VoiceMap
VoiceMap is a Singapore-based mobile marketplace for self-guided GPS audio tours, serving independent travelers across 83 countries with 2,194+ tours produced by nearly 1,000 publishers and distributed via iOS, Android, and a hotel partner program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSingapore, Singapore
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What VoiceMap does
VoiceMap is a Singapore-incorporated (VoiceMap PTE LTD) mobile platform and marketplace for self-guided GPS-triggered audio tours, founded in February 2014 by Iain Manley. The company operates a two-sided marketplace: a consumer-facing iOS/Android app delivers automatic, location-synchronized audio narration for walking, cycling, driving, train, boat, and indoor tours across 83 countries, while a community of nearly 1,000 publishers — podcasters, historians, journalists, licensed guides, and celebrities — creates and monetizes content through the proprietary Mapmaker content management system. Revenue is generated primarily through micro-transactions on individual tours (priced from free to $29.99), bundled tour passes with city-level validity windows, recurring publisher subscription tiers (Free, Pro, Premium), and B2B group discount and hotel partner programs; payment processing is handled via Stripe and the app is distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play. The company's strategic emphasis is on human-curated, editorially-produced content as a deliberate counter to AI-generated alternatives, with notable publisher partnerships including The Daily Show, the San Francisco Chronicle, Context Travel, Official London Theatre, QI/Stephen Fry, and the University of Cambridge. Operations are run with 1-10 employees across offices in Singapore (headquarters), Cape Town, and Hanoi, and the business has been bootstrapped since two small early funding rounds totalling $360,000 in 2014 and 2016.
VoiceMap firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VoiceMap
- Legal name
- VoiceMap PTE LTD
- Website
- https://voicemap.me
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- VoiceMap is a Singapore-based mobile marketplace for self-guided GPS audio tours, serving independent travelers across 83 countries with 2,194+ tours produced by nearly 1,000 publishers and distributed via iOS, Android, and a hotel partner program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VoiceMap industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Self-guided Audio Tour Marketplace
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290), Other Sound Recording Industries (51229)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music & Audio Streaming Platforms (BPAMAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Enterprise Audio Publishing & Private Podcast Platforms (MPAIADAI), Voiceover Recording & Production (Narration, Promo, Commercial VO) (MPAHAEAK)
Keywords
Where VoiceMap is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Singapore
- HQ country
- Singapore
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
VoiceMap business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Tour Sales: VoiceMap sells individual audio tours at price points ranging from free to $29.99 per tour. Tour publishers receive a revenue share from sales. This is the primary revenue stream for both VoiceMap and its publisher partners.
- Tour Passes: Bundled passes offering discounted access to multiple tours. Examples include London passes (12 tours/$59.99, 8 tours/$49.99, 3 tours/$27.49) and Paris passes (10 tours/$74.99, 5 tours/$37.49). Passes have validity periods ranging from 7 to 90 days.
- Publisher Subscriptions: VoiceMap offers publishing plans with different tiers (Free, Pro, Premium). Free plan tours can be priced up to a certain amount while Pro and Premium plans offer additional features and higher revenue share percentages.
- Group Discounts: Bulk purchasing options offering 15% to 50% discounts for group bookings, targeting tour operators, hotels, and travel groups.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual tour prices range from free to $29.99 depending on publisher and content depth |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | London pass bundles tours at discounted rates with time-limited validity |
| Subscription | Monthly | Publishing platform plans with different features and pricing flexibility |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk tour purchases for groups at 15-50% discounts |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
VoiceMap product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VoiceMap is a marketplace and mobile platform for self-guided GPS audio tours. Its iOS and Android apps use smartphone GPS (accurate to 5-15 meters) to automatically trigger audio narration at the right location and time during a tour, with offline support, turn-by-turn directions, and modes for walking, cycling, driving, train, boat, indoor, and running. The platform aggregates over 2,194 tours across 83 countries and 600+ destinations produced by nearly 1,000 publishers including historians, journalists, podcasters, and celebrities.
