Mobile applications for heritage presentation have become very popular in recent years as platforms for educating users in the fields of history, art history, archeology, anthropology and other disciplines. These types of applications interpret cultural heritage of a particular place in a completely new and attractive way and provide guidance in various heritage institutions and sites. Among these stand out museums and galleries, archeological sites, historic city cores and other frequently visited tourist destinations. This paper provides an overview of the history and methods of developing mobile applications for heritage presentation and an analysis of examples of selected mobile applications designed for guided tours of well-known European museums and sites, including some examples in Croatia. Emphasis will be placed on the advantages they have for users, namely innovation in relation to a traditional visit to a cultural institution or site, usefulness in navigating through space and availability of information and, the most important segment, their educational role. At the end of the paper the importance and potential that mobile applications for heritage presentation have, and may have in the future, in creating a richer experience for museum visits, exhibitions, archeological sites and the like is emphasized. A synthesis of the current practice of developing mobile applications for the presentation of heritage is made on the basis of analyzed examples and some guidelines for future projects are offered.