Comparison

Roadside America vs Dot Event

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

Head to head
About

Roadside America

Discover quirky and unusual attractions across the U.S. and Canada with expert-curated stories, photos, and tips. Plan your next road trip or find hidden gems just off the highway.

Highlights
  • Discover oddity-rich U.S./Canada regions
  • Expert stories, photos, and tipster reports
  • Search attractions by name, address, or city
  • Explore 70+ themes
  • Map nearby oddities
  • Save and track visited attractions
  • Submit tips and photos
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

App includes 1 region you choose from 7 oddity-rich U.S./Canada regions. Purchase more individually or remaining regions (All Access). The roadside attraction gurus at Roadside America spent decades exploring weird, amusing wonders on America’s highways. The app puts their expertise at your fingertips for your own adventures. Roadside America's stories, unique photos, and tipster reports guide you to less traveled places just off the next exit. App includes your choice of 1 permanent U.S./Canada region (see region states list below*). In-app purchases require sign-up for a Roadside America account to unlock more or all regions ("All Access"). •Car & Driver: "All the Rt 66–type classics, from neon signs to 25-foot-tall muffler men." •People Jul '24/Shay Spence: "Put in your route and it populates the kitschiest, coolest spots along the way." •Popular Science: “Holy Grail of road-trip apps.” •Thrillist: "Absolute must for fans of animatronic roadside dinosaurs and kitschy rest stops." ____________________________ DISCOVER UNUSUAL AND FUNNY PLACES - "World’s Largest and Smallest sights - Museums, graves, statues, Muffler Men - Bizarre architecture, obscure history - Route 66 sights, tourist traps, odd theme parks - Mystery spots, gravity hills, caves ____________________________ SEE WHAT'S UP THE ROAD - Check map for nearby oddities, drop a pin revealing what's ahead. - Add Start/End city to reveal possibilities along the route. - Search by attraction, address, or browse by city. - Explore 70+ themes: Atomic, Music, Celebrities, Tech, Crime, more! ____________________________ PLAN A TRIP - OR JUST LAUGH - Read amusing stories by Roadside America's authors, and useful eyewitness tips by travelers. - View photos, maps and directions, addresses, hours. Call attractions. - Help investigate "research" attraction targets we believe have potential! - Filter Editors' Ratings to focus on must-sees in your vicinity. ____________________________ USE ROAD TRIP TOOLS - Send attraction location to Maps or other popular routing apps - Mark Saves and Been Theres to view on a list/map. Or filter-hide to only see the unexplored! - iCloud sync or Export/Import your Saves and Been Theres to the app on your Apple Account devices - Submit Tips and your photos on oddball and unique discoveries to our editors for possible inclusion. ____________________________ SUPPORT FAQs (inc. how to Restore regions for new/reset device): https://www.roadsideamerica.com/mobile/roadside/ios/faq For region activation issues, please contact us via app: More, Feedback or the website https://www.roadsideamerica.com/mobile/ ____________________________ * REGIONS: HOW TO COMPLETE YOUR IN-APP PURCHASE(S) When first launching app, select your one permanent region (see included states, below). You can later make in-app purchases to unlock more regions. All Access unlocks all remaining regions. Register a Roadside America user account for purchased region access recovery (Restore) on new/reset/2nd devices. - NORTHEAST: Delaware, DC, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia - SOUTHEAST: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee - MIDWEST: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin - SOUTHWEST: Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah - NORTHWEST: Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming - CALIFORNIA: California, Alaska, Hawaii - CANADA: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, PEI, Québec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Family Share works for basic app only; additional region access requires separate accounts and in-app purchases by each user.

About

Dot Event

Features
Read full description

MAP BASED APPLICATION GUIDE THAT HELPS YOU FIND YOUR LOCATION,ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS. BASED ON YOUR INTEREST YOU CAN POST AS A VENDOR OR AS A LOCAL BUY YOUR LOCAL TICKETS OR JUST BE GUIDED TO THE LOCAL HANG OUT SPOT ,DOT IS YOUR GUIDE.

Screenshots

Roadside America4 screens
Dot Event4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dot Event at Free against Roadside America's $3.99. Dot Event also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 9). Roadside America's advantage is chart position (#8 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Dot Event is free to download; Roadside America costs $3.99 up front. Roadside America sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Dot Event asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Roadside America ships an update monthly, Dot Event every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Roadside America versus Dot Event: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoadside AmericaDot Event
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (2.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews61.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.5K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB68 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperThis Exit LLCSheldon Ogere

Bugs and requests

Roadside America

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login/account issues
  • Regions not syncing between devices
  • Blank screens and inability to access content

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to restore previous purchases
  • Improved map functionality and navigation
  • Option to search for specific types of attractions
  • Better accessibility for users with disabilities

Dot Event

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Roadside America

One-time9
  • US - California$2.99
  • US - Northwest$2.99
  • US - Southwest$2.99
Show 6 more
  • US - Midwest$2.99
  • US - Northeast$2.99
  • US - Southeast$2.99
  • Canada$2.99
  • US Access (v1.0-1.3)$5.99
  • All Access$7.99
None

Dot Event

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Roadside America free?
Roadside America costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Dot Event free?
Dot Event is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Roadside America or Dot Event have ads?
Neither Roadside America nor Dot Event shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Roadside America or Dot Event?
Roadside America ships an update monthly, and Dot Event every 3 weeks. Most recently, Roadside America was updated on November 1, 2026 and Dot Event on October 28, 2026.

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