Comparison

Spot The State vs PlateTag

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Track license plates
  • Discover US states
  • Visual progress tracking
  • Multi-trip support
  • Percentage of plates found
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Spot The State4 screens
PlateTag4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PlateTag sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spot The State asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Spot The State versus PlateTag: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpot The StatePlateTag
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (7 ratings)4.8 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings713 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKeith PhillipsLawrence Majercin

Customer experience

Spot The State

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

PlateTag

All ratings13 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Spot The State

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PlateTag

One-time1
  • PlateTag Full Unlock$9.99

Questions

Is Spot The State free?
Spot The State is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PlateTag free?
PlateTag is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spot The State or PlateTag?
PlateTag is rated higher. Spot The State averages 4.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while PlateTag averages 4.8 from 13 ratings.
Do Spot The State or PlateTag have ads?
Neither Spot The State nor PlateTag shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spot The State or PlateTag?
Spot The State ships an update every 4 days, and PlateTag weekly. Most recently, Spot The State was updated on November 2, 2026 and PlateTag on October 31, 2026.

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