Comparison

ExploreHere vs SmartStops

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

Head to head
About

ExploreHere

This app transforms your drives into engaging audio journeys. It automatically plays stories about historic landmarks and hidden places as you travel, allowing for a hands-free and immersive discovery experience.

Highlights
  • Hands-free audio stories
  • Automatic landmark discovery
  • Walking and driving tours
  • Offline access (Pro)
  • Nearby history alerts
  • Save favorite stops (Pro)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Turn every drive into a story. ExploreHere is a hands-free road trip guide that plays stories automatically as you travel. Discover historic landmarks, hidden places, and unforgettable moments, without ever touching your phone. Whether you're cruising cross-country, exploring a small town, or wandering a new city, ExploreHere reveals the stories that shaped the places around you. Made for the Road - 240,000+ Historic Landmarks across the U.S. - Auto-Play Audio as you pass places worth knowing - Hands-Free Travel Mode for safe driving - Walking & Driving Tours through cities, parks, and scenic highways - Nearby History Alerts so you never miss a story Pro Features - Offline access for no-service road trips - High-Quality Immersive Audio - View public lands, national parks & forests and native lands - Smart proximity alerts - Save and organize favorite stops Perfect For Road trippers • RV travelers • National park explorers • History lovers • Families on vacation • Curious travelers ExploreHere transforms highways into story-filled journeys and ordinary stops into unforgettable discoveries. See the history around you. Start exploring today. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: http://explorehere.app/privacy

About

SmartStops

This app helps families plan road trips by finding parks, playgrounds, and rest stops along their route. It balances drive time with convenient and kid-friendly stopping points, reducing stress for everyone on long journeys.

Highlights
  • Find parks and playgrounds on route
  • Locate rest stops and amenities
  • Preview stops on interactive maps
  • Save and reuse routes
  • Discover kid-friendly food options
  • Compare nearby cities at stops
Read full description

Long drives with kids don't have to end in tears. SmartStops automatically finds parks, playgrounds, gas, and kid-friendly food along your route — timed so everyone stays happy. Unlike Google Maps, SmartStops doesn't optimize for speed. It optimizes for your family's sanity. Stops are spaced around how kids actually travel — so you pull over before the meltdown, not after. SMART STOP PLANNING Enter your start and destination. SmartStops builds a complete stop plan with parks, playgrounds, restaurants, gas, and coffee — spaced at kid-friendly intervals. No more guessing where to pull over. No more juggling apps. MELTDOWN MODE Kid losing it right now? Tap once. SmartStops instantly finds the nearest parks and playgrounds within minutes of your location. Emergency stops, solved. 194,000+ PARKS & PLAYGROUNDS The largest database of family-friendly parks in the US. See amenities like restrooms, picnic areas, trails, and playground equipment before you stop. COMPARE NEARBY CITIES At each stop, see what's available across nearby cities. Pick the town with the best combo of parks, food, and fuel — so every stop counts. WORKS WITH YOUR MAPS Plan in SmartStops, then navigate with Apple Maps or Google Maps. No switching apps mid-drive. PARK REVIEWS Rate and review parks you've visited. See what other families thought before you stop. Build your traveler profile as you explore. FREE TO USE 2 trips every month at no cost. Upgrade to Weekender ($4.99/14 days) or Adventurer ($39.99/year) for unlimited trips, Meltdown Mode, and route comparison. Rated 5.0 on the App Store. Built for families, not algorithms.

Screenshots

ExploreHere4 screens
SmartStops4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SmartStops at 100% against ExploreHere's 67%. SmartStops also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). ExploreHere's advantage is ratings volume (809 vs 10) and chart position (#72 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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. ExploreHere sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month and SmartStops sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SmartStops holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ExploreHere has 809 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of ExploreHere's written reviews are positive against 100% of SmartStops's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ExploreHere ships an update every 10 days, SmartStops every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
ExploreHere versus SmartStops: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExploreHereSmartStops
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (809 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings809 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#72 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size160 MB47 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperWesley VanceMaple Ridge LLC

Customer experience

ExploreHere

All ratings797 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.1%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral7.0%
Negative26.3%

SmartStops

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

ExploreHere

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes when viewing multiple items
  • Crashes on app launch/opening
  • Continuous tracking feature not working on iPhone
  • CarPlay compatibility issues
  • Audio descriptions cut off mid-sentence
Show 3 more
  • Double charging incidents
  • App freezing and becoming unresponsive
  • Incomplete marker database coverage

Requested features

8 requests
  • Automatic audio reading when passing markers for drivers
  • City-based browsing instead of marker name search
  • Improved voice quality and complete audio descriptions
  • Better map visibility with lighter road colors
  • Automatic location detection on app launch
Show 3 more
  • Free filtering options without upgrade requirement
  • Continuous tracking feature improvement
  • Offline marker access capability

SmartStops

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

18 purchases

ExploreHere

Subscriptions15
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$2.001 Month
  • Pro - Monthly$3.001 Month
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$4.001 Month
Show 12 more
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$5.001 Month
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$6.001 Month
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$10.001 Month
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$10.001 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$16.001 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$20.001 Year
  • Pro - Yearly$25.001 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$35.991 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$50.001 Year
One-time3
  • Pro - Lifetime$24.99
  • Pro - Lifetime$60.00
  • Pro - Lifetime$90.00
4 purchases

SmartStops

One-time4
  • Weekender$4.99
  • Explorer$12.99
  • Adventurer$39.99
Show 1 more
  • Road Warrior$49.99

Questions

Is ExploreHere free?
ExploreHere is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SmartStops free?
SmartStops is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ExploreHere or SmartStops?
SmartStops is rated higher. ExploreHere averages 4.7 out of 5 from 809 ratings, while SmartStops averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do ExploreHere or SmartStops have ads?
Neither ExploreHere nor SmartStops shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ExploreHere or SmartStops?
ExploreHere ships an update every 10 days, and SmartStops every 9 days. Most recently, ExploreHere was updated on October 26, 2026 and SmartStops on October 24, 2026.

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