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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

National Park Service vs Expedia

National Park Service 4.9★ · Free + IAP 70
Winner Tie
Expedia 4.8★ · Free to download 65

Choose National Park Service if you want detailed information and offline maps for US National Parks, but be aware of potential technical glitches; choose Expedia for a broad range of travel booking options, but be prepared for occasional app performance issues and customer service frustrations.

Full reviews: National Park Service · Expedia

The National Park Service app excels at providing rich, offline-capable content for US national parks, despite some reported issues with maps and stability. Expedia offers a wide array of travel booking services but is frequently criticized for app lag, misleading pricing, and poor customer support.

Head to head

Features & Content edge: National Park ServiceR3R4R5R9
National Park Service Users praise the National Park Service app for its extensive information, self-guided tours, audio recordings, and the ability to download content for offline use, which is crucial in areas with no cell service R5R11R14R17. However, some users report difficulty finding specific information like camping options or general park maps R3R4R9.
Expedia Expedia is valued for its ability to find deals, book various travel components like hotels and flights, and provide frequent notifications R62. However, users sometimes find the app's search functions for packages or specific hotel options (like half board) to be lacking or glitchy .
Ease of Use & Reliability tieR2R11R17R21
National Park Service Many users find the National Park Service app easy to use and navigate R2R11R17. However, a significant number of recent reviews report issues with the app freezing, crashing, or becoming unresponsive to touch R32R40R42R50. Offline map downloads also frequently fail or get stuck R21.
Expedia Expedia's app is generally considered intuitive and easy to navigate for booking R81. However, it is frequently criticized for being laggy, freezing, spinning while searching, and crashing, making it difficult to use on various devices, including newer iPhones and iPads .
Price & Value edge: National Park ServiceR1R7R10R14
National Park Service The National Park Service app is free, and users appreciate the value of the information and planning tools it provides for visiting parks R14R17. Some complaints are about park-related issues like ticket systems or closures, not the app itself R1R7R10.
Expedia Expedia is free to download, but users frequently report issues with misleading pricing, sudden price jumps at checkout, and random pending charges R73R81. There are also complaints about not receiving refunds for cancellations or changes, leading to unexpected costs R67.
Support & Customer Service edge: National Park ServiceR30R32R34R67
National Park Service Users report that the app support for the National Park Service app doesn't work R32. There are also complaints about lost data from previous versions R34 and slow updates for park information R30.
Expedia Expedia receives widespread criticism for its poor customer service. Users report difficulty getting assistance with cancellations, refunds, or issues with bookings, often being directed to third parties or unable to reach a live person R67R73.
Pick National Park Service if

You are planning to visit US National Parks and want detailed, offline-accessible information, including maps and self-guided tours R14R17R20. You prioritize rich content about specific locations over a broad travel booking platform R5R11.

Pick Expedia if

You frequently book a variety of travel components like hotels, flights, and packages and appreciate deal notifications R62. You are comfortable with potential app performance issues and are prepared to navigate customer service challenges if they arise R73.

Evidence note: The National Park Service app has a smaller number of reviews, but they are highly specific to its functionality. Expedia has a very large volume of reviews, with a noticeable split between users who love its convenience and those who are frustrated by technical issues and customer service.

Frequently asked

Does the National Park Service app work offline?
Yes, the National Park Service app allows users to download visit information, maps, and self-guided tour audio for offline use, which is highly beneficial in areas with limited or no cell service R14R17R20. However, some users report issues with offline content downloads getting stuck or failing R21.
Is Expedia reliable for booking travel?
Expedia is widely used for booking travel and many users report positive experiences with finding deals and convenient bookings R62. However, there are frequent complaints about misleading pricing, unexpected price jumps, and difficulties obtaining refunds or support for cancellations and changes R67R73R81.
Do either of these apps have performance issues?
Both apps have reported performance issues. The National Park Service app users describe it freezing, crashing, or becoming unresponsive to touch R32R40R42R50. Expedia users frequently complain about the app being laggy, freezing, spinning during searches, and crashing, especially on newer devices .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] National Park Service 3/5 · US Meadowrose: The app has a lot of information about individual parts. It does not have any maps.
  2. [R4] National Park Service 1/5 · US Camping?: Not easy to find camping options in Acadia on this phone app.
  3. [R5] National Park Service 5/5 · US Little Big Horn: Loved it. Learned some new things.
  4. [R9] National Park Service 3/5 · US Poor: I put in the names of National Parks and nothing comes up
  5. [R2] National Park Service 5/5 · US Excellent: Very good app
  6. [R11] National Park Service 5/5 · US LOVE the NPS app!: This app was incredibly helpful on our recent visit to Acadia. We learned so much about the park & it helped as we navigated one of the most beautiful places ever.
  7. [R17] National Park Service 5/5 · US My Go To for NPS!: Excellent app! Great info. Easy links to reservations. Extremely phone friendly. Includes great trail maps for use on and off line. Long live the NPS!
  8. [R21] National Park Service 3/5 · GB Offline Content Stuck at 40%: The app is really great but when I download offline content it gets stuck at 41%. This is a must when you have no phone signal!
  9. [R1] National Park Service 1/5 · US Federal Hall Closed for America 250 due to 95 Degree Temperatures? How Ridiculous! - U.S. Taxpayers: Pathetically Poor Judgement & Laziness - U.S. Taxpayer - July 3, 2026
  10. [R7] National Park Service 1/5 · US Tickets: They way the do the tickets is terrible
  11. [R10] National Park Service 2/5 · US Redwood Forest: Tried to book the fern canyon permit for next day hiking and there were no spots available at at 9.00 am .
  12. [R14] National Park Service 5/5 · US Great Way to Connect: Best App to connect to our national parks! You can download visit info to use when off grid.
  13. [R30] National Park Service 2/5 · US Updates are slow: Then are no updates for geysers. Food service hours are off.
  14. [R32] National Park Service 1/5 · US Touch not working: This was a great app and I used it quite frequently but now I can’t use it at all! Once I open it, I can, maybe, type one letter and then it doesn’t work anymore. It just freezes up and won’t recognize the touch keypad anymore. At this point the app is worthless to me. Absolutely unusable! To make matters worse, the app support doesn’t even work!
  15. [R34] National Park Service 1/5 · US Frustrating: I went through and compiled a list of all the parks I visited in a previous version of this app. I open up this version and my list and the effort put into it is gone even though the new version says my list was preserved.
  16. [R67] Expedia 1/5 · US Expedia does not care about their customers.: Booked Coco Unlimited Tulum through Expedia for May 20, 28. Had to leave on May 22nd because the beach was covered in seaweed so bad my pregnant wife got sick and I had to rush her to the hospital. This was a real emergency, not some minor complaint. I contacted Expedia before checkout and again after, asking for a refund on the nights we couldn't use.
  17. [R20] National Park Service 5/5 · US Great experience: It was good. We could download a map of the park and use it in park even though there was no cell service. Very well thought through.
  18. [R62] Expedia 5/5 · US We LOVE Expedia: I have no idea how long I’ve been using Expedia but it’s been a while. My husband travels for work and we have five children the youngest of whom graduated from college in the last few years and we have begun traveling. We use Expedia almost exclusively. We do shop other sites, but we always come back to Expedia. It has taken us to some of the best hotels in Washington DC and surr
  19. [R73] Expedia 1/5 · US Misleading Pricing and Disrespectful Service: My experience with Expedia was extremely disappointing. I booked my rental car through Expedia expecting them to stand behind the reservations they sell, but when I needed help, they refused to take responsibility and instead kept directing me to a third party. As the company I booked through, I expected them to assist in resolving the issue rather tha
  20. [R81] Expedia 3/5 · US Stop price gouging please :): The site itself is intuitive and easy to use but the prices and price jumps are ridiculous all companies use our data and raise prices accordingly. Your website will tell me one price and I will go to checkout and the price is vastly different
  21. [R40] National Park Service 1/5 · US No touch ability: This app used to work but now I can’t get it to respond to any touch capabilities.
  22. [R42] National Park Service 1/5 · US Bad Experience: I couldn’t get the App to work at alll
  23. [R50] National Park Service 2/5 · US Love NPS - photos causing super slowdown: I love NPS and the national park system. I love the photo matching. However it makes my app so slow it’s unusable on my iPhone 17 Pro. I have a lot of NP visits. I’d be happy to help test a beta version or fix. I can’t use it right now and I really want to use it!

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store