Explore Shanghai vs Day Tour Booking
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Explore Shanghai
Navigate Shanghai's metro system with an up-to-date, offline map and route planner. Features include GPS station finder, integrated street maps for exits, and support for English and Chinese.
- Up-to-date metro map
- Offline functionality
- Route planner
- GPS nearest station finder
- Integrated street maps
- English and Chinese support
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Recommended by CNN and Lonely Planet, this is Shanghai's best subway map! Up-to-date with all the metro lines; Works offline; Routeplanner, GPS, Street maps; English and Chinese included. Download the app completely free! The free app is ad-supported. Upgrade to VIP features if you'd like to get extra features, remove ads and support future development! WHY EXPLOREMETRO? 1. Fully up-to-date Accurate metro map, includes every station on every line. Free updates for future station openings and timetable changes. 2. Designed for the latest devices Our gorgeous maps have been fully redesigned for the latest iOS devices. Runs on all iOS11-14 devices. 3. Designed for iPad Specially redesigned interface for the larger iPad screen with split screen. Drag and drop station names, tips, maps and timetables into other apps. 4. Street maps for every station Need to get your bearings at a station? Integrated Street maps show you metro exits and nearby streets for every station. 5. Route-planner A really easy route-planner. Get route and time information for any journey with just three taps. 6. "Find my nearest station" Using your GPS, see a list of the closest metro stations to your current location. 7. Works offline Everything works without an Internet connection. Search stations and plan routes on the go. UPGRADE TO VIP FOR EVEN MORE FEATURES I've been developing this app for more than 10 years. Upgrading to VIP helps support future development of the app. VIP users get additional features, like NO ADS, accurate prices for every journey, first/last train times, offline street maps, tips at every station, and a general warm fuzzy feeling. REVIEWS CNN Travel: "These maps are very easy on the eye and simple to navigate. They work offline and also include free updates of stations that have yet to be completed, operating hours and schedules." Lonely Planet: "Easy to use, up to date and work offline. Very handy, especially when they've run out of paper maps at the stations." SUGGESTIONS We'd love to hear your comments and suggestions on ways to improve the app. Please contact us via support@exploremetro.com, as we can't respond to comments left in the reviews. -- Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Co. , Ltd requires that we add the following disclaimer: "Explore Shanghai is not the official App of Shanghai Metro, and it is in no way associated with Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Co. , Ltd., nor does it pretend to represent them"
Day Tour Booking
Plan your next trip to China with curated itineraries and local guides. Discover unique cultural and natural attractions, from the Great Wall to tea villages. Book private or group tours with ease and enjoy a seamless travel experience.
- Curated China itineraries
- Private and group tour options
- Local tour guides and drivers
- Pre-travel itinerary viewing
- Fast and paperless booking
- Cultural and natural attractions
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Day Tour is here to help you plan a weekend getaway, a china layover trip, or a break during your business trip. You will see the most unique and essential parts of China along with your tour guide and driver. You will get inspired from our itineraries: hiking at the most beautiful part at the super long Great Wall; learning how to cook a Chinese delicious dish; getting closer to the Terracotta Warriors; picking tea leaves in the tea village... No matter you are enthusiastic with Chinese natural landscape or historic culture, you can find your preferred trip here. Use Day Tour, you can: Private VIP tour, mini group tour, coach tour are all available based on your needs. Browse the most essential trips in the main cities. Every step of your trip can be viewed before travelling in the app. Escort with an knowledgeable tour guide and a experienced driver. See the photo and contact of your tour guide and waiting for his pickup at hotel. Fast booking and paperless confirmation ensure your travel schedule even 2 days later.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Day Tour Booking at none against Explore Shanghai's 1. Day Tour Booking also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 80%). Explore Shanghai's advantage is ratings volume (1.3K vs 1). On price, update cadence and device support 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. Explore Shanghai sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Day Tour Booking asks for nothing beyond the download.
Day Tour Booking holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Explore Shanghai has 1.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Explore Shanghai's written reviews are positive against 100% of Day Tour Booking's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Explore Shanghai | Day Tour Booking |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.3K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ExploreMetro | China International Travel Service Guilin Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
Explore Shanghai
Day Tour Booking
Bugs and requests
Explore Shanghai
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes and freezes on certain devices
- Nearest station feature not working
- Inaccurate route planning and travel times
Requested features
5 requests- Offline street maps with station exits
- Chinese character support for station names
- Integration with Google Maps for directions
- Customizable route planning options
- Closure times for specific metro lines
Day Tour Booking
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Explore Shanghai
- VIP mode$4.99
Day Tour Booking
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Explore Shanghai free?
Is Day Tour Booking free?
Which has better reviews, Explore Shanghai or Day Tour Booking?
Do Explore Shanghai or Day Tour Booking have ads?
Which is updated more often, Explore Shanghai or Day Tour Booking?
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