Comparison

Vendo vs FlareSpot

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

Head to head
About

Vendo

Discover and share vending machine locations with a community-driven map. Find machines by brand, genre, or proximity, and contribute by posting your own discoveries. Enjoy a user-friendly experience without mandatory registration.

Highlights
  • Post vending machine locations
  • Search for vending machines
  • Find nearby machines
  • Filter by genre
  • Add comments and reviews
  • Report and delete listings
Features
Read full description

Discover vending machines near you — and help others find them too. The community-powered vending machine map for Japan. --- Full Description SUMO VENDING MAP — Find & Share Vending Machines Across Japan Tap the map. Find the machine. Share the spot. Japan has over 5 million vending machines. This app helps you find the best ones near you — and lets you build the map yourself. — DISCOVER — • See user-reported vending machines on an interactive map • Filter by category, rating, distance, or trash can availability • Get notified when new machines are spotted near you — SHARE — • Drop a pin to register a vending machine in seconds • Add photos, ratings, price range, and payment methods • Post drink records with barcode scanning — COMMUNITY — • Follow active contributors and browse the latest posts • Leave reviews and mark helpful comments • Share spots on X (Twitter) with one tap — GAMIFY YOUR MAP — • Earn badges: Explorer, Reviewer, Photographer, Legend & more • Level up from Rookie Mapper to Legend (Lv.1–6) • Complete the 47-Prefecture Stamp Rally — PREMIUM — • Go ad-free • Unlimited monthly reviews Available in Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese (Simplified). ・For inquiries regarding this app, please go to "Settings" > "Contact Us" within the app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/keizibannapp/%E3%83%9B%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0

About

FlareSpot

Share messages, photos, and comments at specific locations on a map. Discover local events, connect with others through "Now Voices," and nurture virtual plants. Create visual memories with photo albums and shareable media.

Highlights
  • Location-based messaging and photo sharing
  • Discover local events and festivals
  • Virtual plant growth and watering
  • Multi-language support with translation
  • Create photo albums and visual memories
  • AI-powered event and spot discovery
Read full description

◆A map to open, even without a destination◆ Leave a message at a place and start a conversation. Say hello to sleepy Moo, grow plants, and discover small connections—from familiar streets to cities around the world. FlareSpot is a map-based app for discovering festivals, live music, fireworks, local events, and the “Now Voices” shared at each place. Explore your neighborhood, a travel destination, or a city you’ve never visited. Move around the map and see what catches your eye. ■Start a conversation with Now Voices Browse photos and short comments on the map, then react with a heart or reply. Share your own photos, comments of up to 100 characters, stickers, animated stickers, and emoji. “This place is beautiful.” “Here’s what it’s like today.” “The cherry blossoms are blooming here!” “The leaves are changing here!” Share something you noticed or ask about a place that interests you. Check your notifications for likes and replies. Choose how long your post stays visible: 1, 6, or 12 hours, or 1, 3, 7, or 30 days. ■Explore across languages and locations The app is available in Japanese, English, and Korean. On supported devices and in supported languages, you can read posts translated into your app’s display language. You can also switch back to the original text. We’ve added SPOTs in the United States, Canada, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand. Discover unfamiliar streets and the voices shared there. ■Say hello to Moo and grow plants Join others in saying “Good morning” to wake up sleepy Moo. Take part in the greeting to receive plant seeds. Plant your seeds on the map and help them grow by watering them. You can also water other people’s sprouts and help them along. Maple trees have joined the plants you can grow. ■Find seasonal scenery and events Place pins at cherry blossom and autumn foliage spots to share your favorite seasonal views. Use the event calendar to find festivals, fireworks, and local events. For supported festivals, you can also check stages and timetables—handy for planning stops before or after a show. Search previously posted photos to explore places and see what a neighborhood looks like. AI Scouter shows cards featuring notable SPOTs and events happening now or coming up in the area you’re viewing. ■Keep places and memories together Photos posted to a SPOT are collected in that place’s album. Revisit your posts and the places you’ve lit up in My Flare, and collect achievement badges along the way. Create a Glow Card that brings a photo, a place, and your glowing map together in one image. Or make a Flare Movie, a short video connecting your photos and map. Choose from DIARY, QUEST, and LOG themes, then save or share your creations. ■Make the map your own Switch between Now Voices and AI Scouter to enjoy different perspectives on the same place. You can also choose to start at your current location when opening the app. In supported areas, use Look Around to check the surrounding streets before posting. Whether your day starts with “Good morning,” a trip to an event, or curiosity about a distant city, find something new to enjoy on your everyday map. Note: Fireworks and local event information focuses on the area shown on the map. Event coverage is expanding, primarily in Japan’s Kanto region. Translation and Look Around availability varies by device, language, region, and other conditions.

Screenshots

Vendo3 screens
FlareSpot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: FlareSpot at 83% against Vendo's 29%. FlareSpot also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Vendo sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. FlareSpot asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vendo ships an update fortnightly, FlareSpot weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 4 level
Vendo versus FlareSpot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVendoFlareSpot
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB189 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperYatuki MisoraDaichi Kuroda

Customer experience

Vendo

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%

FlareSpot

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Vendo

Subscriptions1
  • 広告無し$2.991 Month
None

FlareSpot

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vendo free?
Vendo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FlareSpot free?
FlareSpot is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Vendo or FlareSpot have ads?
Vendo shows ads; FlareSpot does not.
Which is updated more often, Vendo or FlareSpot?
Vendo ships an update fortnightly, and FlareSpot weekly. Most recently, Vendo was updated on November 4, 2026 and FlareSpot on November 5, 2026.

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