Comparison

Explore Beijing vs Shanghai Travel Guide .

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

Shanghai Travel Guide .

This offline travel guide provides comprehensive information for exploring Shanghai and surrounding regions. It features interactive maps, augmented reality for discovering points of interest, and daily itineraries. Plan your trip with budget-friendly recommendations for hotels, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

Highlights
  • 100% Offline Travel Guide
  • Augmented Reality (AR) Discovery
  • Interactive Zoomable Offline Maps
  • GPS Capable Navigation
  • Daily Based Itineraries
  • Budget-Based Recommendations
  • Nightlife & Shopping Information
Features
Read full description

Discover what to see, plan a day around your interests, and explore on foot with walking itineraries and an interactive city map. Less time planning. More time enjoying the trip. - Personalized day plans based on your interests and available time. - Walking itineraries with clear stops and estimated walking times. - An interactive map to explore places and see where to go next. - Sights, history, art, architecture, parks and more to match your mood. - Useful place details to help you decide what to visit. - My Day to bring your chosen places together in one plan. YOUR DAY, YOUR WAY A few hours to spare or a full day to explore? Choose what you feel like doing and how much time you have. Get a suggested plan, review the stops, and adapt it to the day you want. Spend more time on the things that interest you, whether that means a museum visit, remarkable architecture or a walk through green spaces. TURN IDEAS INTO A DAY OUT Browse places by interest, take a closer look at what catches your eye, and add your choices to My Day. Bring together the sights you came to see and places you might otherwise have walked past. EXPLORE ONE STOP AT A TIME Pick a walking itinerary, preview its stops and walking times, and see how it fits into your day. Use the map to put each place in context and find your next stop as you explore. KNOW MORE BEFORE YOU GO Find out what makes each place worth a visit, check practical details and estimated visit times, and decide where to spend your time. Download your travel companion and make your next day out your own.

Screenshots

Explore Beijing4 screens
Shanghai Travel Guide .4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Explore Beijing at 80% against Shanghai Travel Guide .'s 10%. Explore Beijing also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (496 vs 21). Shanghai Travel Guide .'s advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Shanghai Travel Guide . sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Explore Beijing holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Explore Beijing has 496 ratings behind it against 21, 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 10% of Shanghai Travel Guide .'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, Shanghai Travel Guide . every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Explore Beijing versus Shanghai Travel Guide .: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore BeijingShanghai Travel Guide .
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (496 ratings) — better3.9 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews80.2% of reviews — better10.0% of reviews
Number of ratings496 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB123 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExploreMetroDaniel Garcia

Customer experience

Explore Beijing

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

Shanghai Travel Guide .

All ratings21 ratings
Positive76.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative23.8%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive10.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative86.7%

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

Shanghai Travel Guide .

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Explore Beijing

One-time1
  • VIP mode$4.99
10 purchases

Shanghai Travel Guide .

One-time10
  • Pack ShanghaiFree
  • HangzhouFree
  • SuzhouFree
Show 7 more
  • Great Wall of ChinaFree
  • BeijingFree
  • Xi'anFree
  • Beijing Travel Guide$1.99
  • Hangzhou Travel Guide$1.99
  • Shanghai Travel Guide$3.99
  • Shanghai$4.99

Questions

Is Explore Beijing free?
Explore Beijing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shanghai Travel Guide . free?
Shanghai Travel Guide . is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Explore Beijing or Shanghai Travel Guide .?
Explore Beijing is rated higher. Explore Beijing averages 4.7 out of 5 from 496 ratings, while Shanghai Travel Guide . averages 3.9 from 21 ratings.
Do Explore Beijing or Shanghai Travel Guide . have ads?
Explore Beijing shows ads; Shanghai Travel Guide . does not.
Which is updated more often, Explore Beijing or Shanghai Travel Guide .?
Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, and Shanghai Travel Guide . every 3 months. Most recently, Explore Beijing was updated on November 1, 2026 and Shanghai Travel Guide . on November 1, 2026.

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