Comparison

Explore Beijing vs Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁

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

Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁

Navigate the Guangzhou and Guangfo metro systems with this offline map. Station names are shown in both English and Chinese, with clear line markers and zoom capabilities for easy use.

Highlights
  • Offline metro map
  • English and Chinese station names
  • Guangzhou and Guangfo metro systems
  • Up-to-date routes
  • Pan and zoom capabilities
  • Small app size
Features
Read full description

Guangzhou's metro, drawn as a map you'll want to keep. Whale's Guangzhou Metro puts the whole Guangzhou Metro — 25 lines and 410 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. Canton Tower, the Chen Clan Academy, Shamian Island, Yuexiu Park and Beijing Road 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 — "Gongyuanqian", "公园前" 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 — Guangzhou South to Canton Tower, 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 Line 3 to Baiyun Airport, the Line 11 loop, Lines 18 and 22 to Nansha, the APM, Foshan's Guangfo Line and Foshan Lines 2 and 3, and the Haizhu, Huangpu and Nanhai trams. 81 interchange stations, all with badges. GOOD TO KNOW Is it up to date? Yes — 25 lines and 410 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
Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁4 screens

Verdict

The call

Explore Beijing and Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Explore Beijing's written reviews are positive against 0% of Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁's. Explore Beijing also leads on ratings volume (495 vs 8) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 9 months). Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, rating, ads 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 Beijing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Explore Beijing against 4.9 for Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Explore Beijing has 495 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Explore Beijing's written reviews are positive against 0% of Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Explore Beijing versus Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore BeijingGuangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (495 ratings)4.9 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.2% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings495 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 9 months
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%

Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Explore Beijing

One-time1
  • VIP mode$4.99
None

Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Explore Beijing free?
Explore Beijing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 free?
Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Explore Beijing or Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁?
Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 is rated higher. Explore Beijing averages 4.7 out of 5 from 495 ratings, while Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 averages 4.9 from 8 ratings.
Do Explore Beijing or Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 have ads?
Both Explore Beijing and Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 show ads.
Which is updated more often, Explore Beijing or Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁?
Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, and Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 every 9 months. Most recently, Explore Beijing was updated on October 23, 2026 and Guangzhou Metro Map 广州地铁 on October 24, 2026.

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