Explore Beijing vs SweetCase
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Up-to-date metro map
- Offline functionality
- Route planner
- GPS integration
- Street maps for stations
- English and Chinese support
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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.
SweetCase
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Your daily dose of travel. Before a trip we read everything: we ask AI, we watch videos, we save lists of things to see. A week later? We remember almost nothing. Knowing a place is something else. It's knowing what to order and why, the story behind the square everyone photographs, the neighbourhood where locals go and tourists don't. It's something you build a little at a time, and it stays with you. That's where SweetCase comes in. Play a few minutes a day and the world stops being a list of sights: it becomes places you actually know. Learn it on the couch. Live it on the road. CITIES AND COUNTRIES • Pick a city or a country and travel through its chapters, from "Arrival & Orientation" to "Becoming a Local" • Beat the boss waiting at the end of every chapter and win its medal, from wood all the way to diamond • Stamp your passport as you go and watch your world fill up HOW YOU PLAY • Over 20 kinds of mini-game: find places on a real map, match festivals to their season, spot the real local, solve a crossword, bust myths in Urban Legends, and many more • Keep your daily streak alive: Sweet can remind you before your flame goes out • Challenge a friend face to face on the same phone, or train against one of the travel buddies, in a Knowledge Battle YOUR TRAVEL BUDDIES • 10 companions to travel with, starting with Sweet, the talking suitcase • Earn miles as you travel and spend them in the dressing room: hats, glasses, auras and onesies, from common to legendary THE DUTY FREE • Before you leave, open a travel guide: Barcelona, Paris, London and Milan, each with the essentials, what to see and eat, when to go, a phrasebook and how to live like a local WHY YOU CAN TRUST IT • Thousands of questions, each one checked against a public source and dated: no invented trivia • Climb the leaderboard and see how you rank worldwide and in your own country • Fully available in English, Italiano and Español • Sign in with Apple, Google or email: your passport is backed up and follows you to a new phone • Play offline anywhere; your progress syncs when you're back online • No ads, no third-party tracking Planning a trip, testing how well you really know your own city, or just curious about the world? Pack light, collect cities. SweetCase. Become a true traveler.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SweetCase at none against Explore Beijing's 1. SweetCase also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Explore Beijing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SweetCase asks for nothing beyond the download.
Explore Beijing ships an update every 4 months, SweetCase every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Explore Beijing | SweetCase |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (495 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 495 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 221 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | ExploreMetro | ALBERTO LOFFREDO |
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
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- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
SweetCase
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Explore Beijing
- VIP mode$4.99
SweetCase
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Explore Beijing free?
Is SweetCase free?
Do Explore Beijing or SweetCase have ads?
Which is updated more often, Explore Beijing or SweetCase?
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