Spot The State vs PlateTag
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spot The State
Track license plates seen during travel to discover states across the US. This game offers a visual representation of your progress and the percentage of plates found. It's designed for family fun on road trips.
- Track license plates
- Discover US states
- Visual progress tracking
- Multi-trip support
- Percentage of plates found
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Spot The State is an application for tracking your U.S. state discoveries through license plate sightings or personal travel. Upon launch, select an existing trip or create a new one. Mark states as you encounter them—each selection is automatically displayed on the interactive map. Modify entries anytime by tapping a state again. An auto-map toggle in settings allows you to control map visibility. Complete your journey by visiting all 50 states plus DC. Have fun and provide suggestions.
PlateTag
This app allows users to collect and track license plates they encounter. Browse thousands of designs, log discoveries without a camera, and build a personal collection mapped to your travels. Earn badges and track progress, with a web companion for larger screen access.
- Browse 10,000+ license plate designs
- Log plates without a camera
- Track discoveries on a map
- Build and filter personal collection
- Log discovery sessions
- Earn badges and track progress
- Dark mode support
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How many license plates can you find? PlateTag is the license plate collecting app for road trippers, travelers, and anyone who loves a great collecting challenge. Browse over 10,300 plate designs from all 50 U.S. states, Canadian provinces, Mexican states, and international regions. Spot a plate, log it, and watch your personal collection grow. No camera required. No subscriptions. No ads, ever. TRACK WHERE YOU FIND THEM Every discovery can be pinned to a map, showing exactly where you spotted it. Your personal discovery map becomes a living record of everywhere you have traveled and every plate you have found. BUILD YOUR COLLECTION ◆ Browse 10,300+ license plate designs by region, series, and category ◆ Log plates the moment you spot them, no camera needed ◆ Filter and search your collection by region or name ◆ See your rarest finds at a glance ◆ Free accounts collect up to 50 plates. One-time upgrade for unlimited collecting, no tokens, no recurring charges. COLLECT WITH FRIENDS ◆ Create a Group and invite friends, family, or your road trip crew ◆ Every plate any member logs goes into your shared group collection ◆ Track who has found the most plates and the most states on a live group leaderboard ◆ Start a Road Rally to compete head-to-head in a timed challenge ◆ Road Rallies crown two winners: Most Plates found and Most States covered ◆ Set your own start and end dates, or run an open-ended group season SHARE YOUR FINDS Select plates from your collection and send a link to anyone. They can import your picks directly into their own PlateTag collection with one tap. Compare notes with fellow road trippers, family members, or collectors anywhere. LOG ROAD TRIPS Start a Road Trip before you head out and log every plate you find along the way. Share the trip with friends when you are done. Perfect for family travel, long-haul drives, and daily commutes. SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE Curious how many plates the PlateTag community has spotted? The Explore screen shows a live worldwide discovery count, updated in real time as collectors log new finds. EARN BADGES AND TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Hit milestones and unlock badges as your life list grows. Track your totals by region, category, and series. Watch your progress bars fill as you complete each set. BUILT FOR ANY CONDITIONS Multiple color themes, including Dark Mode and the new Summer theme, make PlateTag easy on the eyes in bright sunlight or at night. No ads means nothing interrupts your collecting. ALSO ON THE WEB PlateTag is available as a companion web app at platetag.app. Log in with your existing account to browse your collection on a larger screen, add discoveries, and correct pin locations. Everything syncs automatically between your phone and the web. New accounts are created through the app. Download free and start collecting today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: PlateTag at 100% against Spot The State's 50%. PlateTag also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0). Spot The State's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 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
Both are free to download. PlateTag sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spot The State asks for nothing beyond the download.
PlateTag holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Spot The State's written reviews are positive against 100% of PlateTag's.
Spot The State ships an update every 4 days, PlateTag weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spot The State | PlateTag |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (7 ratings) | 4.8 (13 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 13 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Keith Phillips | Lawrence Majercin |
Customer experience
Spot The State
PlateTag
In-app purchases
Spot The State
No in-app purchases
PlateTag
- PlateTag Full Unlock$9.99
Questions
Is Spot The State free?
Is PlateTag free?
Which has better reviews, Spot The State or PlateTag?
Do Spot The State or PlateTag have ads?
Which is updated more often, Spot The State or PlateTag?
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