Comparison

Explore Guangzhou vs 广州地铁官方APP

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

广州地铁官方APP

Navigate Guangzhou's metro system with real-time information on routes, schedules, and station amenities. Discover nearby landmarks and get practical travel updates for a smoother journey.

Highlights
  • Route planning
  • First/last train times
  • Station service facilities
  • Station surroundings info
  • Real-time operational announcements
  • SMS sharing of travel info
Features
Read full description

广州地铁官方APP,以全新的信息服务方式,让您尽享地铁出行之悦。地铁出行路线、首末班车时间、车站服务设施、车站周边信息、站外实景导航服务、运营公告——随时、随地、随心掌握。 独特的首页设计 展示地铁各个车站周边的广州地标,跟随四通八达的地铁畅游广州。 丰富的功能: 涵盖了乘客出行各种信息,包括基本的线路、站点查询、运营实时公告、官方微博、票种票价、相关法规介绍等。 及时掌握地铁各类资讯: 以最快的速度向乘客提供各种应急信息、节假日安排、客流公告等信息,让乘客掌握地铁实时资讯,安排行程。 轻松分享各种地铁资讯: 无论是出行路径信息、末班车换乘信息,还是车站的出口信息,广州地铁官方APP都提供了短信分享功能,用户可以通过短信方式转发各种信息的查询结果,与身边的朋友共享APP带来的便利。

Screenshots

Explore Guangzhou4 screens
广州地铁官方APP4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 广州地铁官方APP at none against Explore Guangzhou's 1. 广州地铁官方APP also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. 广州地铁官方APP 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 Guangzhou against 4.6 for 广州地铁官方APP. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 707 and 488 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Explore Guangzhou's written reviews are positive against 74% of 广州地铁官方APP's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Guangzhou ships an update every 6 months, 广州地铁官方APP every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Explore Guangzhou versus 广州地铁官方APP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore Guangzhou广州地铁官方APP
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (707 ratings) — better4.6 (488 ratings)
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better74.0% of reviews
Number of ratings707 — better488
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB235 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExploreMetro广州地铁集团有限公司

Customer experience

Explore Guangzhou

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

广州地铁官方APP

All ratings488 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral0.8%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews250 reviews
Positive74.0%
Neutral5.2%
Negative20.8%

User reviews

Explore Guangzhou

From 707 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🗺️ Comprehensive metro map coverage
  • 🌐 Bilingual support (English and Chinese)
  • 💡 Route planning functionality
  • 🚀 Fast loading times

Room to improve

  • ⏰ Infrequent app updates
  • 📅 Outdated metro line information
  • 🐛 Pop-up ads causing crashes
  • 📱 Compatibility issues with certain devices
  • 🔤 User comments mostly in Chinese

广州地铁官方APP

From 488 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Reliable and accurate app
  • 👍 User-friendly and convenient
  • 👍 Helpful staff and good service
  • 👍 Clean and well-managed stations
  • 👍 Efficient and on-time transportation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Small and hard-to-read station names on maps
  • 🔒 Proxy settings check causing inconvenience
  • 🚧 Lack of support for foreigners and non-Chinese users

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

广州地铁官方APP

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Outdated line and station information
  • Incompatibility with newer devices and OS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved English and multi-language support
  • Larger and clearer station maps
  • Seamless QR code integration for entry/exit
  • Electronic receipt/fapiao generation

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Explore Guangzhou

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

广州地铁官方APP

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Explore Guangzhou free?
Explore Guangzhou is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 广州地铁官方APP free?
广州地铁官方APP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Explore Guangzhou or 广州地铁官方APP?
Explore Guangzhou is rated higher. Explore Guangzhou averages 4.7 out of 5 from 707 ratings, while 广州地铁官方APP averages 4.6 from 488 ratings.
Do Explore Guangzhou or 广州地铁官方APP have ads?
Explore Guangzhou shows ads; 广州地铁官方APP does not.
Which is updated more often, Explore Guangzhou or 广州地铁官方APP?
Explore Guangzhou ships an update every 6 months, and 广州地铁官方APP every 3 weeks. Most recently, Explore Guangzhou was updated on October 13, 2026 and 广州地铁官方APP on October 14, 2026.

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