# 掌上公交 vs 南京地铁通

The clearest difference is rating: 南京地铁通 at 4.8 against 掌上公交's 2.7. 南京地铁通 also leads on monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). 掌上公交's advantage is review sentiment (38% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

南京地铁通 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 掌上公交 has 132 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of 掌上公交's written reviews are positive against 0% of 南京地铁通's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

掌上公交 ships an update every 2 weeks, 南京地铁通 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 掌上公交 | 南京地铁通 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.7 (132 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id461317017/reviews) | **[4.8 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/app/id1361881033/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **132** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | **37.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 237 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [厦门搜谷信息科技有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/458842901) | [宇舟 高](https://appshunter.io/developer/558773508) |

## What reviewers say

### 掌上公交

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id461317017)

This app provides real-time bus and subway information, helping you plan your commute. It offers smart route planning, navigation, and the ability to pay for rides using your phone.

**Highlights:** Real-time bus and subway tracking, Smart route planning, Mobile payment for rides, Nearby route navigation, Arrival time alerts, Customized bus services

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient for checking bus arrival times
- 👍 Accurate bus location and arrival data
- 👍 Useful route planning features
- 👍 Covers many cities in China
- 👍 Helpful for planning commutes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😠 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 😠 Ads are difficult to close or skip
- 😠 Ads often trigger accidental clicks and redirects
- 😠 Ads disrupt the user experience
- 😠 App can be slow to load due to ads

**Reported bugs**

- Manual setting of arrival reminders fails with 'client ID cannot be empty' error
- Insurance ads cannot be closed, forcing users to buy insurance to use the app
- App crashes frequently
- App freezes
- Data loading or reading failures

**Requested features**

- Reduce the number of ads
- Add an option to see arrival times at any time, not just departure times
- Improve the ability to arrange schedules for students who cannot carry their phones
- Add a feature to see the next bus prediction time
- Improve the UI design to be more refined


### 南京地铁通

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/app/id1361881033)

This app provides up-to-date Nanjing subway and bus route planning, including transfer options, travel times, fares, and distances. It features real-time arrival alerts, nearby point-of-interest searches, and comprehensive station information. Users can easily share route details with others.

**Highlights:** Real-time route planning, Transfer information, Fare and distance estimates, Arrival alerts, Nearby point-of-interest search, Station exit and landmark maps, Route sharing

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 掌上公交 free?

掌上公交 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is 南京地铁通 free?

南京地铁通 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, 掌上公交 or 南京地铁通?

南京地铁通 is rated higher. 掌上公交 averages 2.7 out of 5 from 132 ratings, while 南京地铁通 averages 4.8 from 19 ratings.

### Do 掌上公交 or 南京地铁通 have ads?

Both 掌上公交 and 南京地铁通 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, 掌上公交 or 南京地铁通?

掌上公交 ships an update every 2 weeks, and 南京地铁通 every 3 months. Most recently, 掌上公交 was updated on November 1, 2026 and 南京地铁通 on October 24, 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.*