# Showaround - Find a Local

> Connect with locals for personalized city tours and experiences. (iPhone/iPad app by IT Benefits.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showaround-find-a-local/id1001885430 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [IT Benefits](https://appshunter.io/developer/1660725346)
- Category: Travel
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 295 App Store ratings · 105 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 33 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-10-26
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: subscription
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showaround-find-a-local/id1001885430/reviews.md

## What is Showaround?

FIND A LOCAL FOR A TAILOR-MADE CITY TOUR
Where’s your next trip? With the Showaround app, you can book a local for a private tour whilst on-the-go and take traveling to a completely different level – meet locals from all around the world and discover the true beauty of any city from an insider’s perspective. Choose the perfect buddy to explore a new place with based on their personality, hobbies, or experience. 

ARRANGE ACTIVITIES 
Create your own personalised tour, plan activities in advance, and communicate with locals, all in one place. Skip the tourist traps and spend time visiting the sights that truly interest you - whether it’s an art gallery opening, sipping Champagne on a terrace somewhere, or just walking along the streets of an old town, Showaround locals will have you covered.

SIGN UP AS A LOCAL
Become a Showaround local, give tours in your city, and get a chance to meet students, backpackers, professionals and other travelers from every corner of the world. Share with them the best your city has to offer – and with flexible schedule, you can show people around as much as you like, whenever you like.

AS A TOURIST, YOU CAN:
• Automatically see the locals in the selected area;
• Filter locals according to your search criteria: languages, activities and more;
• When traveling, you can simply create a Trip for your next destination and receive offers from locals with suggestions for your visit.

AS A LOCAL, YOU CAN:
• Add photos to your travel profile;
• Specify the languages you can speak;
• Write a bit about yourself;
• Tell more about what kind of guided tours you’re offering, including activities such as nightlife, culture, food, etc.;
• See how many tourists are looking for a local buddy in your hometown;
• Send offers to visitors. 

-------------------------------------

We will ask you to enable the Location Background mode on your device in order to track your current location and suggest locals nearby. As with most apps, please be aware that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

The payment method for the Membership is an auto-recurring periodic subscription method. Membership can be purchased for the duration of one month (from 9,99 EUR to 59,99 EUR), three months (from 19,99 EUR to 119,99 EUR) or one year (from 59,99 EUR to 349,99 EUR).  The payment method for the Membership is an auto-recurring periodic subscription method. When you initially subscribe for a Membership, you will be charged immediately for the initial period of the Subscription at the then-current fee. If you purchase an auto-recurring periodic subscription through an in app purchase, your IAP Account will be billed continuously for the subscription until you cancel. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. After your initial subscription commitment period, and again after any subsequent subscription period, your subscription will automatically continue for an additional equivalent period, at the price you agreed to when subscribing. If you do not wish your subscription to renew automatically, or if you want to change or terminate your subscription, you will need to log in to your IAP account and follow instructions to cancel your subscription at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can read more on https://www.showaround.com/info/terms-of-service and https://www.showaround.com/info/privacy-policy pages.

## Key features

- Personalized city tours
- Connect with locals
- Arrange custom activities
- Discover hidden gems
- Sign up as a local guide
- Filter locals by interests

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Membership | $18.49 | per month |
| 1 Month Membership | $8.49 | per month |
| 1 Month Membership | $17.49 | per month |
| 3 Months Membership | $34.99 | per 3 months |
| Year Membership | $104.99 | per year |
| 1 Month Membership | $25.99 | per month |
| 3 Months Membership | $51.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 Month Membership | $51.99 | per month |
| 3 Months Membership | $104.99 | per 3 months |
| Year Membership | $169.99 | per year |
| Year Membership | $154.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3 Months Membership | $39.99 | one-time |
| 1 Month Membership | $19.99 | one-time |
| Help us improve | $5.00 | one-time |


## Chart rankings

- #177 in Top Grossing · Travel (US App Store)

## What do users think of Showaround?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👥 Authentic connections with local guides
- 🌍 Access to hidden gems and local knowledge
- 🎯 Easy-to-use app interface
- 💬 Quick message delivery and communication
- 🤝 Opportunity to make genuine friendships
- 📸 Memorable experiences and photo opportunities
- 🎓 Learn about local culture firsthand

**Cons**

- 💳 Expensive subscription fees ($18-$50.99/month)
- ⚠️ Fake and scam profiles on platform
- 🚫 Poor customer service and support
- 🔐 Security and safety concerns
- 📵 Continuous charges after cancellation
- 😶 Low response rates from guides
- 🤖 AI-generated replies from guides
- 🚫 Guides don't follow through on commitments
- 🎯 Unfair pricing model (subscription vs. commission)
- 🔒 Lack of transparency on guide activity

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Inbox not receiving messages from locals
- App crashes frequently
- Notifications not going through
- Login issues and unexpected logouts
- Phone verification code not received (especially in China)
- Messages visible in email but not in app
- Unable to delete certain messages
- Persistent 'Update the app' error with no available update
- Glitches with message synchronization

**Most requested features**

- Commission-based pricing instead of monthly subscription
- Favorites/bookmarking system for guides
- Friend-adding functionality
- Guide profile creation date visibility
- Last login timestamp for guides
- Better fraud detection and profile verification
- Advanced filtering and categorization options

## Recent user reviews (10 of 105)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showaround-find-a-local/id1001885430/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Outrageous Cost

*2026-05-27, version 4.0.9*

To contact local guides the app is charging me $51.99 for 3 (yes THREE) days (yes DAYS). $51.99 FOR 3 DAYS?!?! I could see that for a year. Maybe even a month. That would be over $500USD PER MONTH just to fund a local tour guide. There are other apps people.

