Comparison

blogTO vs ArriveON

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

Head to head
About

blogTO

Discover Toronto's best dining, drinking, shopping, and entertainment. Stay updated with local news and find events to attend. Access curated lists and map nearby attractions.

Highlights
  • Best of Toronto lists
  • Map nearby places
  • Find restaurants and bars
  • Local news updates
  • Event listings
  • Create to-do lists
  • Save articles and events
Features
Read full description

Find the best Toronto restaurants, bars and other places to eat, drink, shop and hangout. Get the latest local news. Discover events you want to attend. Access hundreds of Best of Toronto lists. This app brings everything you love about blogTO to a convenient app format. FEATURES: • Access all of blogTO's Best of Toronto lists, map the locations and see Best Of places nearby. • Find restaurants and other places nearby, by address, neighbourhood or TTC subway stop. • Get the latest Toronto news. • Look up events taking place in Toronto by date. • Create a free blogTO account to upload photos, mark favourites and rate local businesses. • Create To-Do lists of places you want to visit. • Save articles and Best of lists for future reading or reference. • Save upcoming events you don't want to miss.

About

ArriveON

This app assists newcomers in settling in Ontario by providing access to essential information and resources. It covers employment, healthcare, education, housing, and community services, available in multiple languages and usable offline.

Highlights
  • Settlement information and resources
  • Multilingual support (10 languages)
  • Offline access to content
  • No account required for use
  • Private and anonymous data handling
  • Employment, healthcare, and housing assistance
Features
Read full description

ArriveON is a free, mobile app designed to help newcomers successfully settle in Ontario by providing easy access to trusted information, resources, and services to support every stage of the settlement journey. Available in 10 languages: English, French, Ukrainian, Farsi, Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Punjabi, Russian, and Spanish. ArriveON ensures that newcomers can access critical settlement information in the language they are most comfortable using. From finding employment and learning English to accessing health care, education, housing, and community services, ArriveON offers everything you need to get started and thrive in your new community. Key features of the Arrive On app include: No account required: Explore settlement topics and services instantly without creating a login. Offline access: Newcomer information is saved directly to your phone, allowing you to view content anytime, even without internet access. Private and anonymous: ArriveON does not collect or store personal data. Your responses are used only to generate in-app recommendations and are never shared with funders or third parties. In addition to the app, newcomers can further enhance their settlement experience by attending an Orientation to Ontario (O2O) workshop, visiting the O2O website, or calling the bilingual information line at 1-855-626-0002. O2O also provides a wide range of print and digital resources, including webinars on key settlement topics to help newcomers navigate life in Ontario. For more information, you may contact the team at arriveon@costi.org. The ArriveON app is made possible through funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Government of Ontario. We also extend our sincere thanks to our settlement partners across Ontario, whose collaboration makes this program possible. Content in the app is based on the Orientation to Ontario program workbook and related settlement resources.

Screenshots

blogTO4 screens
ArriveON3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ArriveON at 100% against blogTO's 48%. ArriveON also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). blogTO's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
blogTO versus ArriveON: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterblogTOArriveON
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (436 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews48.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings436 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFreshdailyCOSTI Immigrant Services

Customer experience

blogTO

All ratings436 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive48.2%
Neutral13.3%
Negative38.6%

ArriveON

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

blogTO

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Articles cut off at the bottom
  • No results or content available
  • Inability to log in or create account

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved sharing functionality
  • Customizable font sizes
  • Horizontal/landscape mode for tablets

ArriveON

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

blogTO

No in-app purchases

None

ArriveON

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is blogTO free?
blogTO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArriveON free?
ArriveON is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do blogTO or ArriveON have ads?
blogTO shows ads; ArriveON does not.
Which is updated more often, blogTO or ArriveON?
blogTO ships an update every 2 months, and ArriveON every 2 months. Most recently, blogTO was updated on October 16, 2026 and ArriveON on October 2, 2026.

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