Product overview
VoiceMap is a marketplace platform for self-guided GPS audio tours featuring over 2,194 tours across 83 countries. The core offering consists of the VoiceMap mobile app (iOS/Android) that delivers automatic, location-triggered audio playback with turn-by-turn directions, paired with the Mapmaker content management system that enables publishers to create and manage tours. Tours are produced by a community of nearly 1,000 publishers including historians, podcasters, journalists, licensed guides, and celebrity partners (Ian McKellen, Stephen Fry). The platform supports multiple transport modes (walking, cycling, driving, boat, train, indoor) and offers additional services including tour passes (credit-based discounts), group discounts, and gift vouchers. Distribution is handled through VoiceMap's app store presence and partner network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- VoiceMap Mobile App (iOS and Android) Free GPS-enabled mobile app for iPhone, iPad, and Android that delivers automatic location-triggered audio narration with turn-by-turn directions. Supports offline tour downloads, offline maps, resume playback, multi-device synchronization, and a virtual playback mode, and is available globally via the App Store and Google Play with consistent 4.6/5 ratings.
- Self-Guided Audio Tours Catalog of GPS-triggered audio tours produced by nearly 1,000 expert publishers covering walking, cycling, driving, boat, train, indoor, and running experiences across 83 countries. Tours range from free to $29.99, with celebrity and PhD-narrated tours (e.g., Stephen Fry, Context Travel's Vatican Museums guide) commanding premium prices, and are accessible on-demand via the VoiceMap app.
- Mapmaker Publishing Platform Proprietary browser-based CMS and publishing platform that enables podcasters, historians, journalists, licensed tour guides, and other creators to produce, test, and publish GPS-triggered audio tours on VoiceMap, with collaborative editorial workflows, automatic talk time and word count estimation, and access to the platform's distribution network and reporting dashboard.
- VoiceMap Gift Vouchers Digital gift cards that can be purchased on voicemap.me and redeemed by recipients to buy audio tours in any destination offered on the platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4.6 out of 5 stars average rating from approximately 80,280 ratings
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use VoiceMap
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
VoiceMap technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature6 records
VoiceMap partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, key and core.
- University of Cambridge (Cavendish Laboratory)minorUniversity of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory joined VoiceMap in 2025 to celebrate its 150th anniversary with a dedicated audio tour, demonstrating VoiceMap's appeal to academic and cultural institutions.
- Context TravelkeyContext Travel, a leading provider of expert-led cultural tours, partnered with VoiceMap in April 2024 to produce an audio guide to the Vatican Museums. Context's PhD-level scholars create premium audio content for the platform.
- San Francisco ChroniclekeySan Francisco Chronicle launched three tours by their journalists, a project that was shortlisted for an INMA Global Media Award. This partnership validated VoiceMap as a journalism/media content platform.
- The Daily Show with Trevor NoahkeyThe Daily Show published a walk through Washington, DC retracing the January 6th insurrection in 2022, demonstrating VoiceMap's ability to host major media brand content.
- Society of London Theatre / Official London TheatrekeyPartnership to produce the first celebrity tour - a free Theatreland walk with Sir Ian McKellen. This established VoiceMap's celebrity publisher model and provided access to Official London Theatre's audience.
- HotelscoreVoiceMap offers a dedicated hotel partner program where hotels can integrate VoiceMap tours as guest amenities. Partners receive pricing plans, private tour creation options, and distribution through VoiceMap's marketplace.
- QI (Quite Interesting)keyStephen Fry and the QI team publish content on VoiceMap, including the 'Stephen Fry's Quite Interesting Tour of the City and Bankside' in London. This partnership brings celebrity credibility and distinctive comedic content.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
VoiceMap competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rick Steves Audio Europe: Rick Steves Audio Europe offers self-guided audio walking tours across European cities, free of charge. It is a direct peer in the GPS-triggered self-guided audio tour category, targeting the same independent traveler segment, though with a more limited geographic scope and a single-publisher model.
