Comparison

Universal Studios Japan vs Pie VAT

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

Head to head
About

Universal Studios Japan

Plan your visit to a popular theme park with real-time attraction wait times, show schedules, and an interactive map. Secure timed entry eTickets and access park information, including game app details for specific themed areas. Save your favorite attractions and easily purchase park tickets.

Highlights
  • Real-time wait times and show schedules
  • Interactive park map with filters
  • Timed Entry eTicket acquisition
  • Centralized information for themed areas
  • Create a favorites list for attractions
  • Direct access to ticket purchasing
Features
Read full description

KEY FEATURES​ ・ WAIT TIME/SHOW SCHEDULE​ Easily find out today's show schedule and see the current wait times for all your favorite attractions.​ ・ MAP​ Use the map's filter function to easily find facilities in the Park.​ ​ ・ TIMED ENTRY eTICKETS​ Timed Entry eTickets, which allow you to enter areas and experience attractions more smoothly, can now be acquired from anywhere in the Park.​ ・ My Universal​ To enjoy SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ even more, information on the game app, ticket purchases, and more can now be found in one place.​ ・ CREATE A FAVORITES LIST​ Attractions and shows you're interested in can be saved as favorites.​ ・ PURCHASE TICKETS​ The Official Web Ticket Store button takes you to the site where you can purchase any of the various types of Park tickets.​ ​ GENERAL APP USAGE​ • You can check the privacy policy from the main navigation.​ • Please note that continuous GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.​ * Images are for illustrative purposes.

About

Pie VAT

This app simplifies claiming VAT refunds for travelers. It eliminates paper forms and long waits, offering a quick and easy digital solution to shop tax-free. Track your refund requests and receive your money faster through various payout methods.

Highlights
  • Digital VAT refund claims
  • Find partner stores
  • Quick refund requests
  • Track refund status
  • Multiple payout options
  • In-app live help
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Pie VAT is the next generation tax free solution. It is the first digital tax free shopping app that enables travelers to easily claim their VAT refunds when traveling abroad. We have eliminated excessive paper forms, long waits in line, high fees; all that’s left is a quick and easy way to shop tax free. SHOP AT OUR PARTNER STORES Find, browse, and explore our local partner stores in the app. We have 1000+ PIE partner stores. Find yours today! QUICK AND EASY: Request your VAT Refund in a matter of seconds. Clear and concise directions in our app will guide you every step of the way for your VAT refund. STAY ON TOP OF IT ALL Easily track your refund requests and their status. Keep up with the entire process and where your funds are. BIGGER & FASTER PIE works to get you more of your VAT refund back as fast as possible! We support multiple payout methods, including bank transfers, credit cards, and more. YOUR SECURITY IS OUR PRIORITY Pie VAT makes VAT refunds easy and quick, and we take the protection of your account very seriously. We utilize industry standard security measures to help protect your account information. =================== How Pie VAT works: 1. After you checkout in store, ask to do a refund via PIE. The store will send you your claim information to start our VAT refund process. 2. Claim your refund on the PIE app, follow the easy steps and submit your request. 3. Enjoy your VAT refund - maybe buy some pie. Need help? We’re two taps away via live help in-app!

Screenshots

Universal Studios Japan4 screens
Pie VAT4 screens

Verdict

The call

Universal Studios Japan and Pie VAT both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 65% of Pie VAT's written reviews are positive against 26% of Universal Studios Japan's. Pie VAT also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and chart position (#170 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Universal Studios Japan against 4.8 for Pie VAT. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.6K and 9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 26% of Universal Studios Japan's written reviews are positive against 65% of Pie VAT's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Universal Studios Japan ships an update monthly, Pie VAT every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Universal Studios Japan versus Pie VAT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniversal Studios JapanPie VAT
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.6K ratings)4.8 (9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.1% of reviews65.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.6K9K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#170 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size207 MB118 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperNBCUniversal Media, LLCPieSystems

Customer experience

Universal Studios Japan

All ratings7,562 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews276 reviews
Positive26.1%
Neutral9.8%
Negative64.1%

Pie VAT

All ratings8,963 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews446 reviews
Positive65.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative31.6%

User reviews

Universal Studios Japan

From 7.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Useful tool for trip
  • 🗺️ Interactive map and e-ticket capture
  • 👍 Great experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitches and technical issues
  • 🤔 Confusing and not user-friendly
  • 💸 Expensive and oversold
  • 🌐 Notifications only in Japanese
  • 📱 App crashes and fails to load

Pie VAT

From 9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy and efficient process
  • 👍 User-friendly app
  • 💰 Quick refund processing
  • 🙌 Excellent customer service
  • 🏆 Best VAT refund system

Room to improve

  • 💰 High service fees
  • 🤔 Unclear fee disclosure
  • 🐛 App crashes and bugs
  • 🔒 Security and privacy concerns

Bugs and requests

Universal Studios Japan

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes during ticket purchase
  • Inability to register or access tickets
  • Inconsistent behavior across iOS and Android

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add language settings to change to English
  • Improve navigation and information display
  • Provide more transparency on ticket availability
  • Optimize app performance and stability

Pie VAT

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes when loading documents
  • Issues with photo uploads and login

Requested features

2 requests
  • More transparent fee structure
  • Compatibility with more countries and merchants

In-app purchases

None

Universal Studios Japan

No in-app purchases

None

Pie VAT

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Universal Studios Japan free?
Universal Studios Japan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pie VAT free?
Pie VAT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Universal Studios Japan or Pie VAT?
Pie VAT is rated higher. Universal Studios Japan averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while Pie VAT averages 4.8 from 9K ratings.
Do Universal Studios Japan or Pie VAT have ads?
Neither Universal Studios Japan nor Pie VAT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Universal Studios Japan or Pie VAT?
Universal Studios Japan ships an update monthly, and Pie VAT every 5 days. Most recently, Universal Studios Japan was updated on November 4, 2026 and Pie VAT on November 4, 2026.

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