Comparison

Explore Shanghai vs Day Tour Booking

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Up-to-date metro map
  • Offline functionality
  • Route planner
  • GPS nearest station finder
  • Integrated street maps
  • English and Chinese support
Features
Read full description

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"

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Explore Shanghai4 screens
Day Tour Booking4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Explore Shanghai sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Day Tour Booking asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Explore Shanghai versus Day Tour Booking: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore ShanghaiDay Tour Booking
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.3K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.3K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExploreMetroChina International Travel Service Guilin Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Explore Shanghai

All ratings1,320 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews266 reviews
Positive80.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative12.8%

Day Tour Booking

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

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

1 purchases

Explore Shanghai

One-time1
  • VIP mode$4.99
None

Day Tour Booking

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Explore Shanghai free?
Explore Shanghai is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Day Tour Booking free?
Day Tour Booking is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Explore Shanghai or Day Tour Booking?
Day Tour Booking is rated higher. Explore Shanghai averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Day Tour Booking averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Explore Shanghai or Day Tour Booking have ads?
Explore Shanghai shows ads; Day Tour Booking does not.
Which is updated more often, Explore Shanghai or Day Tour Booking?
Explore Shanghai ships an update every 2 months, and Day Tour Booking every 2 months. Most recently, Explore Shanghai was updated on November 6, 2026 and Day Tour Booking on November 1, 2026.

Other comparisons