Comparison

The Black Map vs North Shore Beefs

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

Head to head
About

The Black Map

Discover and review pubs, focusing on finding the best Guinness. Share detailed reviews, photos, and ratings to help others find their perfect pint. Includes social features for a connected pub exploration experience.

Highlights
  • Rate and review pubs
  • Explore recommended pubs
  • Find the best Guinness
  • Share detailed reviews and photos
  • Social features
Features
Read full description

Rate and review your favorite pints, explore recommended pubs, and find the best pint of Guinness near you. The Black Map allows you to share detailed reviews, photos, and ratings, ensuring every pour is just right. Whether you're a seasoned aficionado or new to the stout scene, The Black Map is your ultimate companion for finding and enjoying the finest pints of Guinness. Now with social features! Terms & Conditions: https://www.theblackmap.co/tcs Privacy Policy: https://www.theblackmap.co/privacy

About

North Shore Beefs

Discover and review the iconic North Shore beef sandwich. Find top-rated spots, share your experiences, and contribute to a growing community dedicated to this legendary roast beef creation.

Highlights
  • Find 'beeferies' on a live map
  • Rate and review sandwiches
  • View top-rated beefs and reviewers
  • Add new sandwich spots
  • Leaderboard for 'Most Valuable Beefer' (coming soon)
Features
Read full description

A beef is not a roast beef sandwich. It is rare beef piled on a griddled bun, James River sauce, and cheese under the beef so it melts into it. The North Shore has strong opinions about who does it best. This is where those opinions get counted. North Shore Beefs maps the shops and lets the people who actually eat at them do the ranking. WHAT YOU GET 219 shops on the map, from Boston up to the New Hampshire line. Search by name, filter by what you care about, or just open the map and see what is closest to you right now. Open now, and actually correct. The app knows each shop's hours, including the ones that only serve beef on certain days. You should not have to drive to a locked door to find out. Reviews with substance. Score the beef out of 10, then log the things that decide it: how rare it came, the sauce, whether the cheese was under the beef where it belongs, the bun, the size. Add photos or video. The Wheel. When nobody in the car can make a decision, spin it and go where it lands. NSB Approved. Shops that earn the badge get the badge. It cannot be bought. Champions Hub. The App MVB race runs every month with live standings, so you can see which beefer is winning right now and where you landed. Share cards worth posting. Frame the photo yourself, drag to position it, and it exports at the size Instagram and Facebook actually use instead of getting cropped to nothing. Follow the people whose taste you trust. Save the spots you mean to get to. See what the North Shore is eating today. MAKE IT YOURS Pick a color theme and a light or dark mode that suits you. Set the text size. Turn motion down. Turn on Data Saver and videos only load when you tap them. WHO IT IS FOR People who take beef seriously, people who just moved here and keep hearing about a place on Route 1, and anybody who has ever argued about this in a parking lot. Free. No account needed to browse. Make one when you want to post, vote or follow.

Screenshots

The Black Map4 screens
North Shore Beefs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: North Shore Beefs at 100% against The Black Map's 44%. North Shore Beefs also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, 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. The Black Map sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. North Shore Beefs asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

North Shore Beefs holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29 and 23 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of The Black Map's written reviews are positive against 100% of North Shore Beefs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Black Map ships an update every 2 weeks, North Shore Beefs every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
The Black Map versus North Shore Beefs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Black MapNorth Shore Beefs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (29 ratings)4.8 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings29 — better23
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB17 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperThe Black Map LTDCarl Racki

Customer experience

The Black Map

All ratings28 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive44.1%
Neutral15.3%
Negative40.7%

North Shore Beefs

All ratings23 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Black Map

Subscriptions2
  • Deluxe7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Deluxe14 Days trial$14.991 Year
None

North Shore Beefs

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Black Map free?
The Black Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is North Shore Beefs free?
North Shore Beefs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Black Map or North Shore Beefs?
North Shore Beefs is rated higher. The Black Map averages 4.4 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while North Shore Beefs averages 4.8 from 23 ratings.
Do The Black Map or North Shore Beefs have ads?
The Black Map shows ads; North Shore Beefs does not.
Which is updated more often, The Black Map or North Shore Beefs?
The Black Map ships an update every 2 weeks, and North Shore Beefs every 5 days. Most recently, The Black Map was updated on October 30, 2026 and North Shore Beefs on October 28, 2026.

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