SmartStops vs PassportMap
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmartStops
This app helps families plan road trips by finding parks, playgrounds, and rest stops along their route. It balances drive time with convenient and kid-friendly stopping points, reducing stress for everyone on long journeys.
- Find parks and playgrounds on route
- Locate rest stops and amenities
- Preview stops on interactive maps
- Save and reuse routes
- Discover kid-friendly food options
- Compare nearby cities at stops
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Long drives with kids don't have to end in tears. SmartStops automatically finds parks, playgrounds, gas, and kid-friendly food along your route — timed so everyone stays happy. Unlike Google Maps, SmartStops doesn't optimize for speed. It optimizes for your family's sanity. Stops are spaced around how kids actually travel — so you pull over before the meltdown, not after. SMART STOP PLANNING Enter your start and destination. SmartStops builds a complete stop plan with parks, playgrounds, restaurants, gas, and coffee — spaced at kid-friendly intervals. No more guessing where to pull over. No more juggling apps. MELTDOWN MODE Kid losing it right now? Tap once. SmartStops instantly finds the nearest parks and playgrounds within minutes of your location. Emergency stops, solved. 194,000+ PARKS & PLAYGROUNDS The largest database of family-friendly parks in the US. See amenities like restrooms, picnic areas, trails, and playground equipment before you stop. COMPARE NEARBY CITIES At each stop, see what's available across nearby cities. Pick the town with the best combo of parks, food, and fuel — so every stop counts. WORKS WITH YOUR MAPS Plan in SmartStops, then navigate with Apple Maps or Google Maps. No switching apps mid-drive. PARK REVIEWS Rate and review parks you've visited. See what other families thought before you stop. Build your traveler profile as you explore. FREE TO USE 2 trips every month at no cost. Upgrade to Weekender ($4.99/14 days) or Adventurer ($39.99/year) for unlimited trips, Meltdown Mode, and route comparison. Rated 5.0 on the App Store. Built for families, not algorithms.
PassportMap
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Your museum, zoo or garden membership is a passport. Reciprocal admission networks let members in free or at a discount at thousands of other places, if you know where to look. PassportMap shows you. EVERY NETWORK, ONE MAP More than 3,200 attractions from thirteen reciprocal networks: the ASTC Travel Passport Program for science centers, NARM and ROAM for art, history and culture museums, Time Travelers for history museums, the AHS Garden Network for botanical gardens, and AZA for zoos and aquariums; ACM for children's museums; ANCA for nature centers; the Smithsonian Affiliate Reciprocal Program (SARP); MARP and Western Reciprocal for art museums; The Met Reciprocal Network; and Partners of the West for aviation museums. Science centers, art and history museums, children's museums, historic homes, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, arboretums and nature centers, across North America and beyond. WHAT YOUR MEMBERSHIP GETS YOU Add the places where you're a member. PassportMap works out which networks each membership belongs to and what it gets you at every attraction: free, half price or member price. Each network's distance rules are worked out too, like ASTC's 90 miles, so you know before you go. NEARBY, CLOSEST FIRST Every participating place around you, sorted by distance, with what your memberships get you at each one. Filter by kind of place or by network. One tap for directions in the maps app you use. ROAD TRIPS (PRO) Plan a trip in four questions: where from, where to, any stops along the way, and how far off the road you'll go. PassportMap finds every attraction in that corridor, stretch by stretch, and puts your stops in the best driving order. On the road, your next stop is one tap away, and you check off each one as you visit. YOUR CARD, READY AT THE DESK (PRO) Keep a photo of each membership card, front and back, so it's ready at the counter. VISITS (PRO) Mark the places you've been and watch your map fill in. FREE TO EXPLORE The map, every attraction's details, what your memberships get you, the Nearby list and directions are all free. Pro adds the road trip planner, your membership cards and visits, and removes ads. Pro is a monthly or yearly subscription, and new subscribers may be eligible for a free trial. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account to make. Your memberships, trips, visits and card photos stay on your device. On iPhone and iPad. PassportMap is an independent app. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these networks or the organizations that run them. Each attraction sets its own admission policy and can change it at any time, so confirm with the attraction before you visit. Terms of Use: https://passport-map.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://passport-map.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: SmartStops at none against PassportMap's shown. PassportMap's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). On price, in-app purchases, 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
Both are free to download. SmartStops sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and PassportMap sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SmartStops ships an update every 9 days, PassportMap every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmartStops | PassportMap |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (10 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Maple Ridge LLC | The Backyard Pantry, LLC |
In-app purchases
SmartStops
- Weekender$4.99
- Adventurer$39.99
PassportMap
- PassportMap Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.491 Month
- PassportMap Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Lifetime$34.99
Questions
Is SmartStops free?
Is PassportMap free?
Do SmartStops or PassportMap have ads?
Which is updated more often, SmartStops or PassportMap?
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