Explore Guangzhou vs BluBike
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Up-to-date metro map
- Offline functionality
- Route planner
- GPS station finder
- Integrated street maps
- English and Chinese support
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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.
BluBike
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Blu is bike sharing built for the way this city actually moves. Open the app, find a BluBike on the map, scan, and go. FIND A BIKE Live map of every available BluBike around you, with the distance to each one so you know which is genuinely the closest. ONE SCAN TO UNLOCK Point your camera at the QR code on the frame. The bike connects and unlocks in seconds — no docks, no queues, no counter staff. PAY BY THE KILOMETRE Rides are charged for the distance you actually ride, rounded up to the next kilometre, plus a small holding fee for each complete period the bike is kept without moving. Unlocking on its own costs nothing, and a bike that never moves is never charged a distance fee. The rates are on screen before you unlock. YOUR BLU WALLET Top up by card through Paystack, save a card for next time, and keep a running balance. Card details are entered on Paystack's secure checkout and are never stored by Blu. EVERY RIDE, ITEMISED Ride history with route, duration, distance and a full breakdown of what you were charged. No surprise line items. PARK AND LOCK End your ride from the app when the bike is parked properly inside the operating area. You will see the final fare before it leaves your wallet. BUILT TO BE SAFE One-time identity verification before your first ride, so bikes go out to real riders. Two-factor authentication on your account. Safety guidance and the rules of the road are in the app, and you confirm them at every unlock. Blu requires location and Bluetooth to find, unlock and bill a ride. Location is recorded only while a ride is in progress. You must be 18 or have a guardian's approval, hold a valid Nigerian phone number and means of identification, and keep the minimum wallet balance shown in the app before starting a ride. Questions: blutranslogisticsltd@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BluBike at none against Explore Guangzhou's 1. BluBike also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 months). Explore Guangzhou's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). On price 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 Guangzhou sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BluBike asks for nothing beyond the download.
Explore Guangzhou ships an update every 6 months, BluBike every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Explore Guangzhou | BluBike |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (717 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 717 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | ExploreMetro | Oluwatobi Ajibola |
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
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- Return to previous interface design
- More frequent updates for new metro lines
BluBike
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Explore Guangzhou
- VIP mode (no ads)$4.99
BluBike
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Explore Guangzhou free?
Is BluBike free?
Do Explore Guangzhou or BluBike have ads?
Which is updated more often, Explore Guangzhou or BluBike?
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