Comparison

Plaques vs London Explorer

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Interactive London location guide
  • Over 100 historical places
  • Historic map exploration
  • Compare past and present views
  • Searchable location database
  • Historic panoramas
Features
Read full description

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

Plaques4 screens
London Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Plaques versus London Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlaquesLondon Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 12 months — betterEvery 21 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB198 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperJust About ManagingVoeTek Ltd

Customer experience

Plaques

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

London Explorer

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Plaques

No in-app purchases

None

London Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Plaques free?
Plaques is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is London Explorer free?
London Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Plaques or London Explorer have ads?
Plaques shows ads; London Explorer does not.
Which is updated more often, Plaques or London Explorer?
Plaques ships an update every 12 months, and London Explorer every 21 months. Most recently, Plaques was updated on October 8, 2026 and London Explorer on October 9, 2026.

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