Plaques vs London Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Plaques
Explore the history of the British Isles through a vast database of blue plaques and memorials. Discover nearby historical sites using GPS, build an itinerary, and access detailed information via Wikipedia links. This app serves as a guide to significant historical figures and events.
- Database of over 10,000 plaques
- Offline browsing of locations and biographies
- GPS to find nearby plaques
- Itinerary building
- Search by name or address
- Links to Wikipedia for more information
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The British Isles are alive with history. For hundreds of years, blue plaques and other memorials have been put up in locations which have a particularly significant connection to historical figures and events. Let this app be your guide as you explore this rich and varied history. You're never very far away from a little piece of the past. With a database of over 10,000 plaques drawn from OpenPlaques.org, this app is ideal for any visitor to the UK. * Includes a database of locations and basic biographical data which you can browse while off-line. * Uses GPS to list nearby plaques. (GPS is supported but not required.) * Build an itinerary of plaques you would like to view. * Search by famous name or address. * Links to Wikipedia to bring you full information on the historical figures commemorated.
London Explorer
Discover London's rich history with an interactive guide featuring over 100 locations, historic maps, and panoramas. Explore famous, quirky, and vanished places, comparing past and present views of the city.
- Interactive London location guide
- Over 100 historical places
- Historic map exploration
- Compare past and present views
- Searchable location database
- Historic panoramas
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A free interactive guide to London and its history, featuring over 100 famous, quirky and vanished locations. Visiting London, or think you already know everything about it? Then think again – there's always something new to learn about London! This app includes: Explorer: view over 100 London locations alphabetically, or by those nearest to you. Interact with historic maps of each location, and then view the location mapped on the London of today. Read about the history of each place and interact with historic and contemporary images. Search for anything that interests you – for example, search for "Shakespeare" to find any locations in the app associated with Shakespeare. Map Explorer: view the same locations as in the Explorer, but in an interactive map format instead. Tap on a location to explore it in more detail. Old Maps: explore three historic maps of London – Roman London, London in around 1563 (the time of Queen Elizabeth I) and Hollar's beautiful map of London in the 17th century. Panoramas: explore three historic panoramas of London as seen from south of the river Thames. Wyngaerde's panorama from 1543, Visscher's panorama from 1616 and Hollar's panorama from 1647. With nearly 400 images, more than 200 historic map images and over 100 locations, London Explorer provides a novel way to get to know this great city and its history. Future planned updates include a host of new locations and new features. Watch this space! Oh, and please provide feedback and ratings in the app store – things you'd like to see in future releases, what you like and (okay) what you don't. Your feedback is important to us in making London Explorer the great app we've always wanted it to be. An app worthy of this great city.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: London Explorer at none against Plaques's shown. London Explorer also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Plaques ships an update every 12 months, London Explorer every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Plaques | London Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months — better | Every 21 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 198 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Just About Managing | VoeTek Ltd |
Customer experience
Plaques
London Explorer
In-app purchases
Plaques
No in-app purchases
London Explorer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Plaques free?
Is London Explorer free?
Do Plaques or London Explorer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Plaques or London Explorer?
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