Comparison

Shinkansen smartEX App vs Plotline

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
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▼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

Plotline

Turn your saved travel posts into an interactive map. Organize places you want to visit, add personal notes, and plan your trips with detailed itineraries. Discover the story behind each location, not just a pin on a map.

Highlights
  • Save places from any app
  • Import details from Google Maps
  • Map view of saved locations
  • Add personal notes
  • Plan day-by-day itineraries
  • Track visited and future spots
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

What if your scrolling wasn't wasted time? Every spot that stopped your scroll -- the hidden garden cafe, the speakeasy tucked behind a bookshop -- that was research. Now do something with it. Plotline turns your feed into a map you can actually use. Curate your spots, plan your trips, and watch your taste come to life. SAVE FROM ANYWHERE Share a travel post, a restaurant review, a Google Maps link -- Plotline grabs the location, photos, and details automatically. Works with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Google Maps, travel blogs, and more! Other apps give you a pin. Plotline gives you the story -- the original creator's recommendation, what to order, why it matters, and the source video linked so you can rewatch it before you go. PLAN YOUR TRIP WITH YOUR FRIENDS (AUTO-MAGICALLY) Turn your saved spots into a real itinerary. Have us instantly build day-by-day plans with YOUR saved places or manually create itineraries your way. Invite your travel crew to plan trips together! Everyone can add and edit places, live. Drag and drop your places into the order that makes sense, and see your whole trip laid out before you leave. Your pins become your plan. ASK PLOTLINE: SEARCH BY VIBE You saved that cafe for the vibe, not the name. Now find it the same way. Ask in your own words -- "a cozy cafe to work from," "an aesthetic photo spot," "cheap eats open now" -- and Plotline pins the best matches from your saves and the community on your map, each with a quick note on why it made the cut. Included with Plotline Premiere. TRENDING HOT SPOTS See what others are saving wherever you're going. Whether it's Anthony Bourdain's favorite döner spot, or the historic bookshop overlooking the castle -- see what's actually worth the hype with highlighted places in every city and 'tips from the community' to show you exactly what to order, how much it costs, or any other tips that you need to know. SIDEQUESTS Don't have a trip planned? Plotline builds one for you. Pick a city, swipe through spots -- your saves or places matched to your vibe -- and Plotline turns your favorites into a route for a day trip or an evening out. Spontaneous adventure without the decision fatigue. YOUR MAP, YOUR TASTE Browse your saved spots by city. Filter by eat, brew, sip, vibe, explore, or go. See everything across collections, saved cities, and references in one place. Track where you've been and what's still waiting. MAKE IT YOURS Add personal notes to any spot. Organize into collections by trip, city, or theme. Share collections with friends who are tired of asking "where should we eat?" WHO IS PLOTLINE FOR? You save more travel posts than you'll ever scroll back to find. You don't just want to know where -- you want to remember what to order, why it's special, and how to get there. You travel on taste, not templates. A 5-star rating is not enough. You need to know the vibe. If your saved folder is a graveyard of forgotten recommendations, Plotline turns it into your next trip. Your feed was never just content. It was the first chapter. Plotline helps you write the rest. Privacy Policy: https://getplotline.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://getplotline.app/terms

Screenshots

Shinkansen smartEX App4 screens
Plotline4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Plotline at 90% against Shinkansen smartEX App's 17%. Plotline also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.7) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Shinkansen smartEX App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, ads and chart position 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. Plotline sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Shinkansen smartEX App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plotline holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 607 and 764 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Shinkansen smartEX App's written reviews are positive against 90% of Plotline's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shinkansen smartEX App ships an update monthly, Plotline weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Shinkansen smartEX App versus Plotline: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShinkansen smartEX AppPlotline
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (607 ratings)4.9 (764 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.6% of reviews90.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings607764 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#124#58 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCentral Japan Railway CompanyPlotline Travel, Inc.

Customer experience

Shinkansen smartEX App

All ratings606 ratings
Positive16.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative81.5%
Written reviews373 reviews
Positive16.6%
Neutral3.5%
Negative79.9%

Plotline

All ratings710 ratings
Positive98.7%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.7%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive90.2%
Neutral4.9%
Negative4.9%

In-app purchases

None

Shinkansen smartEX App

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Plotline

Subscriptions3
  • Plotline Premiere$9.991 Month
  • Plotline Premiere$49.991 Year
  • Plotline Premiere7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Shinkansen smartEX App free?
Shinkansen smartEX App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plotline free?
Plotline is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shinkansen smartEX App or Plotline?
Plotline is rated higher. Shinkansen smartEX App averages 1.7 out of 5 from 607 ratings, while Plotline averages 4.9 from 764 ratings.
Do Shinkansen smartEX App or Plotline have ads?
Neither Shinkansen smartEX App nor Plotline shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shinkansen smartEX App or Plotline?
Shinkansen smartEX App ships an update monthly, and Plotline weekly. Most recently, Shinkansen smartEX App was updated on November 2, 2026 and Plotline on November 5, 2026.
Which is more popular, Shinkansen smartEX App or Plotline?
Shinkansen smartEX App currently peaks at #124 in the App Store charts, and Plotline at #58. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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