# Tripcast vs American Explorer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tripcast at 50% against American Explorer's 0%. Tripcast also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.4) and ratings volume (7.2K vs 17). American Explorer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tripcast sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. American Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Tripcast holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tripcast has 7.2K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Tripcast's written reviews are positive against 0% of American Explorer's.

Tripcast ships an update every 2 months, American Explorer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tripcast | American Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (7.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tripcast/id901563135/reviews)** | [3.4 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-explorer/id6771463879/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.2K** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | **49.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#186** | — |
| Size | 36 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Cluster Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/596595035) | [American Cruise Lines](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896781089) |

## What reviewers say

### Tripcast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tripcast/id901563135)

**Currently charting:** #186 Top Grossing · Travel (US App Store)

Share your travel experiences privately with friends and family. Create trip albums, receive live photo updates, and collect everyone's photos in one place. Browse photos by location and stay connected through comments and likes.

**Highlights:** Live photo updates, Private trip albums, Collect photos from multiple users, Map-based photo browsing, Location-based photo tagging, Real-time comments and likes, Private sharing away from social media

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tripcast Friend | $4.99 | per month |
| Tripcast Pro | $9.99 | per month |
| Tripcast Friend | $49.99 | per year |
| Tripcast Pro | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient photo sharing
- 🌍 Geo-location tagging
- 🤝 Good for group trips
- 📚 Useful for creating travel journals

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Difficult to upload and organize photos
- 🔒 Login and account issues
- 📝 Inability to edit posts
- 🗺️ Unreliable map functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Invites not being sent to users
- Uploaded photos not displaying properly
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Account login and access issues
- Inconsistent app behavior across devices

**Requested features**

- Allow editing of posts and comments
- Improve photo upload and organization
- Add support for multiple photos per post
- Implement password reset functionality
- Enhance map integration and location tracking


### American Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-explorer/id6771463879)

This official cruise line app provides easy access to daily schedules, shore excursions, dining menus, and ship information. Enhance your cruise experience with real-time updates and connectivity.

**Highlights:** Daily schedules, Shore excursion details, Dining menus, Ship information, Real-time updates, Connectivity

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tripcast free?

Tripcast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is American Explorer free?

American Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tripcast or American Explorer?

Tripcast is rated higher. Tripcast averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.2K ratings, while American Explorer averages 3.4 from 17 ratings.

### Do Tripcast or American Explorer have ads?

Neither Tripcast nor American Explorer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tripcast or American Explorer?

Tripcast ships an update every 2 months, and American Explorer every 3 weeks. Most recently, Tripcast was updated on October 29, 2026 and American Explorer on October 22, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*