Comparison

Showaround vs Dorms.com

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Showaround

Connect with locals for personalized city tours and experiences. Discover hidden gems and arrange custom activities based on your interests. Become a local guide and share your city's best with travelers.

Highlights
  • Personalized city tours
  • Connect with locals
  • Arrange custom activities
  • Discover hidden gems
  • Sign up as a local guide
  • Filter locals by interests
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Dorms.com

Find and book budget-friendly student accommodation and backpacker hostels worldwide. Discover city guides, manage bookings, and get directions to your room, making youth travel easier and safer.

Highlights
  • Search hostels and student housing
  • Find last-minute deals
  • Book on the go
  • Manage bookings
  • City guides with tips
  • Get directions to your room
Features
Read full description

Book safe student accommodation and backpacker hostels with Dorms.com. Designed with students, backpackers and digital nomads in mind, our budget-friendly selection of student accommodation and hostels makes youth travel easier and safer. From London to Paris, from Berlin to New York, Dorms.com connects you with the best deals for student housing and backpacker hostels. Not sure where to head next? Our city guides help you get inspired before you hit the road. Wherever you want to go, find a hostel downtown or in a trendy neighbourhood, or a room in the university district, close to bus and train stations, airports or major attractions. With over 1 million bookings already made, we can help you find your next great stay. With the free app you can: - Search hostels, student housing, homestays, dorms, and shared or private rooms - Find last-minute hostel deals - Get special deals on cheap hostels and safe student accommodation - Book a hostel on the go, for tonight or your next trip - Keep your booking confirmations in the app, no printing needed - Manage your bookings - Use "Take me to my room" so you never get lost - Read city guides with tips and free activities - Chat with our support team Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DormsCom/ Backpacking hacks: https://www.dorms.com/Hostel-Backpacking-Hacks Hostel blogs: https://www.dorms.com/Hostels-Blogs Website: https://www.dorms.com/ Problems or ideas? Write to us at info@dorms.com.

Screenshots

Showaround4 screens
Dorms.com4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dorms.com at none against Showaround's 10. Dorms.com also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 53%). Showaround's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (296 vs 18). On price, rating, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Showaround sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $8.49 per month. Dorms.com asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dorms.com holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Showaround has 296 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Showaround's written reviews are positive against 67% of Dorms.com's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Showaround ships an update fortnightly, Dorms.com every 9 days. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Showaround versus Dorms.com: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShowaroundDorms.com
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (296 ratings)4.7 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.3% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings296 — better18
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.1 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB95 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperIT BenefitsDorms.com

Customer experience

Showaround

All ratings295 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.7%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews105 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral10.5%
Negative36.2%

Dorms.com

All ratings18 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.6%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Showaround

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • 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)
Show 4 more
  • 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

Requested features

7 requests
  • 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
Show 2 more
  • Better fraud detection and profile verification
  • Advanced filtering and categorization options

Dorms.com

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Showaround

Subscriptions8
  • 1 Month Membership3 Days trial$8.491 Month
  • 1 Month Membership3 Days trial$17.491 Month
  • 1 Month Membership$18.491 Month
Show 5 more
  • 1 Month Membership3 Days trial$25.991 Month
  • 3 Months Membership$34.993 Months
  • 3 Months Membership$51.993 Months
  • 1 Month Membership3 Days trial$51.991 Month
  • Year Membership$104.991 Year
One-time2
  • 1 Month Membership$19.99
  • 3 Months Membership$39.99
None

Dorms.com

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Showaround free?
Showaround is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dorms.com free?
Dorms.com is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Showaround or Dorms.com?
Dorms.com is rated higher. Showaround averages 4.5 out of 5 from 296 ratings, while Dorms.com averages 4.7 from 18 ratings.
Do Showaround or Dorms.com have ads?
Dorms.com shows ads; Showaround does not.
Which is updated more often, Showaround or Dorms.com?
Showaround ships an update fortnightly, and Dorms.com every 9 days. Most recently, Showaround was updated on November 11, 2026 and Dorms.com on November 11, 2026.

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