Comparison

Step vs Forest

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

Head to head
About

Step

Consolidate travel recommendations from various sources like TikTok, Instagram, and Google Maps into a single, organized map. Discover curated city guides from trusted creators and easily plan your trips with all your saved places readily accessible.

Highlights
  • Import places from TikTok, Instagram, Google Maps, and Notes
  • Automatic organization of saved places by city
  • Follow friends and curators for recommendations
  • Magazine-style interface for a clean look
  • Share lists of recommendations with friends
  • Discover hidden gems and curated city guides
Features
Read full description

Save every place you find on TikTok, Instagram and Google Maps to one map you'll actually use. You screenshot the restaurant. You save the Reels. You paste the address into your notes. Then the trip comes around and it's all gone. Step fixes that. Share a post to Step and the places land on your map, tagged and sorted by city, waiting for you when you get there. IMPORT FROM ANYWHERE TikTok. Instagram posts and Reels. Google Maps links. Screenshots. Even the running list in your Notes app. Send it to Step and we pull the place, the address and the details. No copy-pasting, nothing lost. BUILT AROUND CITIES Your saves organise themselves by city automatically. Land in Lisbon, open Step, see every place you've been collecting for months. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PEOPLE, NOT ALGORITHMS Follow friends and Step's Culture Curators, a network of writers, chefs, designers and travellers who publish guides to the cities they know best. Build a personally curated map of the world, populated by the people you love, respect, and admire. MADE TO BE LOOKED AT Step is designed like a magazine, not a directory. Clean typography, real editorial, none of the review-farm noise. WHAT PEOPLE USE STEP FOR - Collecting places from social media before a trip - Rescuing a years-old list of recommendations out of Notes - Keeping a running map of their own city - Sharing a list of recommendations with a friend in one link - Following creators they trust instead of trawling review sites Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Forest

This app provides a sustainable and fun way to travel around London using shared electric bikes. Unlock bikes easily, enjoy free ride minutes on pay-as-you-go rides, and choose from various plans for the best value.

Highlights
  • Thousands of ebikes across London
  • Free ride minutes on PAYG
  • Affordable unlock fee
  • Subscription plans available
  • Eco-friendly transportation
  • B Corp Certified
Features
Read full description

Get from A to B with Forest, London’s homegrown shared ebike. Switch your usual journey by train or bus for a faster, fun, and more sustainable way to get around. Plus, we’re the only shared ebike app that after a £1 unlock, gives you up to 30 free ride minutes on every Pay As You Go (PAYG) ride. HOW TO GET STARTED: 1. Download the app, create a free account and accept our Terms and Conditions. 2. Find your nearest Forest bike out of thousands across London using the map in the app. 3. Unlock a bike for £1 using the QR codes on the bike itself, or by tapping the selected bike on the app. 4. Enjoy an emissions free ride! WAYS TO RIDE: 1. PAYG: Simply unlock a bike for £1, get up to 30 free ride minutes, then pay 29p thereafter. 2. Buy a bundle: If you’re making longer trips, or planning multiple trips over a longer time. 3. Subscribe to Forest Plus: If you want the best value riding option. Always ride responsibly, respect other road users, and follow the safety guidance provided in the Forest app. WHY YOU SHOULD RIDE WITH FOREST: Choose from thousands of ebikes available across 18 boroughs of London with free ride minutes available every day. Gain additional free ride minutes by watching ads. We’re B Corp Certified and have run a zero-emissions operation since day one.

Screenshots

Step4 screens
Forest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Step at 52% against Forest's 11%. Forest's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Step sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Forest asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forest holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 232 and 834 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Step's written reviews are positive against 11% of Forest's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Step ships an update every 2 weeks, Forest weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Step versus Forest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStepForest
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (232 ratings)4.7 (834 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.4% of reviews — better11.2% of reviews
Number of ratings232834 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB229 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStep Digital Holdings LimitedHuman Forest Limited

Customer experience

Step

All ratings232 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral5.2%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews105 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral8.6%
Negative39.0%

Forest

All ratings834 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral1.7%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews680 reviews
Positive11.2%
Neutral7.1%
Negative81.8%

User reviews

Step

From 232 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💯 Amazing updates
  • 🌍 Best travel companion
  • 🍴 Great for finding hidden gems
  • 👍 Brilliant app, recommend to everyone
  • 🗺️ Fantastic for discovering new places

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Subscription issues - can't cancel
  • 🐛 Buggy, slow, and glitchy
  • 🤔 Guides are guideless, lacking context
  • 🤔 Can't see own steps
  • 🤔 Privacy policy is extremely intrusive

Forest

From 834 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Affordable and cost-effective
  • 🌳 Eco-friendly transportation
  • ⚡ Convenient and easy to use
  • 👍 Reliable and well-maintained bikes

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app
  • 🔍 Unclear parking and no-ride zones
  • ⚠️ Declining service quality over time
  • 💰 Increasing prices and hidden fees
  • 🔧 Bikes often in poor condition

Bugs and requests

Step

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Locations not registering in certain cities
  • Frequent errors, content not loading
  • Profile and login issues
  • Subscription charges not visible, hard to cancel

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow users to add their own places
  • Ability to separate places visited vs want to go
  • Option to create custom categories
  • Search by city to find local users

Forest

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes and freezes frequently
  • Inability to properly end rides and park bikes
  • Inconsistent GPS tracking and bike availability
  • Login and password reset issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve app stability and responsiveness
  • Provide clearer information on parking and no-ride zones
  • Maintain high service quality and bike condition
  • Offer transparent and fair pricing structure

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Step

Subscriptions4
  • Step Premium Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Step Premium Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Step Premium Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Step Premium Annual$49.991 Year
None

Forest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Step free?
Step is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Step or Forest?
Forest is rated higher. Step averages 4.4 out of 5 from 232 ratings, while Forest averages 4.7 from 834 ratings.
Do Step or Forest have ads?
Neither Step nor Forest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Step or Forest?
Step ships an update every 2 weeks, and Forest weekly. Most recently, Step was updated on November 6, 2026 and Forest on November 7, 2026.

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