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Curio vs Autio
Autio is made for the road: short stories, some told by famous voices, play on their own as you drive past the places they're about, mostly in the United States. Curio is made for being there: a guide to any place you pick, anywhere, in your language, that you can read, listen to and ask about.
Facts checked on November 14, 2026 · We make Curio: everything about Autio here comes from its own pages, listed at the bottom.
Curio and Autio side by side
| Criterion | Curio | Autio |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI tour guide for any place | Audio stories for road trips |
| Places | Any monument, museum, church, ruin or public artwork on the map, worldwide | 20,000+ stories, mostly in the United States |
| On the spot | Pick any place around you: no route to follow | Stories play as you drive by, no route needed |
| Who writes it | AI, from web sources it reads when you ask | Autio's producers and contributors |
| Audio | Every guide read aloud, also with the screen locked | Human narrators, some of them famous |
| Made for you | 3 detail levels, your language, your interests | Stories picked by your interests |
| Questions | Yes: typed, dictated or from a photo | No |
| Sources and date | Listed under every guide, with the date it was written | Narrator named; no sources or date |
| Plan your day | A day in visiting order, opening hours checked, the way between stops | No day planner |
| Offline | Downloaded guides, with their photos and audio | Downloaded stories |
| Languages | 13 | English |
| Price | Free to explore; guides with a 48-hour, 7-day or 30-day pass, never renewed | 5 free stories, then a 30-day, 1-year or 3-year plan; yearly ones renew automatically |
The main difference
Autio is a library of short audio stories, 2 to 5 minutes each, about places that are mostly American, produced with professional narrators such as Kevin Costner, one of its founders. While you drive, it plays the stories around you on its own, through your car's audio.
Curio is for when you stop: it shows the places worth knowing around you, in any country, and writes a full guide to the one you pick, at the length you choose, in your language, with its sources and the date. Then you can ask about what you see and plan your day.
Autio is the better pick if…
- You're on an American road trip and want stories that play by themselves while you drive.
- You love a great narrator: Autio's include Kevin Costner and John Lithgow.
- You want short stories for the stretches between destinations.
Curio is the better pick if…
- You travel outside the United States, or in another language than English.
- You want a full guide to the place in front of you, and to ask questions about it.
- You'd rather not subscribe: a Curio Pass covers your trip and never renews.
Can you use both?
Yes: Autio on the road between two places, Curio once you've parked, for the place itself and your questions.
Questions
Autio or Curio?
Is Autio free?
The first 5 stories are free. After that, Autio sells a 30-day, 1-year or 3-year plan; yearly subscriptions renew automatically.
Does Autio work outside the United States?
Mostly not: Autio's stories are mainly in the United States, in English. Curio works anywhere in the world, in 13 languages.
Is there an Autio alternative for Europe?
For a guide to the places you visit, in Europe or anywhere else, Curio: it writes a guide to any place you pick, in your language, read aloud like an audio guide. For recorded walking tours, VoiceMap or Rick Steves Audio Europe.
Can I listen in the car?
Autio is built for it: it plays stories on its own through CarPlay or your car's Bluetooth. Curio reads a guide aloud with the screen locked, but you pick the place first, so it suits a passenger or a stop better.
Where these facts come from
Checked on November 14, 2026 on Autio's own pages and store listings. Apps change: if something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.Report an error
Your next walk will never look the same.
Curio is now on iPhone and Android.
