Comparison

Shinkansen smartEX App vs VRtourist

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

VRtourist

Features
Read full description

VRtourist is the travel social network built on real journeys. Vietnamese travellers and creators share their trips with their own photos, 360° virtual tours and detailed itineraries, so the next traveller can plan from real experience rather than advertising. WHAT VRTOURIST DOES • Real, moderated reviews: posts are moderated before they reach the feed; AI-generated content and photos that do not belong to the author are rejected. • 360° virtual tours: see destinations through panoramas recorded by the community, including with a VR headset. • Maps and itineraries: pin places, plan your trip day by day, and get weather and disaster alerts for where you are heading. • Pages for local businesses: homestays, restaurants and attractions get their own page with 360° tours and direct contact. OUR PRINCIPLES • Real content comes first. • Respect for copyright: photos and posts belong to their authors. • Transparent about advertising: ads are kept separate from community posts and clearly labelled. • Your data is yours: export or delete it at any time. Start with the trip you remember most: read the community's experiences, or tell the story of your own trip. Terms of Service: https://app.vopenworld.com/auth/terms Privacy Policy: https://app.vopenworld.com/auth/privacy

Screenshots

Shinkansen smartEX App4 screens
VRtourist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shinkansen smartEX App at none against VRtourist's 10. Shinkansen smartEX App also leads on ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#118 vs unranked). VRtourist's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price 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. VRtourist sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Shinkansen smartEX App asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shinkansen smartEX App ships an update monthly, VRtourist every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Shinkansen smartEX App versus VRtourist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShinkansen smartEX AppVRtourist
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (606 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews16.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings606 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#118 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB29 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperCentral Japan Railway CompanyDang Minh Khai

In-app purchases

None

Shinkansen smartEX App

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

VRtourist

Subscriptions6
  • Creator Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Creator Pro Yearly$39.901 Year
Show 3 more
  • Premium Monthly$39.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$129.001 Year
  • Premium Yearly$399.001 Year
One-time4
  • Small Support$0.99
  • Medium Support$2.99
  • Large Support$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Gold Support$9.99

Questions

Is Shinkansen smartEX App free?
Shinkansen smartEX App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VRtourist free?
VRtourist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shinkansen smartEX App or VRtourist have ads?
VRtourist shows ads; Shinkansen smartEX App does not.
Which is updated more often, Shinkansen smartEX App or VRtourist?
Shinkansen smartEX App ships an update monthly, and VRtourist every 2 days. Most recently, Shinkansen smartEX App was updated on October 29, 2026 and VRtourist on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons