Audio guide and museum visitor statistics
The published figures on audio guide take-up, app downloads, costs, prices, platforms, funding and accessibility law, each with its source, date and limits, ready to cite.
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- By Muvo Editorial Team
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These audio guide statistics bring together the published figures on how many visitors use audio guides and apps, what audio guides cost, what visitors pay, how big the main platforms are, what funding is available and what the law says. Each figure comes with its source and its limits, because many come from companies that sell audio guides.
We update this page twice a year. Last reviewed: November 2026.
Adoption: how many visitors use audio guides
| Figure | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2.47% of visitors download museum audio guide apps | Nubart | Study of 175 apps on Google Play with estimated iOS downloads, data to August 2025 |
| Around 48% average use when the audio guide is included in the ticket | Nubart | Vendor figure |
| Around 5% take-up when sold as a paid extra | Nubart | Vendor figure |
| Around 5% of visitors need help to scan a QR code | Nubart | Vendor estimate |
How to read them. Nubart sells browser-based audio guides, so it has an interest in showing that apps underperform; its study is not peer-reviewed. Still, the direction is consistent with what venues report: the fewer steps between the visitor and the audio, the more people listen, and including the guide in the ticket matters more than any technology. Audio guide vs app discusses what this means for your choice.
Visitor expectations
| Finding | Source |
|---|---|
| Visitors "strongly expected the audio guide to feature unique content rather than just a verbatim reading" of the label | Kim and Kim (2025), Curator: The Museum Journal, 68(4) |
| Recommended narration pace of 120 to 150 words per minute | Look2Innovate, an audio guide equipment maker |
Costs
| Item | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Professional scriptwriting | $500 to $1,500 per stop | Musa |
| Script for a 30-stop tour | $15,000 to $45,000 | Musa |
| Entry-level hardware system | $50,000 to $120,000 | Musa |
| Total cost per tour | $30,000 to $150,000 | Convo |
| Translation and recording per language | $5,000 to $18,000 | Convo |
| Traditional launch | £9,000 to £10,000 | Pathoura |
| Cost per handset | Around £80 | Pathoura |
| Yearly maintenance | £1,100 to £1,600 | Pathoura |
How to read them. These ranges come from three vendors describing different projects, which is why they differ by an order of magnitude. Use them to see which lines matter, not as quotes. How much does an audio guide cost? puts them in context.
What visitors pay
| Venue | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Louvre, Paris | €6 audio guide rental | Louvre |
| Vatican Museums | €8 | Vatican Museums audio guide |
| National Maritime Museum, London | £5 premium tour through Smartify | Royal Museums Greenwich |
Platforms
| Figure | Source |
|---|---|
| Bloomberg Connects lists 1,754 partner organisations | Bloomberg Connects, For Partners page |
| Smartify works with more than 700 partner organisations | Tech.eu, January 2025 |
| The audio tour guide app market was estimated at $164.7 million in 2024 | 360iResearch, a paid market report |
Market size reports measure estimated revenue, not use, and are estimates sold by research firms. Treat them as an order of magnitude.
Funding
| Programme | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| IMLS Museums for America (US) | $5,000 to $350,000 per award, one to three years, with cost share | IMLS |
| IMLS Museums for America, FY2026 | $21,699,000 for 122 planned awards | Grants.gov listing |
| National Lottery Heritage Fund (UK), 2026 to 2029 | More than £1.4 billion planned | Museums Association |
| National Lottery Heritage Fund, places of worship, historic ships and collections | Around £130 million, plus £15 million through the Places of Worship initiative | Museums Association |
Amounts and deadlines change every year. Grants for museum digitisation and audio guides lists the programmes and how to apply.
Accessibility law
| Fact | Source |
|---|---|
| The European Accessibility Act applies from 28 June 2025 | Directive (EU) 2019/882 |
Whether and how the Act applies to a given museum's audio guide is debated: some providers present it as a legal obligation for every museum, while others note that it does not name museum audio guides specifically. The European Accessibility Act and museums explains what it covers.
How to cite this page
You are welcome to use these figures. When you do:
- Cite the original source linked in each table, not only this page.
- Mention when a figure comes from a vendor or a paid report.
- Link to this page if it helped you find the sources: Audio guide and museum visitor statistics, Muvo Guides, reviewed November 2026.
If you know of a figure we should add, or a newer version of one listed here, write to us and we will review it for the next update.
Coming next: Muvo's own data
We plan to add anonymous, aggregated figures from audio guides made with Muvo: how long visitors listen, how many finish a stop depending on its length and which languages they choose. They will appear here, with their method, once there is enough data to be meaningful.
Key takeaways
According to Nubart, only 2.47% of visitors download museum audio guide apps.
Take-up is far higher when the guide is included in the ticket than when it is sold as an extra.
Published cost ranges vary by an order of magnitude because they describe different projects.
Visitors expect the audio to add something beyond the label.
Always cite the original source and say when a figure comes from a vendor.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of museum visitors use an audio guide?
It depends on how it is offered. According to Nubart, around 48% use it when it is included in the ticket and around 5% buy it when it is a paid extra.
How many visitors download museum apps?
According to a Nubart study of 175 apps with data to August 2025, about 2.47% of visitors.
How big is the audio guide market?
One paid report estimates the audio tour guide app market at $164.7 million in 2024; treat it as an order of magnitude.
Can I use these statistics in a report?
Yes. Cite the original source of each figure and mention when it comes from a vendor.
Drafted with AI assistance; researched, edited and fact-checked by the Muvo team.