Comparison

Shinkansen smartEX App vs Mame Sama (まめさま)

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

Head to head
About

Shinkansen smartEX App

Easily reserve Shinkansen seats, hotels, and activities. Enjoy discounts for early bookings and flexible changes. Access station and train service information, and use QR tickets or designated IC cards for seamless travel.

Highlights
  • Reserve Shinkansen seats
  • Book hotels and activities
  • Early booking discounts
  • Free reservation changes
  • Select seats from map
  • QR-Ticket and IC card boarding
  • Fingerprint authentication login
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

▼With the EX app, you can: - Reserve Shinkansen seats through the app easily - Discount for early booking - Reserve Shinkansen seats up to 1 year in advance - You can make as many changes as you need, free of charge, before getting on the train - Reserve a set of Shinkansen seats and hotel rooms! - Reserve activities, hotels and car rentals! - Select any seat from the seat map (*reserved seats only) - Information on services available in stations and trains - You can log in quickly by using fingerprint authentication. (only for compatible models) ▼ Main features - Membership registration - Purchase ticket/Reserve seats (time designation, train name designation, easy free seat reservation)) - Confirm reservation - Change and refund reservation (reducing the number of persons) - Display purchase history and receipt - Check, change member information - Display QR-Ticket for boarding - Designate or register IC card for boarding - Service status information (Link) ▼ Notes - Membership registration is required to use this app. For registration, personal information is required, such as member name, date of birth, and a valid credit card, etc. - Ticket purchase (reservation) payment will be taken from the credit card registered on the account. -- You need to register or designate IC card for public transportation (*) to travel ticketless with IC card. (*) Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, PiTaPa, ICOCA, Hayakaken, nimoca, SUGOCA - You need the pickup code to pick up tickets from ticket vending machines, etc., at main stations of Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Hiroshima, Hakata, Kumamoto etc. - Please do not use this app to make a seat reservation for Japan Rail Pass. - This service is available only in English. - For more details on this service, please see the website. *The email address below is for inquiries about application specifications. Please note that we cannnot answer inquiries about the service.

About

Mame Sama (まめさま)

Discover vegan-friendly restaurants, shops, and events across Japan. This community-driven guide provides verified information to support a plant-based lifestyle for residents and travelers.

Highlights
  • Vegan restaurant and food finder
  • Community-verified listings
  • Event and meetup information
  • Animal rights campaign updates
  • Bilingual English/Japanese support
  • Vegan shopping directory
Features
Read full description

Mame Sama: The Trusted Vegan Japan Guide Mame Sama was created by vegans living in Japan to make vegan life a little easier. It is a growing guide to everything vegan in Japan! Search for and list anything helpful to living a plant-based life. Find vegan food and restaurants, shopping, community groups, events, sanctuaries, and more. Support vegan-friendly businesses and stay informed about animal rights events from Tokyo to Osaka. Whether you are traveling through Japan or building your life here, Mame Sama helps you discover places you can actually trust. Mame Sama is more than just ratings and reviews. It is a trove of information verified by the vegan community. Listings go up instantly, and reported content is taken seriously. • 100% Vegan Focus: No guesswork or hidden ingredients. • Transparent and Community-Driven: Real info from locals. • Updated Events and Meetups: Connect with the community. • Support Animal Rights: Learn about local campaigns. • Bilingual Support: Full English and Japanese options. There are no paid listings or hidden priorities. Our only motive is to create a more vegan world. Whether you are new to veganism or just want better vegan food options, Mame Sama is your ultimate companion for navigating Japan.

Screenshots

Shinkansen smartEX App4 screens
Mame Sama (まめさま)3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mame Sama (まめさま) at 100% against Shinkansen smartEX App's 17%. Mame Sama (まめさま) also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.7) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Shinkansen smartEX App's advantage is ratings volume (607 vs 1) and chart position (#125 vs unranked). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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

Mame Sama (まめさま) holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shinkansen smartEX App has 607 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Shinkansen smartEX App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mame Sama (まめさま)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shinkansen smartEX App ships an update monthly, Mame Sama (まめさま) every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Shinkansen smartEX App versus Mame Sama (まめさま): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShinkansen smartEX AppMame Sama (まめさま)
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (607 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings607 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#125 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCentral Japan Railway Companyqrl-dot-app, LLC

Customer experience

Shinkansen smartEX App

All ratings607 ratings
Positive16.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative81.5%
Written reviews374 reviews
Positive16.6%
Neutral3.5%
Negative79.9%

Mame Sama (まめさま)

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Shinkansen smartEX App

No in-app purchases

None

Mame Sama (まめさま)

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shinkansen smartEX App free?
Shinkansen smartEX App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mame Sama (まめさま) free?
Mame Sama (まめさま) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shinkansen smartEX App or Mame Sama (まめさま)?
Mame Sama (まめさま) is rated higher. Shinkansen smartEX App averages 1.7 out of 5 from 607 ratings, while Mame Sama (まめさま) averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Shinkansen smartEX App or Mame Sama (まめさま) have ads?
Neither Shinkansen smartEX App nor Mame Sama (まめさま) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shinkansen smartEX App or Mame Sama (まめさま)?
Shinkansen smartEX App ships an update monthly, and Mame Sama (まめさま) every 10 days. Most recently, Shinkansen smartEX App was updated on November 9, 2026 and Mame Sama (まめさま) on October 30, 2026.

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