- GPSmyCity: GPSmyCity provides self-guided walking tours and travel articles across global cities with GPS-triggered content. It is a direct peer in self-guided GPS-based city tours, with a comparable content-plus-app model and similar tourist end user.
- GyPSy Guide: GyPSy Guide produces self-guided GPS audio driving tours primarily for road-trip destinations like US National Parks and scenic routes. It is a direct peer in location-triggered audio tours with a paid marketplace model, though focused on driving rather than walking.
- Action Tour Guide: Action Tour Guide offers self-guided audio driving and walking tours with GPS autoplay across US and international destinations. It is a direct peer in app-based, GPS-triggered audio tours sold to independent travelers on a per-tour basis.
- PocketGuide Audio Travel Guides: PocketGuide is an older self-guided audio walking tour app with city coverage across Europe and beyond. It is a direct peer in the audio tour app category, with comparable GPS-triggered playback and per-tour or pass pricing.
Broad incumbents
- GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a large experiences marketplace offering tours, attractions, and activities worldwide. It is a broad incumbent that includes self-guided audio tours as part of a much larger portfolio, with significantly greater funding, marketing, and publisher supply.
- Viator: Viator, owned by Tripadvisor, is a leading global marketplace for tours, activities, and attractions. It is a broad incumbent overlapping with VoiceMap's traveler end-user base, though it focuses on bookable guided experiences and attraction tickets.
- Airbnb Experiences: Airbnb Experiences is Airbnb's marketplace for bookable in-destination activities hosted by locals. It is a broad incumbent in the same experiences category, with massive built-in demand, but it focuses on hosted experiences rather than self-guided audio.
Emerging players
- Context Travel: Context Travel offers expert-led small group walking tours with PhD and MA-level guides. It is an emerging player that overlaps with VoiceMap in the premium guided-tour category and is also a VoiceMap publisher (Vatican Museums), making it adjacent as both a partner and a partial competitor.
- TourRadar: TourRadar is a marketplace for multi-day guided tours and adventure experiences. It is an emerging player in the broader tours-and-experiences category, overlapping with VoiceMap on the demand side (travelers booking tours) but focused on multi-day guided rather than self-guided audio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
VoiceMap social profiles
Digital presenceVoiceMap financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VoiceMap leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
VoiceMap funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VoiceMap M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VoiceMap
What does VoiceMap do?
VoiceMap is a marketplace and mobile platform for self-guided GPS audio tours. Its iOS and Android apps use smartphone GPS (accurate to 5-15 meters) to automatically trigger audio narration at the right location and time during a tour, with offline support, turn-by-turn directions, and modes for walking, cycling, driving, train, boat, indoor, and running. The platform aggregates over 2,194 tours across 83 countries and 600+ destinations produced by nearly 1,000 publishers including historians, journalists, podcasters, and celebrities.
Is VoiceMap a public or private company?
VoiceMap is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was VoiceMap founded?
VoiceMap was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is VoiceMap based?
VoiceMap is headquartered in Singapore, Singapore, in the Asia region.
How does VoiceMap make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Tour Sales are the primary driver. The others are tour Passes, publisher Subscriptions and group Discounts.
Who are VoiceMap's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rick Steves Audio Europe, GPSmyCity, GyPSy Guide, Action Tour Guide and PocketGuide Audio Travel Guides. Broad incumbents are GetYourGuide, Viator and Airbnb Experiences. Emerging players are Context Travel and TourRadar.
Does VoiceMap have an API?
Yes. Browser-based publishing API for tour publishers with instant updates, automatic talk time and word count estimation, and integrated support from VoiceMap's editors and sound engineers via comments, tracked changes and email notifications. Documentation available at docs.voicemap.me.
What industry is VoiceMap in?
VoiceMap's product category is Self-guided Audio Tour Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAC, Music & Audio Streaming Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAIADAI, Enterprise Audio Publishing & Private Podcast Platforms. Its NAICS code is 512 and its SIC code is 7819.