Comparison

Explore Black Hills vs Custer State Park

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

Head to head
About

Explore Black Hills

Discover dining, shopping, and activities in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This location-driven guide helps you find attractions, deals, and local information based on your current position. Explore historical sites and outdoor adventures with trusted local insights.

Highlights
  • Location-driven recommendations
  • Dining and shopping guides
  • Special deals and offers
  • Information on attractions
  • Local event listings
  • Historical site details
Features
Read full description

Your insider’s guide to exploring the beautiful Black Hills of Western South Dakota. Our FREE location-driven app helps visitors and locals alike, explore all the Black Hills has to offer for dining, shopping, playing, staying, special deals and more. Surrounded by the incredible natural beauty of the Black Hills National Forest, and steeped in history, you can walk in the footsteps of the likes of Wild Bill Hickok, Gen. George A. Custer and Sitting Bull. Our welcoming towns of Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood, Belle Fourche and Sturgis are all located just northwest of the major hub of Rapid City. Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Tower National Monument, Badlands National Park and Spearfish Canyon scenic byway are just a few of the world-class attractions in our area along with outdoor mountain adventures and plenty of indoor fun as well. Hiking, biking, world-class rock climbing, caving, fishing, hunting, skiing, snowmobiling, driving tours, casino gaming, pro rodeo action, museums, historic opera houses and so much more are just waiting for you to explore. Based on your location, each page in our app contains search buttons to help you find what you’re looking for by town. We’ll help you locate where to eat, where to stay, special deals and what’s happening while you’re here. Compiled by the folks at the locally owned Black Hills Pioneer newspaper, you know you can trust the info we provide. After all, we’ve been pioneering news and information in the territory since 1876.

About

Custer State Park

Explore the natural beauty and wildlife of Custer State Park with self-guided audio tours. Discover camping, hiking, biking, and scenic drives, with information on accommodations and activities for the whole family.

Highlights
  • Self-guided audio tours
  • Wildlife information
  • Scenic drive guides
  • Camping and resort details
  • Activity suggestions
  • Park exploration
Features
Read full description

The granite peaks and rolling plains are calling. The clear mountain waters are inviting and the open ranges are waiting to be discovered. Bring your family to Custer State Park and let yourself run wild. Encompassing 71,000 in the Black Hills, Custer State Park is home to abundant wildlife and adventure; camping, hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, or relaxing, there’s something here for everyone. This app includes self-guided audio tours to help enhance the visitor experience at Custer State Park, learn about the diverse wildlife, natural resources, and amazing scenic drives within the park. Explore one of the many activities Custer State Park has to offer. Not sure where to stay on your visit? Custer State Park offers eight different campgrounds and four fabulous resorts. Cabins, campsites, camper cabins, lodge rooms, Custer State Park has any amenity you’re looking for.

Screenshots

Explore Black Hills3 screens
Custer State Park4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Custer State Park at 4.3 against Explore Black Hills's 2.3. Explore Black Hills's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Custer State Park holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Black Hills ships an update every 6 months, Custer State Park every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Explore Black Hills versus Custer State Park: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore Black HillsCuster State Park
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (6 ratings)4.3 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB131 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeaton Publishing Company IncSouth Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

Customer experience

Explore Black Hills

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Custer State Park

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

Explore Black Hills

No in-app purchases

None

Custer State Park

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Explore Black Hills free?
Explore Black Hills is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Custer State Park free?
Custer State Park is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Explore Black Hills or Custer State Park?
Custer State Park is rated higher. Explore Black Hills averages 2.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Custer State Park averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Explore Black Hills or Custer State Park have ads?
Neither Explore Black Hills nor Custer State Park shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Explore Black Hills or Custer State Park?
Explore Black Hills ships an update every 6 months, and Custer State Park every 7 months. Most recently, Explore Black Hills was updated on June 11, 2026 and Custer State Park on September 8, 2026.

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