Comparison

Explore Shenzhen vs Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁

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

Head to head
About

Explore Shenzhen

Navigate Shenzhen's metro system with this comprehensive offline map and route planner. Features include station street maps, GPS location services, and multi-language support. Upgrade for ad-free experience and advanced journey details.

Highlights
  • Offline metro map
  • Route planner
  • GPS station finder
  • Integrated street maps
  • English and Chinese support
  • Free updates
Features
Read full description

Recommended by CNN and Lonely Planet, this is Shenzhen's best subway map! Up-to-date with all the metro lines; Works offline; Routeplanner, GPS, Street maps; English and Chinese included. Download the app completely free! The free app is ad-supported. Upgrade to VIP features if you'd like to get extra features, remove ads and support future development! WHY EXPLOREMETRO? 1. Fully up-to-date Accurate metro map, includes every station on every line. Free updates for future station openings and timetable changes. 2. Designed for iPhone Our gorgeous maps have been fully redesigned for all iPhone devices. Runs on all iOS10-14 devices. 3. Designed for iPad Specially redesigned interface for the larger iPad screen with split screen. Drag and drop station names, tips, maps and timetables into other apps. 4. Street maps for every station Need to get your bearings at a station? Integrated Street maps show you metro exits and nearby streets for every station. 5. Route-planner A really easy route-planner. Get route and time information for any journey with just three taps. 6. "Find my nearest station" Using your GPS, see a list of the closest metro stations to your current location. 7. Works offline Everything works without an Internet connection. Search stations and plan routes on the go. UPGRADE TO VIP FOR EVEN MORE FEATURES I've been developing this app for 9 years. Upgrading to VIP helps support future development of the app. VIP users get additional features, like NO ADS, accurate prices for every journey, first/last train times, offline street maps, tips at every station, and a general warm fuzzy feeling. REVIEWS CNN Travel: "These maps are very easy on the eye and simple to navigate. They work offline and also include free updates of stations that have yet to be completed, operating hours and schedules." Lonely Planet: "Easy to use, up to date and work offline. Very handy, especially when they've run out of paper maps at the stations." SUGGESTIONS We'd love to hear your comments and suggestions on ways to improve the app. Please contact us via support@exploremetro.com, as we can't respond to comments left in the reviews.

About

Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁

Navigate the Chongqing subway system with an offline map featuring bilingual station names in English and Chinese. Quickly locate any station, zoom and pan with ease, and rely on clear, easy-to-read fonts for a seamless travel experience.

Highlights
  • Offline metro system map
  • English and Chinese station names
  • Quick station locator
  • Pan and zoom capabilities
  • Clear, easy-to-read fonts
  • Small app size
Features
Read full description

Chongqing's metro, drawn as a map you'll want to keep. Whale's Chongqing Metro puts the whole Chongqing Rail Transit — 12 lines and 271 stations, everything open in 2026 — on a paper-and-ink map made for this app, with every station named in English, Chinese and pinyin. Works offline. Free. THE MAP Cream paper, ink lettering, a touch of vermilion: a map that reads like the city instead of a diagram. Every line in its official colour, with its number repeated along the line so you never lose track of which one you're on. Interchanges carry badges for every line that stops there, each terminus is named, and the rivers, lakes and shoreline are drawn in. Jiefangbei, Hongya Cave, Chaotianmen, Ciqikou and the Yangtze Cableway are marked where they really are. It's drawn as vectors, so pinch in as far as you like — it stays crisp. FIND A STATION • Type any station in English, Chinese or pinyin — "Jiaochangkou", "较场口" or the first few letters all work • The whale flies you there and points at it • Your recent stations are remembered PLAN A ROUTE • Tap a station, then another: the fewest-stops route is drawn bold with everything else dimmed • Transfers and a journey-time estimate on the card — Chongqing North to Liziba, for example • Share the route as text to a friend, or to your notes READ THE SIGNS • Every station card shows the Chinese name, pinyin with tone marks, and English • Tap the speaker to hear the name spoken aloud • Highlight a single line to trace it from end to end MADE FOR TRAVEL • Fully offline: no roaming, no VPN, no account, nothing to download after install • Day or night: the paper map, or ink on slate — your choice in About • iPhone and iPad • Free, supported by one small banner WHAT'S ON THE MAP Chongqing's famous monorails — Line 2 along the Jialing River with its Liziba station inside a building, and Line 3 to Jiangbei Airport — the Loop Line, Line 6 with the Expo and East Station branches, Lines 9, 10 and 18, and the Jiangtiao and Bitong suburban lines. 47 interchange stations, all with badges. GOOD TO KNOW Is it up to date? Yes — 12 lines and 271 stations as of 2026, including this year's openings. Station positions come from OpenStreetMap; the design and layout are ours. Learning Chinese? Every station card links to HSK Hero, our recognition game for the 5,000 HSK words — the same studio, the same care. Going to other cities? Whale's Metro Maps cover Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xi'an and Zhengzhou. The More Cities tab links to each. Who makes it? Handtechnics, a small independent studio that has been making Chinese travel and learning apps since 2012. Download it before you land. 一路平安!

Screenshots

Explore Shenzhen4 screens
Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Explore Shenzhen at 53% against Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁's 0%. Explore Shenzhen also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (188 vs 4). Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Explore Shenzhen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Explore Shenzhen holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Explore Shenzhen has 188 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Explore Shenzhen's written reviews are positive against 0% of Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore Shenzhen ships an update every 4 months, Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Explore Shenzhen versus Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore ShenzhenChongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (188 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews52.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings188 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExploreMetroHandtechnics

Customer experience

Explore Shenzhen

All ratings187 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral11.8%
Negative35.3%

Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Explore Shenzhen

One-time1
  • VIP mode$4.99
None

Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Explore Shenzhen free?
Explore Shenzhen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 free?
Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Explore Shenzhen or Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁?
Explore Shenzhen is rated higher. Explore Shenzhen averages 4.7 out of 5 from 188 ratings, while Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Explore Shenzhen or Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 have ads?
Both Explore Shenzhen and Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 show ads.
Which is updated more often, Explore Shenzhen or Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁?
Explore Shenzhen ships an update every 4 months, and Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 every 5 months. Most recently, Explore Shenzhen was updated on November 1, 2026 and Chongqing Metro Map 重庆地铁 on November 2, 2026.

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