Comparison

ANC Explorer vs Metro Pulse

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

Head to head
About

ANC Explorer

Discover gravesites and points of interest within a cemetery. Get directions, capture marker photos, and receive important notifications. Create custom walking tours by saving favorite locations.

Highlights
  • Locate gravesites and points of interest
  • Generate marker and monument photos
  • Step-by-step directions
  • Emergency and event notifications
  • Save favorite places
  • Create custom walking tours
Features
Read full description

Users can locate gravesites and other points of interest throughout the cemetery, generate front-and-back pictures of a marker or monument, and receive step-by-step directions to these locations. The app also provides emergency and event notifications and the ability to share on popular social media sites. Users can save favorite places in My Content to create their own custom walking tours.

About

Metro Pulse

This app provides real-time transit information for the Washington region, including arrival times, service alerts, and trip planning. It offers practical details on nearby stations, elevator status, and offline maps for convenient travel.

Highlights
  • Real-time arrival times
  • Nearby station information
  • Trip planner with fare estimates
  • Service alerts and notifications
  • Offline route maps
  • SmarTrip® integration
  • Online chat support
Features
Read full description

Metro Pulse helps you stay informed before you go and while you’re on the move. On bus or rail, across DC, Maryland, and Virginia, you can check real time arrivals, plan trips, save your favorites, chat with us, and get service updates — all in one easy to use app. The official app of Metro, Metro Pulse has the up-to-the-second information you need to get where you want to go. Real Time Arrivals See accurate, real time data for every train and bus. Know when your ride is coming and whether delays or service changes could affect your trip so you can adjust with confidence. Explore Nearby Service Use the Explore tab to view Metro service near your current location or anywhere you drop a pin on the map. Save Your Favorites Keep your most used lines, routes, stations, stops, and places within easy reach • Favorite a rail line or bus route to preview arrivals at nearby stations or stops • Favorite a specific station or stop to see upcoming arrivals anytime Plan and Customize Your Trip Find the best way to get from point A to point B using bus, rail, or both. • Compare route options • View fare estimates and travel times • Choose when you want to leave — now or later • Customize preferences like travel modes, walking distance, access to elevators AI Powered Chat Get quick answers about arrivals, delays, service changes, and more. If you need additional help, connect directly with a Metro customer service representative. Service Alerts Stay updated on delays, service changes, cancellations, track work, and emergencies so you can avoid surprises. Designed for Metro Riders Built for riders across the DMV and redesigned with your feedback, Metro Pulse gives you the information you need when you need it — helping you move through the region with less stress and more confidence. Metro Pulse keeps your trip on track — before, during, and after your ride.

Screenshots

ANC Explorer4 screens
Metro Pulse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ANC Explorer at 38% against Metro Pulse's 23%. ANC Explorer also leads on rating (3.0 vs 2.8). Metro Pulse's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

ANC Explorer holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 55 and 110 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of ANC Explorer's written reviews are positive against 23% of Metro Pulse's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ANC Explorer ships an update every 2 months, Metro Pulse every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ANC Explorer versus Metro Pulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterANC ExplorerMetro Pulse
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (55 ratings) — better2.8 (110 ratings)
Positive reviews38.5% of reviews — better22.9% of reviews
Number of ratings55110 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size143 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArlington National CemeteryWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Customer experience

ANC Explorer

All ratings55 ratings
Positive45.5%
Neutral5.5%
Negative49.1%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive38.5%
Neutral11.5%
Negative50.0%

Metro Pulse

All ratings110 ratings
Positive40.9%
Neutral8.2%
Negative50.9%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive22.9%
Neutral8.6%
Negative68.6%

User reviews

ANC Explorer

From 55 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📍 Accurate grave location finding
  • 🗺️ Easy navigation to graves
  • 📸 Photo of headstone available
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • ⏱️ Saves time searching

Room to improve

  • 🐌 Very slow performance
  • ❌ Search feature unreliable
  • 🚫 No back button
  • 📉 Inconsistent performance
  • unresponsive app

Metro Pulse

From 110 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Informative app
  • 💡 Great for transit enthusiasts

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate route and location data
  • 🐛 Confusing and clunky UI
  • 🐛 Laggy performance
  • 🐛 Welcome screen cannot be closed

Bugs and requests

ANC Explorer

Reported bugs

40 issues
  • Unable to delete duplicate entries in My Content
  • Start Tour function doesn't work
  • Search yields zero results
  • No back button
  • Directions are horrible
Show 35 more
  • App caused phone to freeze
  • Errors with pictures (wrong names)
  • Unable to see photos of headstones after update
  • Constant error messages
  • Fails to connect to grave site database
  • App does not work
  • Cannot look up people without error message
  • Notable graves on app not current
  • App shuts down when accessing MyContent
  • App closes when clicking My Content
  • Crashes on each open
  • Latest update won't load, black screen
  • Cannot view the map
  • Search function is garbage
  • Notable Women list incomplete
  • Details section of search results has issues
  • Network error message for grave pictures
  • Search feature would not work (internet connection error)
  • Frozen app, cannot get past help screen
  • Black screen on open after uninstall
  • App not loading or functioning after update
  • Blank screen after update
  • App delivers only a blank screen after update
  • Pictures not shown after update, cannot download
  • Black screen
  • Map fails to load
  • Battery drain
  • App will no longer open after iOS upgrade
  • Search feature will not work after update
  • Start from here feature eliminated
  • Server errors, nothing works
  • App refuses to let me see results
  • Inappropriate advertising pop-up
  • Cannot find grave sites
  • iPad version works, iPhone version useless

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add a back button
  • Include a north arrow
  • Improve reliability of directions
  • Enhance customer service for tech support
  • Update notable graves list
Show 3 more
  • Improve search functionality
  • Add dark mode
  • Increase text size and contrast for daylight readability

Metro Pulse

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Old bus route numbers displayed on iPad app
  • Location permissions not working
  • Inability to switch between train and bus

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to plan future trips
  • Fare data integration
  • Scrollable and closable welcome screen

In-app purchases

None

ANC Explorer

No in-app purchases

None

Metro Pulse

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ANC Explorer free?
ANC Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Metro Pulse free?
Metro Pulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ANC Explorer or Metro Pulse?
ANC Explorer is rated higher. ANC Explorer averages 3.0 out of 5 from 55 ratings, while Metro Pulse averages 2.8 from 110 ratings.
Do ANC Explorer or Metro Pulse have ads?
Neither ANC Explorer nor Metro Pulse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ANC Explorer or Metro Pulse?
ANC Explorer ships an update every 2 months, and Metro Pulse every 2 weeks. Most recently, ANC Explorer was updated on September 22, 2026 and Metro Pulse on September 19, 2026.

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