# Smart Traveler vs Trip Plans

Smart Traveler and Trip Plans both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of Trip Plans's written reviews are positive against 18% of Smart Traveler's. Trip Plans also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 10 months). Smart Traveler's advantage is ratings volume (14K vs 1.3K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Smart Traveler against 4.7 for Trip Plans. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smart Traveler has 14K ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 18% of Smart Traveler's written reviews are positive against 75% of Trip Plans's.

Smart Traveler ships an update every 10 months, Trip Plans monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smart Traveler | Trip Plans |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-traveler/id442693988/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trip-plans/id1069006856/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | 18.4% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 6 MB | 78 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [US Department of State](https://appshunter.io/developer/442693991) | [Travefy, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/852761775) |

## What reviewers say

### Smart Traveler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-traveler/id442693988)

Access official country information, travel advisories, and U.S. embassy locations for international travel. Enroll in a free program to receive emergency assistance and allow loved ones to reach you if needed.

**Highlights:** Official country information, Travel advisories, U.S. embassy locations, Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), Emergency assistance, Consular Affairs social media access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Comprehensive information
- 🔒 Provides a sense of security
- 👍 User-friendly
- 🚀 Informative and helpful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Incorrect country information
- 🐛 Broken functionality
- 🐛 Outdated information
- 🐛 Difficult to navigate
- 🐛 Login issues

**Reported bugs**

- Clicking on Israel takes user to Iceland information
- Clicking on Austria takes user to Australia information
- Clicking on Liechtenstein takes user to Lesotho information
- STEP program not working
- Unable to view countries on app

**Requested features**

- Sync account information across devices
- Hyperlink contact information
- Add domestic travel information
- Improve country search functionality
- Provide more frequent updates


### Trip Plans

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trip-plans/id1069006856)

Access your detailed travel itinerary offline, presented beautifully and clearly. View daily event summaries, get quick access to contact and navigation info for locations, and chat directly with your travel advisor without needing an internet connection.

**Highlights:** Offline itinerary access, Daily event summaries, Location contact and navigation, Direct chat with travel advisor, Beautiful and easy-to-understand format

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Comprehensive trip information
- 🗓️ Organized daily itinerary
- 💬 Convenient communication with travel agent
- 🌐 Offline access to trip details
- 🗺️ Helpful maps and navigation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔗 Issues with links and navigation
- 📝 Limited ability to add/edit trip details
- 🤖 Inconsistent data updates from travel providers
- 🗣️ Chat feature needs improvements (timestamps, scrolling)
- 🔄 Difficulty continuing trips with new travel agents

**Reported bugs**

- Itinerary not always accurately reflecting trip details
- Occasional app crashes or login issues
- Unreliable offline access to trip information

**Requested features**

- Calendar integration for trip events
- Ability for travelers to add their own bookings
- Customizable notification settings
- Improved print/download options for itineraries
- Enhanced data synchronization across providers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smart Traveler free?

Smart Traveler is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Trip Plans free?

Trip Plans is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Smart Traveler or Trip Plans?

Trip Plans is rated higher. Smart Traveler averages 4.6 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Trip Plans averages 4.7 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Smart Traveler or Trip Plans have ads?

Neither Smart Traveler nor Trip Plans shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Smart Traveler or Trip Plans?

Smart Traveler ships an update every 10 months, and Trip Plans monthly. Most recently, Smart Traveler was updated on October 31, 2026 and Trip Plans on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*