Comparison

Washington State Insider vs ExploreHere

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

Head to head
About

Washington State Insider

Discover historic Washington State locations and earn points for exploring. Redeem your collected points for discounted entry to the Washington State History Museum. Share your favorite spots with friends and track your progress.

Highlights
  • Explore historic locations on a map
  • Collect points by visiting places
  • Redeem points for museum discounts
  • Create an account to track progress
  • Share locations with friends
Features
Read full description

Washington State Insider, created by the Northwest History class at Lopez Island Middle School, rewards you for exploring historic places around Washington State. Explore the state, collect points, and redeem them for discounted entry into the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. Create An Account With a Washington State Insider account, you can collect points, and redeem them for discounted entry into the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. Explore The Explore button takes you to the map of Washington, which has pins indicating places of interest where you can collect points. Clicking on each pin on the map gives you more information about that location. Collect Points Many locations are assigned a point value, which can be collected when you are within GPS range of a location and have a connection to the internet. Pushing the “Collect Points” button while physically visiting a location will add the location’s points to your point total. To keep earning points, explore more locations. You can track your point total on your Account page. Redeem Rewards Once you collect enough points, those points can be redeem them for discounted entry into the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. Hitting the “Redeem Rewards” button while physically at a Rewards location will bring up a key pad for the place owner to enter a code to deduct points from your point total in exchange for your reward. You must have an internet connection in order to redeem points. Share With Friends Find a place you want to let others know about? The Share button on each location’s page allows you to share information about that place via your social media channels.

About

ExploreHere

This app transforms your drives into engaging audio journeys. It automatically plays stories about historic landmarks and hidden places as you travel, allowing for a hands-free and immersive discovery experience.

Highlights
  • Hands-free audio stories
  • Automatic landmark discovery
  • Walking and driving tours
  • Offline access (Pro)
  • Nearby history alerts
  • Save favorite stops (Pro)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Turn every drive into a story. ExploreHere is a hands-free road trip guide that plays stories automatically as you travel. Discover historic landmarks, hidden places, and unforgettable moments, without ever touching your phone. Whether you're cruising cross-country, exploring a small town, or wandering a new city, ExploreHere reveals the stories that shaped the places around you. Made for the Road - 240,000+ Historic Landmarks across the U.S. - Auto-Play Audio as you pass places worth knowing - Hands-Free Travel Mode for safe driving - Walking & Driving Tours through cities, parks, and scenic highways - Nearby History Alerts so you never miss a story Pro Features - Offline access for no-service road trips - High-Quality Immersive Audio - View public lands, national parks & forests and native lands - Smart proximity alerts - Save and organize favorite stops Perfect For Road trippers • RV travelers • National park explorers • History lovers • Families on vacation • Curious travelers ExploreHere transforms highways into story-filled journeys and ordinary stops into unforgettable discoveries. See the history around you. Start exploring today. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: http://explorehere.app/privacy

Screenshots

Washington State Insider4 screens
ExploreHere4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ExploreHere at 67% against Washington State Insider's 0%. ExploreHere also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months). Washington State Insider's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 18) and iOS requirement (8.1 vs 16.4). On price, ads 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. ExploreHere sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month. Washington State Insider asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ExploreHere holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ExploreHere has 810 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Washington State Insider's written reviews are positive against 67% of ExploreHere's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Washington State Insider ships an update every 4 months, ExploreHere every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Washington State Insider versus ExploreHere: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWashington State InsiderExploreHere
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings)4.7 (810 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1810 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#75 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.1 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB160 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developer468 Communications, LLCWesley Vance

Customer experience

Washington State Insider

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

ExploreHere

All ratings797 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.1%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral7.0%
Negative26.3%

Bugs and requests

Washington State Insider

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ExploreHere

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes when viewing multiple items
  • Crashes on app launch/opening
  • Continuous tracking feature not working on iPhone
  • CarPlay compatibility issues
  • Audio descriptions cut off mid-sentence
Show 3 more
  • Double charging incidents
  • App freezing and becoming unresponsive
  • Incomplete marker database coverage

Requested features

8 requests
  • Automatic audio reading when passing markers for drivers
  • City-based browsing instead of marker name search
  • Improved voice quality and complete audio descriptions
  • Better map visibility with lighter road colors
  • Automatic location detection on app launch
Show 3 more
  • Free filtering options without upgrade requirement
  • Continuous tracking feature improvement
  • Offline marker access capability

In-app purchases

None

Washington State Insider

No in-app purchases

18 purchases

ExploreHere

Subscriptions15
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$2.001 Month
  • Pro - Monthly$3.001 Month
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$4.001 Month
Show 12 more
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$5.001 Month
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$6.001 Month
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$10.001 Month
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$10.001 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$16.001 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$20.001 Year
  • Pro - Yearly$25.001 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$35.991 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$50.001 Year
One-time3
  • Pro - Lifetime$24.99
  • Pro - Lifetime$60.00
  • Pro - Lifetime$90.00

Questions

Is Washington State Insider free?
Washington State Insider is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ExploreHere free?
ExploreHere is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Washington State Insider or ExploreHere?
ExploreHere is rated higher. Washington State Insider averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ExploreHere averages 4.7 from 810 ratings.
Do Washington State Insider or ExploreHere have ads?
Neither Washington State Insider nor ExploreHere shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Washington State Insider or ExploreHere?
Washington State Insider ships an update every 4 months, and ExploreHere every 10 days. Most recently, Washington State Insider was updated on October 29, 2026 and ExploreHere on November 3, 2026.

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