Comparison

OpenKey vs Known Ground

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

Head to head
About

OpenKey

Unlock hotel rooms worldwide using your smartphone as a secure digital key. Access your room instantly, share keys with companions, and manage your stay with features like check-out details and hotel information.

Highlights
  • Instant room access
  • Digital key sharing
  • Contact hotel operations
  • View check-out details
  • Room number displayed
  • Explore hotel amenities
  • Request check-out
Features
Read full description

Introducing the latest release of the OpenKey Guest mobile app! Access hotel rooms worldwide with a secure and convenient digital key directly on your smartphone. With the OpenKey app, you can enjoy the following features: - Instant Room Access: Easily unlock your guest room with a simple touch of a button. No more fumbling with keycards or waiting in line at the front desk. - Key Sharing: Share your digital key with up to 4 other guests, making it easier for your travel companions to access the room. - Contact Hotel: Contact the hotel operations team for any additional needs during your stay, like extra pillows or towels, potential reservation details, and questions that may arise. - Check-Out Details: View your check-out date and time on the mobile key, helping you stay organized and plan your departure effortlessly. - Room Number on Mobile Key: Say goodbye to the hassle of carrying a keycard jacket. Your room number is conveniently displayed on the mobile key, allowing for a streamlined and hassle-free experience. - Hotel Exploration: Discover hotel amenities, dining options, and other features through the app. Get a comprehensive overview of everything your hotel has to offer. - Check-Out Request: Send a check-out request directly from your mobile key screen. Simplify the check-out process and save valuable time.

About

Known Ground

This app helps you privately document your travels by connecting photos, notes, and routes to specific locations. Create a personal map of places you've visited and want to return to, and easily recall memories.

Highlights
  • Private travel journal
  • Photo map of trips
  • Connect photos to places
  • Record routes and notes
  • Save places for future visits
  • Search memories by location
  • Private sharing options
Features
Read full description

Remember the places that made the trip. Known Ground is a private travel journal and photo map for your trips, walks and memories. Keep the street you stumbled on, the view you came for, and the details you want to remember, together with the places they belong. KEEP THE TRIP TOGETHER Bring your photos, visits, routes and notes into one trip. Return to a day through the places you explored and the memories you kept. REMEMBER MORE THAN THE VIEW Keep trip photos connected to their places. Add a few words about what you noticed, why you stopped, or what you would do next time. SAVE THE PLACES YOU WOULD GO BACK TO Save places for later, record visits when you go, and keep notes and photos with a particular visit. Build a map of the places you know. KEEP THE WAY YOU WENT Record your explorations with Trip Coverage or a focused Apple Watch walk. Import walking, running, hiking and cycling routes from Apple Health. Health imports and their trip assignments stay on the device where you import them. FIND YOUR WAY BACK TO A MEMORY Search by place, trip, note or photo context. Find Known Ground memories in Spotlight, too. PRIVATE, WITH ROOM FOR YOUR PEOPLE Your library is private unless you choose to share. Invite people to a trip through iCloud, choose which memories to share, and use owner, editor or view-only access. No public profile, social feed, ads or cross-app tracking. For iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. No app-specific account is required. iCloud sync and private trip invitations use your Apple Account.

Screenshots

OpenKey4 screens
Known Ground4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: OpenKey at Free against Known Ground's $9.99. OpenKey also leads on ratings volume (3.1K vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). Known Ground's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On 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

OpenKey is free to download; Known Ground costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Known Ground holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenKey has 3.1K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenKey ships an update every 2 months, Known Ground daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
OpenKey versus Known Ground: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenKeyKnown Ground
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (3.1K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.1K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB144 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOPENKEY, INC.Oliver Kawwass

Customer experience

OpenKey

All ratings3,083 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral1.6%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews113 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral3.5%
Negative23.9%

Known Ground

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

OpenKey

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Fails to unlock doors sometimes
  • Issues with updating and reinstalling

Requested features

2 requests
  • Apple Watch app integration
  • Improved error handling and troubleshooting

Known Ground

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

OpenKey

No in-app purchases

None

Known Ground

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OpenKey free?
OpenKey is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Known Ground free?
Known Ground costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, OpenKey or Known Ground?
Known Ground is rated higher. OpenKey averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.1K ratings, while Known Ground averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do OpenKey or Known Ground have ads?
Neither OpenKey nor Known Ground shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenKey or Known Ground?
OpenKey ships an update every 2 months, and Known Ground daily. Most recently, OpenKey was updated on October 24, 2026 and Known Ground on October 28, 2026.

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