Comparison

Explore Beijing vs Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁

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

Head to head
About

Explore Beijing

Navigate Beijing's extensive subway system with an up-to-date, offline map and route planner. Features include GPS integration, street maps for station exits, and support for both English and Chinese.

Highlights
  • Up-to-date metro map
  • Offline functionality
  • Route planner
  • GPS integration
  • Street maps for stations
  • English and Chinese support
Features
Read full description

Recommended by CNN and Lonely Planet, this is Beijing'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 iPhone Our gorgeous maps have been fully redesigned for all iPhone devices. Runs on all iOS10-14 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.

About

Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁

Navigate Beijing's subway system with this offline map. It displays station names in both English and Chinese, offering clear line legends and zoom capabilities for easy travel.

Highlights
  • Offline functionality
  • English and Chinese station names
  • Clear line legends
  • Pan and zoom capabilities
  • Small app size
Features
Read full description

Beijing's metro, drawn as a map you'll want to keep. Whale's Beijing Metro puts the whole Beijing Subway — 28 lines and 424 stations, everything open in 2026 — on a paper-and-ink map made for this app, with every station named in English, Chinese and pinyin. Works offline. Free. THE MAP Cream paper, ink lettering, a touch of vermilion: a map that reads like the city instead of a diagram. Every line in its official colour, with its number repeated along the line so you never lose track of which one you're on. Interchanges carry badges for every line that stops there, each terminus is named, and the rivers, lakes and shoreline are drawn in. The Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the Bird's Nest are marked where they really are. It's drawn as vectors, so pinch in as far as you like — it stays crisp. FIND A STATION • Type any station in English, Chinese or pinyin — "Tian'anmen East", "天安门东" or the first few letters all work • The whale flies you there and points at it • Your recent stations are remembered PLAN A ROUTE • Tap a station, then another: the fewest-stops route is drawn bold with everything else dimmed • Transfers and a journey-time estimate on the card — Beijing South Railway Station to Terminal 3, for example • Share the route as text to a friend, or to your notes READ THE SIGNS • Every station card shows the Chinese name, pinyin with tone marks, and English • Tap the speaker to hear the name spoken aloud • Highlight a single line to trace it from end to end MADE FOR TRAVEL • Fully offline: no roaming, no VPN, no account, nothing to download after install • Day or night: the paper map, or ink on slate — your choice in About • iPhone and iPad • Free, supported by one small banner WHAT'S ON THE MAP Both airport lines — the Capital Airport Express and the Daxing Airport Express — the Changping, Fangshan, Yanfang and Yizhuang lines, the S1 maglev, and the Xijiao and Yizhuang T1 trams. 106 interchange stations, all with badges. GOOD TO KNOW Is it up to date? Yes — 28 lines and 424 stations as of 2026, including this year's openings. Station positions come from OpenStreetMap; the design and layout are ours. Learning Chinese? Every station card links to HSK Hero, our recognition game for the 5,000 HSK words — the same studio, the same care. Going to other cities? Whale's Metro Maps cover Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xi'an and Zhengzhou. The More Cities tab links to each. Who makes it? Handtechnics, a small independent studio that has been making Chinese travel and learning apps since 2012. Download it before you land. 一路平安!

Screenshots

Explore Beijing4 screens
Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Explore Beijing at 80% against Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁's 33%. Explore Beijing also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (495 vs 4). Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Explore Beijing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Explore Beijing holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Explore Beijing has 495 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Explore Beijing's written reviews are positive against 33% of Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Explore Beijing versus Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore BeijingBeijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (495 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews80.2% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings495 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExploreMetroHandtechnics

Customer experience

Explore Beijing

All ratings495 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews101 reviews
Positive80.2%
Neutral4.0%
Negative15.8%

Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

Explore Beijing

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes on iOS 10 and later
  • Line 13 not showing as faster route option
  • Missing stations (Erligou on Line 6/16)
  • Daxing Airport Line missing pricing information
  • Daxing Airport Line disappears in Chinese version
Show 5 more
  • App fails to load at low memory
  • Location services not working despite being enabled
  • Email support option non-functional
  • Timing data 6-10 minutes inaccurate at some stations
  • Incompatibility with iOS 3.0

Requested features

11 requests
  • Station exit maps with offline access
  • Detailed station layout diagrams
  • Bus route integration
  • First and last train time schedules in prominent position
  • Station exit letter identifiers matching actual signage
Show 6 more
  • Timetable adjustments for construction projects
  • Full network view in landscape orientation
  • Improved language switching within app
  • Accessibility features for colorblind users
  • Maps.me integration for China
  • Subway exit information offline

Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Explore Beijing

One-time1
  • VIP mode$4.99
None

Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Explore Beijing free?
Explore Beijing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 free?
Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Explore Beijing or Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁?
Explore Beijing is rated higher. Explore Beijing averages 4.7 out of 5 from 495 ratings, while Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Explore Beijing or Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 have ads?
Both Explore Beijing and Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 show ads.
Which is updated more often, Explore Beijing or Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁?
Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, and Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 every 6 weeks. Most recently, Explore Beijing was updated on October 23, 2026 and Beijing Metro Subway Map 北京地铁 on October 14, 2026.

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