### 5/5 — Good

*2026-05-16, version 4.0.8*

Great app for to find local tour guide

### 1/5 — Continues to charge and refuses to refund

*2025-12-19, version 3.9.14*

They keep charging your account after cancelation, I had $200 in charges!

### 1/5 — Plenty of Scammers on the app

*2025-11-18*

There are plenty of scammers on the app. You do find locals but the you also see profiles asking you to join them on telegram. I reported an account and its still there.

### 1/5 — Cannot create a trip anymore

*2025-08-26*

Whenever you wanna create a trip to get offers it crashes. It’s gotten useless…

### 3/5 — Good, but no security

*2025-06-09*

The ideia of the app is amazing, but there’s to many fake accounts, passing by someone else. Should have some security check.

### 3/5 — Very few responses

*2025-03-16*

Unfortunately I had high hopes for this App. There’re plenty of guides on the App, but once you go on contacting them you realize the following:
1) very few ever respond
2) most responders use AI generated replies clearly for language barrier
3) most responders don’t follow through 
4) the monthly subscription fees is ridiculous expensive to stay on the platform for long. 

In my experience Tours by Locals is a far better platform. 

I’ll reconsider if the subscription fees become reasonable

### 5/5 — Tour in Tokyo

*2024-11-11*

I had an unforgettable day exploring Tokyo with Hana through Showaround, and I can’t recommend her enough! From the moment she picked me up at 9 am to the drop-off for my Shibuya skyline at 3 pm, Hana went above and beyond to ensure I had an amazing experience. We explored Asakusa, Ginza, and the Tsukiji Fish Market, even taking a memorable rickshaw ride along the way.

Hana’s extensive knowledge of Tokyo’s culture and history added so much depth to each location. Her wonderful personality and warm demeanor made the tour feel like I was exploring with a friend. She was incredibly understanding and flexible, tailoring the tour to fit my interests and ensuring I was comfortable every step of the way. Hana also captured some beautiful photos, allowing me to keep these memories forever. I highly recommend Hana to anyone looking for a genuine and enriching tour of Tokyo—she truly made my day unforgettable!

I hope that all the guides I meet are as amazing as Hana.

### 3/5 — Lots a fake profile and no security

*2024-11-03*

I work as a tour guide in Buenos Aires, one bad thing is the fake profiles that hire you. Many make you indecent proposals. I have reported several, but one person in particular from Italy, who I have never met and have never traveled with, made a false report and the app does not want to remove it. There are dangerous men looking for women for other types of activities that are not tourist-related. The worst of all is that no one in the app cares to solve your problem.

### 1/5 — Trash

*2024-10-31, version 3.9.5*

Just use TripAdvisor

## Frequently asked questions about Showaround

### What does this app do?

This app connects travelers with locals for personalized city tours and experiences. You can discover hidden gems, arrange custom activities, and explore cities from an insider's perspective. It also allows locals to sign up as guides and share their city's best with travelers.

### How can I find a local for a tour?

As a tourist, you can see locals in your selected area and filter them based on criteria like languages, activities, and interests. You can also create a trip for your next destination and receive offers from locals with suggestions for your visit.

### How much does the membership cost?

Membership is an auto-recurring periodic subscription. You can purchase it for one month, three months, or one year, with prices ranging from 9,99 EUR to 349,99 EUR depending on the duration and chosen plan.

### What kind of activities can I arrange?

You can arrange a wide variety of activities based on your interests, such as visiting art galleries, enjoying nightlife, exploring food scenes, or simply walking through old town streets. Locals can offer tours covering culture, food, nightlife, and more.

### Is this app available on all devices?

The description mentions enabling Location Background mode on your device, implying compatibility with mobile devices that support this feature. Specific operating system compatibility (iOS/Android) is not detailed but is standard for mobile apps.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.0.12 — 2026-07-21

App performance improvements

### 4.0.9 — 2026-05-26

App performance improvements

### 4.0.8 — 2026-05-14

App performance improvements and bugfixes.

### 4.0.7 — 2026-05-07

App performance updates.
Updates for ios 26 design better layout.

### 3.9.14 — 2025-02-13

Stability and quality of life improvements

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## Related topics

[local guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/local-guide) · [with locals](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/with-locals) · [the local guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/the-local-guide)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*