard has 598 ratings behind it against 68, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 24% of Google Cardboard's written reviews are positive against 37% of AR's.
Google Cardboard ships an update every 3 months, AR every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Google Cardboard | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 2.8 (598 ratings) | 2.8 (68 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 24.2% of reviews | 37.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 598 — better | 68 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 680 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Shenzhen Geekplay technology Co., Ltd | |
Customer experience
Google Cardboard
AR
Bugs and requests
Google Cardboard
Reported bugs
3 issues- Constant spinning/shaking on some devices
- Crashes and freezes on launch
- Incompatibility with certain VR headsets
Requested features
4 requests- More VR games and interactive experiences
- Ability to view own photos/videos in VR
- Support for newer iOS versions
- Improved navigation and controls
AR
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Google Cardboard
No in-app purchases
AR
No in-app purchases
