# 掌上公交 vs 合肥地铁通

The clearest difference is rating: 合肥地铁通 at 4.4 against 掌上公交's 2.7. 掌上公交's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 合肥地铁通 sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. 掌上公交 asks for nothing beyond the download.

合肥地铁通 holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 掌上公交 has 131 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 37% and 38% positive.

掌上公交 ships an update fortnightly, 合肥地铁通 every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | 掌上公交 | 合肥地铁通 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.7 (131 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id461317017/reviews) | **[4.4 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/app/id1369504301/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **131** | 20 |
| Positive reviews | 37.1% of reviews | **37.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 242 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| 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


### 合肥地铁通

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/app/id1369504301)

This app provides comprehensive navigation and transit information for Hefei's metro system. It offers route planning, real-time arrival alerts, and details about station surroundings, including dining and entertainment options.

**Highlights:** Route planning with fare and time estimates, Real-time arrival notifications, Station surrounding information (dining, entertainment), Detailed metro line and station data, Exit information and maps, Shareable route plans

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 周卡会员 | $0.49 | per 7 days |
| 月卡会员 | $0.99 | per month |
| 季卡会员 | $1.99 | per 3 months |
| 年卡会员 | $4.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 掌上公交 free?

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

### Is 合肥地铁通 free?

合肥地铁通 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 掌上公交 or 合肥地铁通?

合肥地铁通 is rated higher. 掌上公交 averages 2.7 out of 5 from 131 ratings, while 合肥地铁通 averages 4.4 from 20 ratings.

### Do 掌上公交 or 合肥地铁通 have ads?

Both 掌上公交 and 合肥地铁通 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, 掌上公交 or 合肥地铁通?

掌上公交 ships an update fortnightly, and 合肥地铁通 every 3 months. Most recently, 掌上公交 was updated on September 23, 2026 and 合肥地铁通 on September 23, 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.*