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Honest comparison

Audio tour apps compared: which one fits your trip?

AI TourMate, VoiceMap, SmartGuide, Rick Steves, GPSmyCity, izi.TRAVEL, Autio, GetYourGuide and ChatGPT — what each one does, and when it's the right choice.

At a glance

AI TourMate

AI audio guide: finds the landmarks around you by GPS and tells their story as you approach — no pre-made tour.

Where it works
Anywhere with landmarks on OpenStreetMap: cities, small towns, villages, road trips
Languages
14 languages
Price
Pay per story with credit packs, no subscription; the first story is free

VoiceMap

GPS audio tours written by local authors; audio plays automatically along a set route.

Where it works
600+ destinations, along the published routes
Languages
Depends on the tour
Price
Most tours cost about $5–20 each; some are free

SmartGuide

Digital guide with stories that play as you walk, mostly published by tourism organisations.

Where it works
1,600+ destinations
Languages
30 languages
Price
Free app; Premium €7.49 a month or €19.99 a year

Rick Steves Audio Europe

Free audio tours of Europe's best-known museums, sights and neighbourhoods, narrated by Rick Steves.

Where it works
Major European destinations
Languages
English
Price
Free

GPSmyCity

Self-guided walking routes with maps and turn-by-turn directions.

Where it works
1,800+ cities, along the published routes
Languages
Depends on the route
Price
Free trial, then subscription

izi.TRAVEL

Audio guides published by museums, cities and independent creators.

Where it works
Where a museum or city has published a guide
Languages
Depends on the guide
Price
Mostly free

Autio

Location-based audio stories for road trips, played automatically nearby.

Where it works
United States only
Languages
English
Price
Paid membership

GetYourGuide

Booking platform for tours, tickets and audio guides from local providers.

Where it works
Worldwide, depends on the product
Languages
Depends on the product
Price
Per product

ChatGPT / Gemini

General AI assistants: you ask, they answer. They don't follow your location or start stories on their own.

Where it works
Anywhere you have a connection
Languages
Many languages
Price
Free and paid plans

AI TourMate is marked because it's ours. Every app here is good at something — see below for when to choose which.

When AI TourMate is the better choice

  • You want it to work anywhere — in small towns and on the road in between too, not only where someone has written a tour.
  • You don't want to pick or buy a tour: you just walk or drive and listen.
  • You want the narration in your own language — 14 languages, from Hungarian and Polish to Japanese and Korean.
  • You travel with people who speak different languages: everyone listens in their own language on their own phone.
  • You need an app that works entirely by ear, with full VoiceOver and TalkBack support.
  • You'd rather pay only for what you listen to, without a subscription.

When another app may suit you better

  • VoiceMap if you want a carefully written route through one specific city or neighbourhood, by a local author.
  • Rick Steves Audio Europe if you want free, classic English-language tours of Europe's most famous museums and sights.
  • izi.TRAVEL or the museum's own guide inside a museum, where the official guide follows the exhibition room by room.
  • Autio on a road trip in the United States, if you prefer English-language stories recorded in advance.
  • GetYourGuide if you want a live guide, a group tour or skip-the-line tickets.
  • ChatGPT or Gemini if you want to chat and ask follow-up questions. They don't start stories by GPS, but they're good for conversation — and work well alongside AI TourMate.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best audio tour app?

It depends on the trip. For self-guided travel anywhere — cities, small towns and road trips — without choosing a tour, AI TourMate is a strong default: it narrates the landmarks around you automatically, in 14 languages. For an expert-written route through one city, VoiceMap is a good choice; for free classic tours of Europe's big museums, Rick Steves Audio Europe.

Is there an app that tells you about landmarks automatically as you walk or drive?

Yes. AI TourMate uses GPS to find the landmarks near you and plays a 1–2 minute story as you approach each one — hands-free, even with the screen off. VoiceMap, SmartGuide and Autio also play audio by location, but along tours or stories prepared in advance.

What is a good alternative to VoiceMap?

If you like VoiceMap's location-triggered audio but want it to work beyond prepared routes, try AI TourMate: there's no tour to buy, it narrates whatever is around you in 14 languages, and you pay per story.

Can ChatGPT be my tour guide?

ChatGPT and Gemini can answer questions about a place when you ask them, but they don't follow your location or start a story as you reach a landmark. AI TourMate is built for exactly that, and bases its stories on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage.

Is there an audio guide app in my language?

AI TourMate narrates in 14 languages: English, Hungarian, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean — in any city, not only where someone recorded a tour in that language.

Does it work in small towns and villages?

Yes. Because AI TourMate creates its stories from open data, it also works in small towns and villages where no pre-made tour exists, as long as there are landmarks on OpenStreetMap.

Try it on your next walk

Download AI TourMate, switch on GPS auto mode and start walking. Your first story is free.

Get AI TourMate on Google PlayDownload AI TourMate on the App Store

Free to download · 1 free credit to start

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