How listeners access your tour

Listeners can access your VoiceMap tour in four ways:

• If you're the tour's publisher, by signing into the app and Mapmaker with the same account
• By purchasing it through the VoiceMap website
• By purchasing it through the VoiceMap apps for iOS and Android
• With a voucher code

All access types require a VoiceMap account. This mostly allows users to buy or redeem a tour through the VoiceMap website and then access it in the apps, if they log into them with the same account. But access works in both directions.

"Purchasing" can apply to free tours as well as tours that are sold to listeners. When listeners have "purchased" a tour, we mean that they have added it to their VoiceMap account.

The first option on the list is intended for testing your tour, and only gives access to a single user.

The other three all allow you to distribute your tour for free or to sell it, and each type of access has its own pros and cons. The majority of tours are sold through the VoiceMap apps and website.

Purchasing through the VoiceMap website

When listeners purchase a tour through voicemap.me, they create a VoiceMap account (or sign in to an existing one) and complete the payment via Stripe. They can then download the tour in the VoiceMap app by signing in with the same account.

Web purchases have the lowest payment processing fees, so they generate the highest royalties for publishers.

Purchasing through the VoiceMap apps

Listeners can also purchase tours directly in the VoiceMap apps for iOS and Android. In-app purchases are processed through the App Store (Apple) or Google Play. These platforms charge higher processing fees (15–30%), which affects your royalty calculations.

The advantage of in-app purchases is convenience — listeners can find, buy, and download a tour without leaving the app.

My Tours tab

After purchasing or redeeming a tour, listeners access it through the My Tours tab in the VoiceMap app, where they'll see all the tours they've already downloaded, those ready to download, the tours they've wishlisted, and the publisher podcasts they've subscribed to.

Voucher codes

Voucher codes are 8-character alphanumeric codes that give listeners access to your tour without purchasing through the VoiceMap apps or website. Use them to share tours with friends and family for ratings and reviews, or to sell tours independently through your own platforms.

Listeners can use a voucher code to download a tour by entering it into the VoiceMap apps, going to Tour Codes in the menu and then to Enter Codes.

When you first sign up to VoiceMap, you receive credits you can use to issue vouchers valid for 10 copies of your tour. Each credit is valid for one download. On the Basic Plan, getting additional credits costs $2 per credit. On the Growth and Priority plans, credits are included as part of your subscription.