Comparison

Explore Guangzhou vs 杭州地铁通

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

Head to head
About

Explore Guangzhou

Navigate Guangzhou's subway system with an up-to-date, offline map and route planner. Features include GPS station finding, integrated street maps, and support for English and Chinese languages. Upgrade for ad-free experience and additional features.

Highlights
  • Up-to-date metro map
  • Offline functionality
  • Route planner
  • GPS station finder
  • Integrated street maps
  • English and Chinese support
Features
Read full description

Recommended by CNN and Lonely Planet, this is Guangzhou'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 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

杭州地铁通

Navigate Hangzhou's metro system with this essential travel app. It provides up-to-date route maps, detailed transit information, and real-time navigation to nearby stations. Plan your journeys with multiple transfer options, including estimated time, fare, and distance.

Highlights
  • Up-to-date metro route maps
  • Multi-transfer route planning
  • Estimated travel time and fare
  • Nearby station information
  • Real-time navigation
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

杭州旅游地铁出行必备App,您值得拥有! 1. 2021最新数据 精美线路图,精准的地铁信息。 2. 路线查询 选择出发,到达,即可获得多种换乘方案。包含:路线,时间,票价,距离。 3. 提供附近站点信息,实时导航 4.站点信息,站点周边 为您地铁出行提供更多的服务信息。 5. 离线工作,无需流量

Screenshots

Explore Guangzhou4 screens
杭州地铁通4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Explore Guangzhou at 78% against 杭州地铁通's 0%. Explore Guangzhou also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (707 vs 3). 杭州地铁通's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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 Guangzhou sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 杭州地铁通 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Explore Guangzhou holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Explore Guangzhou has 707 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Explore Guangzhou's written reviews are positive against 0% of 杭州地铁通's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Guangzhou ships an update every 6 months, 杭州地铁通 every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Explore Guangzhou versus 杭州地铁通: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore Guangzhou杭州地铁通
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (707 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings707 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExploreMetro敏 吴

Customer experience

Explore Guangzhou

All ratings707 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative13.0%

杭州地铁通

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Explore Guangzhou

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Black bar appearing when zooming map
  • App crashes on iPhone 6 Plus
  • Pop-up ads in Chinese crashing other apps
  • GPS position not visible on Google Maps view
  • Google Maps not cached for offline use

Requested features

7 requests
  • Integration with Apple Maps or Google Maps
  • Closest metro stop location detection
  • Walking directions to nearest station
  • GPS position visibility on map
  • Cached offline Google Maps support
Show 2 more
  • Return to previous interface design
  • More frequent updates for new metro lines

杭州地铁通

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Explore Guangzhou

One-time1
  • VIP mode (no ads)$4.99
None

杭州地铁通

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Explore Guangzhou free?
Explore Guangzhou is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 杭州地铁通 free?
杭州地铁通 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Explore Guangzhou or 杭州地铁通?
Explore Guangzhou is rated higher. Explore Guangzhou averages 4.7 out of 5 from 707 ratings, while 杭州地铁通 averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Explore Guangzhou or 杭州地铁通 have ads?
Explore Guangzhou shows ads; 杭州地铁通 does not.
Which is updated more often, Explore Guangzhou or 杭州地铁通?
Explore Guangzhou ships an update every 6 months, and 杭州地铁通 every 6 days. Most recently, Explore Guangzhou was updated on October 13, 2026 and 杭州地铁通 on September 23, 2026.

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