Comparison

China Train Booking vs Macao Smart Go

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

Head to head
About

China Train Booking

Book high-speed train tickets in China and use electronic tickets to board directly with your ID. Access real-time schedules, book last-minute tickets, and get human customer support for all your travel needs.

Highlights
  • Electronic ticket boarding with ID
  • Real-time train schedules and availability
  • Book tickets up to 1 hour before departure
  • Select preferred seats
  • Human customer service for refunds and exchanges
  • Station maps and layouts
  • Secure payment options
Features
Read full description

China Train Booking supports the use of electronic tickets for high-speed rail travel. You do not need to collect paper tickets before departure. Simply use your ID document to board the train easily and quickly. Since the electronic ticket system was implemented on 12306, it has saved 2,000 tons of paper annually, reduced approximately 6 million tons of wastewater discharge each year, and cut carbon emissions by 80,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent. In addition, electronic tickets save you more than 30 minutes of ticket collection time. Why use China Train Booking? Easily check real-time train schedules and ticket availability online. Tickets can be booked as fast as 1 hour before departure. Freely select your preferred high-speed train seat. We specialize in train ticket booking—any issues with refunds, exchanges, rescheduling, or train cancellations can be easily resolved by contacting us, with purely human customer service providing quick responses. You can view station maps and layouts to easily find your way. Receive booking status notifications within the app. Over 90% positive rating. China Train Booking app is launched by the internationally renowned travel company chinahighlights, known for its excellent travel and ticketing services. Our one-on-one, fully human customer service team will quickly answer all your questions and provide practical advice based on your specific situation, whether it’s related to ticketing or travel inquiries. Among hundreds of traveler reviews, we have received over 90% five-star ratings. More than 60% of our customers are repeat visitors. What to expect with the app: ● Check real-time train schedules and ticket availability online. ● Overcome language barriers and avoid wasting time queuing at train stations. ● Book tickets quickly, as fast as 1 hour before departure. ● Enjoy one-on-one customer service with instant chat via our app, as well as support through WeChat, hotline, and email to assist you with any emergencies. ● Secure your seat online quickly without waiting to buy tickets at the station only to find tickets sold out. ● Receive multiple travel options and one-on-one assistance to help you adjust your itinerary reasonably. ● Freely choose your preferred seat, such as a window seat or an aisle seat. ● Take high-speed trains without needing to collect paper tickets. ● Cancel tickets within 24 hours before departure. ● Payments are securely protected by PayPal, international credit cards, WeChat, or Alipay. ● No credit card fees or any hidden charges. ● Get transfer information, station layouts, maps, and other assistance through in-app guides. What our users say about us: “I have used this app for years and they have made it very seamless to use for non-Chinese speakers to use. Easy to make purchase and excellent communication if needed. Now with e-tickets I no longer need to wait in line to get a paper ticket.” - trazanka from US. “Travelling for the first time to China, I wasn’t sure how to book the train tickets. This app has made the whole process so easy! It’s very easy to use, the staff is very helpful and responded quickly! If trains aren’t available, they offer alternatives straight away. The staff also provides lots of general advice and translated notes in English and Chinese. The service provided by the app and staff is superb! Highly recommended! ” - Thomas83H from Britain “Not only did they notify me of train cancellations due to typhoons, they also rebooked for next day by grabbing last two tickets. Communication is perfect and fast. Thank you. You make buying tickets so easy.” - Eyepiktureu from US. “Amazing and incredible service, it helped you in EVERYTHING, tickets, seating, gives you directions, examples, Etc. The staff is very kind and always has an eye on you, which is very important in a country where do not understand a word!!!! Thank you for all your help, a 5 star service.!!! Keep on doing it!!!” - Maniac300769 from Mexico

About

Macao Smart Go

This app provides comprehensive travel information for Macao, covering land, sea, and air transportation. Users can find details on hotels, dining, and tourist attractions, with direct ticket purchasing options available for various transport modes.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive travel information
  • Land, sea, and air transport options
  • Direct ticket purchasing
  • Hotel and dining details
  • Tourist attraction information
Features
Read full description

At present, the "Macao Smart Go" app provides information on Macao's famous tourist attractions, landmark buildings, food searches, and dining maps, allowing tourists to experience different forms of travel. Meanwhile, the app also offers various transportation information and route recommendations, such as buses, taxis, walking routes, real-time bus arrival updates, available taxi locations, suggested taxi routes, and estimated fares, as well as relevant information on light rail routes. DSAT will continue to strengthen the promotion of the "Macao Smart Go" and "Bus Traveling System" apps to help tourists better grasp transportation information when traveling to various tourist attractions and community dining restaurants, enabling them to plan their trips more effectively according to their needs.

Screenshots

China Train Booking4 screens
Macao Smart Go4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: China Train Booking at 83% against Macao Smart Go's 50%. China Train Booking also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (95 vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

China Train Booking holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: China Train Booking has 95 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of China Train Booking's written reviews are positive against 50% of Macao Smart Go's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

China Train Booking ships an update every 2 weeks, Macao Smart Go every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
China Train Booking versus Macao Smart Go: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChina Train BookingMacao Smart Go
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (95 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews82.9% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings95 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB45 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperChina International Travel Service Guilin Co., Ltd.交通事務局 DSAT (Transport Bureau of the Macao S.A.R.)

Customer experience

China Train Booking

All ratings95 ratings
Positive81.1%
Neutral4.2%
Negative14.7%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive82.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative14.9%

Macao Smart Go

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

China Train Booking

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App crashes when uploading passenger photos
  • Crashes on iPhone 17 Air with iOS 26.1
  • Payment submission timeout errors
  • Calendar display showing incorrect dates
  • 404 errors when attempting cancellations
Show 7 more
  • Booking form cannot be completed on final page
  • App freezes during seat selection
  • Inconsistent ticket display across time zones
  • Payment processing failures with debit cards
  • Blank pages and slow performance
  • Redirection to unrelated apps during cancellation
  • Lost booking history after reinstalling app

Requested features

9 requests
  • Support for Alipay and WeChat Pay payment methods
  • Dark mode for better visibility
  • Improved text contrast and larger fonts
  • Support for multi-leg journey connections
  • Offline ticket access
Show 4 more
  • Better seat position guarantees
  • Real-time booking confirmation instead of delayed processing
  • Account login to view booking history across devices
  • Direct payment processing without delays

Macao Smart Go

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

China Train Booking

No in-app purchases

None

Macao Smart Go

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is China Train Booking free?
China Train Booking is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Macao Smart Go free?
Macao Smart Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, China Train Booking or Macao Smart Go?
China Train Booking is rated higher. China Train Booking averages 4.3 out of 5 from 95 ratings, while Macao Smart Go averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do China Train Booking or Macao Smart Go have ads?
Neither China Train Booking nor Macao Smart Go shows ads.
Which is updated more often, China Train Booking or Macao Smart Go?
China Train Booking ships an update every 2 weeks, and Macao Smart Go every 2 months. Most recently, China Train Booking was updated on October 14, 2026 and Macao Smart Go on October 16, 2026.

Other comparisons