ANA vs Shinkansen smartEX App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ANA
Manage your entire travel experience, from booking flights and hotels to checking flight status and boarding. Access in-flight entertainment, track baggage, and use your mobile device as a boarding pass.
- Flight, tour, and hotel reservations
- Flight status checks
- Online check-in and mobile boarding pass
- In-flight Wi-Fi and entertainment
- Baggage tracking
- Digital boarding pass via Apple Wallet
- In-flight magazine and newspaper access
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Thank you very much for using ANA. Press your finger against the Home screen and the My Trips screen and then swipe downward to refresh your information. If you have reserved/changed a seat or changed a flight, please refresh the reservations information. 【ANA App-Features】 ■A Single App to Take You from Reservation to Boarding With this one app, you can complete all the procedures up to boarding including flight ticket, tour and hotel reservations, flight status checks, and online check-in. ■Check the Latest Information on Your Flight and Check In On the Home screen, you can check your reservation details and the status of your flight. Furthermore, this app offers a seamless experience up to boarding, enabling you to complete online check-in, issue your mobile boarding pass, and reserve or change your seats. ■Make the Most of Our In-Flight Internet Access and Entertainment Options Connecting to our in-flight Wi-Fi not only allows you to surf the internet, but also gives you access to a fantastic range of in-flight Wi-Fi entertainment. With around 150 entertainment items to choose from, have your fill of television shows, audio programs, e-books and more. ■Use Apple Wallet to Transform Your App into a Boarding Pass If you save your Boarding Pass to Wallet, you will be able to board your flight with the pass displayed via this app. ■Passenger Guide to support your smooth boarding You'll get Assistance with your travel by "Passenger Guide" guiding timely according to the boarding scenes. ■Enjoy Reading Our In-Flight Magazine TSUBASA-GLOBAL WINGS-and Other Magazines and Newspapers Regardless of whether you are flying with us, you can view TSUBASA -GLOBAL WINGS- at anytime, anywhere. A greatly expanded lineup of other magazines and newspapers is also available to our passengers from before departure until after arrival. ■Manage your trip schedule from departure to arrival with the My Timeline feature Find spots to your liking and add events to create your very own timeline. ■Baggage Tracking (International) You can track your checked baggage. [ANA Apple Watch App – Main Features] Link the ANA App with your Apple Watch for even greater convenience. ● Put your boarding pass on your Apple Watch to board your domestic or international flight effortlessly. ● Even if you do not have any reservations, you can check your mileage and ANA Sky Coin balance on your Apple Watch.
Shinkansen smartEX App
Easily reserve Shinkansen seats, hotels, and activities. Enjoy discounts for early bookings and flexible changes. Access station and train service information, and use QR tickets or designated IC cards for seamless travel.
- Reserve Shinkansen seats
- Book hotels and activities
- Early booking discounts
- Free reservation changes
- Select seats from map
- QR-Ticket and IC card boarding
- Fingerprint authentication login
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▼With the EX app, you can: - Reserve Shinkansen seats through the app easily - Discount for early booking - Reserve Shinkansen seats up to 1 year in advance - You can make as many changes as you need, free of charge, before getting on the train - Reserve a set of Shinkansen seats and hotel rooms! - Reserve activities, hotels and car rentals! - Select any seat from the seat map (*reserved seats only) - Information on services available in stations and trains - You can log in quickly by using fingerprint authentication. (only for compatible models) ▼ Main features - Membership registration - Purchase ticket/Reserve seats (time designation, train name designation, easy free seat reservation)) - Confirm reservation - Change and refund reservation (reducing the number of persons) - Display purchase history and receipt - Check, change member information - Display QR-Ticket for boarding - Designate or register IC card for boarding - Service status information (Link) ▼ Notes - Membership registration is required to use this app. For registration, personal information is required, such as member name, date of birth, and a valid credit card, etc. - Ticket purchase (reservation) payment will be taken from the credit card registered on the account. -- You need to register or designate IC card for public transportation (*) to travel ticketless with IC card. (*) Kitaca, PASMO, Suica, manaca, TOICA, PiTaPa, ICOCA, Hayakaken, nimoca, SUGOCA - You need the pickup code to pick up tickets from ticket vending machines, etc., at main stations of Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Shin-Osaka, Hiroshima, Hakata, Kumamoto etc. - Please do not use this app to make a seat reservation for Japan Rail Pass. - This service is available only in English. - For more details on this service, please see the website. *The email address below is for inquiries about application specifications. Please note that we cannnot answer inquiries about the service.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ANA at 4.7 against Shinkansen smartEX App's 1.7. ANA also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (8.7K vs 601). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ANA holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ANA has 8.7K ratings behind it against 601, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of ANA's written reviews are positive against 17% of Shinkansen smartEX App's.
ANA ships an update fortnightly, Shinkansen smartEX App every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ANA | Shinkansen smartEX App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (8.7K ratings) — better | 1.7 (601 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 23.9% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8.7K — better | 601 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #165 | #117 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 122 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ANA (All Nippon Airways) | Central Japan Railway Company |
Customer experience
ANA
Shinkansen smartEX App
Bugs and requests
ANA
Reported bugs
3 issues- Frequent crashes and errors
- Reservation information not loading properly
- Inability to log in or access account details
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to manage multiple reservations in the app
- Integration with Apple Wallet for digital membership cards
- Improved airport maps and gate information
- More language support options
Shinkansen smartEX App
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ANA
No in-app purchases
Shinkansen smartEX App
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ANA free?
Is Shinkansen smartEX App free?
Which has better reviews, ANA or Shinkansen smartEX App?
Do ANA or Shinkansen smartEX App have ads?
Which is updated more often, ANA or Shinkansen smartEX App?
Which is more popular, ANA or Shinkansen smartEX App?
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