Comparison

Explore Beijing vs Beijing Travel Guide Offline

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 Travel Guide Offline

This offline travel guide provides comprehensive information for exploring a city, including interactive maps, AR features, and daily itineraries. Discover points of interest, plan your budget, and navigate with GPS, all without an internet connection.

Highlights
  • 100% offline travel guide
  • Augmented Reality (AR) feature
  • Interactive zoomable offline maps
  • GPS capable navigation
  • Daily based itineraries
  • Budget-based hotel and restaurant suggestions
  • City tips and safety advice
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
Beijing Travel Guide Offline4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Explore Beijing at 80% against Beijing Travel Guide Offline's 11%. Explore Beijing also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (496 vs 31). Beijing Travel Guide Offline'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 Beijing Travel Guide Offline 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 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Explore Beijing has 496 ratings behind it against 31, 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 11% of Beijing Travel Guide Offline's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, Beijing Travel Guide Offline every 5 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Explore Beijing versus Beijing Travel Guide Offline: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore BeijingBeijing Travel Guide Offline
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (496 ratings) — better4.4 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews80.2% of reviews — better11.1% of reviews
Number of ratings496 — better31
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
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 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExploreMetroMaria Monti

Customer experience

Explore Beijing

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

Beijing Travel Guide Offline

All ratings31 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive11.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative83.3%

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 Travel Guide Offline

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Explore Beijing

One-time1
  • VIP mode$4.99
10 purchases

Beijing Travel Guide Offline

One-time10
  • Forbidden City Visitor Guide$0.99
  • Great Wall of China Visitor Guide$0.99
  • Shanghai Travel Guide$1.99
Show 7 more
  • National Museum of China$1.99
  • Great Wall of China$1.99
  • Tiananmen Square$1.99
  • Shanghai$1.99
  • Forbidden City$2.99
  • Beijing Travel Guide$3.99
  • Beijing Tourism, China$4.99

Questions

Is Explore Beijing free?
Explore Beijing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beijing Travel Guide Offline free?
Beijing Travel Guide Offline is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Explore Beijing or Beijing Travel Guide Offline?
Explore Beijing is rated higher. Explore Beijing averages 4.7 out of 5 from 496 ratings, while Beijing Travel Guide Offline averages 4.4 from 31 ratings.
Do Explore Beijing or Beijing Travel Guide Offline have ads?
Explore Beijing shows ads; Beijing Travel Guide Offline does not.
Which is updated more often, Explore Beijing or Beijing Travel Guide Offline?
Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, and Beijing Travel Guide Offline every 5 months. Most recently, Explore Beijing was updated on November 1, 2026 and Beijing Travel Guide Offline on November 1, 2026.

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