# Chicago Travel Guide . vs Polarsteps

Chicago Travel Guide . and Polarsteps both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of Polarsteps's written reviews are positive against 21% of Chicago Travel Guide .'s. Polarsteps also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (10K vs 411). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chicago Travel Guide . sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Polarsteps sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Chicago Travel Guide . against 4.9 for Polarsteps. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Polarsteps has 10K ratings behind it against 411, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 21% of Chicago Travel Guide .'s written reviews are positive against 90% of Polarsteps's.

Chicago Travel Guide . ships an update every 5 months, Polarsteps every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chicago Travel Guide . | Polarsteps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (411 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-travel-guide/id337477517/reviews) | **[4.9 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polarsteps/id947925763/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 411 | **10K** |
| Positive reviews | 20.8% of reviews | **89.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#57** |
| Size | 135 MB | 215 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Daniel Garcia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1416765580) | [Polarsteps B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/947925762) |

## What reviewers say

### Chicago Travel Guide .

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-travel-guide/id337477517)

Explore a city with an offline travel guide featuring augmented reality, interactive maps, and GPS. Discover attractions, plan daily itineraries, and find local recommendations for hotels, restaurants, and nightlife without needing an internet connection.

**Highlights:** Augmented Reality (AR) city exploration, 100% Offline travel guide, Offline metro and regional maps, GPS-enabled location tracking, Interactive points of interest on maps, Daily and budget-based itineraries, Nightlife and shopping recommendations

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chicago Augmented Reality | Free | one-time |
| Navy Pier | Free | one-time |
| Field Museum of Natural History | Free | one-time |
| Shedd Aquarium | Free | one-time |
| Milwaukee | Free | one-time |
| Niagara Falls | Free | one-time |
| New York City | Free | one-time |
| Navy Pier Visitor Guide | $1.99 | one-time |
| Chicago Full Access | $3.99 | one-time |
| Chicago | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app, very useful
- 👍 Helpful guide for Chicago
- 👍 Nice pictures and history info
- 👍 Augmented reality feature
- 👍 Maps are useful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Not free, requires upgrade
- 💰 Misleading advertising
- 💰 Useless without purchase
- 💰 Limited information
- 💰 Cluttered and messy

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when not on WiFi
- Overlapping building icons on map
- GPS not accurate
- Incomprehensible French translation

**Requested features**

- Full access to content without purchase
- More detailed information on attractions
- Public transport information
- Operating hours and ticket prices
- URLs to official attraction websites


### Polarsteps

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polarsteps/id947925763)

**Currently charting:** #57 Top Grossing · Travel (US App Store)

Plan, track, and relive your adventures with this app. It helps you create personalized itineraries, automatically logs your routes, and allows you to share your journey with friends and family. Capture memories with photos and videos, and even create shareable video reels or printed travel books.

**Highlights:** AI itinerary planner, Automatic route tracking, Photo and video capture, Trip sharing with updates, Trip Reels video creation, Printable Travel Books

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Plus Yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| Plus Yearly | $44.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Excellent app for travel blogging
- 👍 Easy to use and share with family/friends
- 🗺️ Great GPS tracking and map features
- 📷 Seamless photo/video integration
- 📚 Ability to create high-quality travel books

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔄 Difficulty editing/rearranging photos and steps
- 🔋 Can be battery-intensive
- 🗺️ Inaccurate GPS tracking in some cases
- 🤖 Struggles with importing past trips and photos

**Reported bugs**

- Trouble uploading videos
- Incorrect time zone and location tracking
- Steps and photos randomly disappearing
- Crashes and freezes during usage

**Requested features**

- Ability to collaborate on trips with others
- Option to customize page layouts for travel books
- Improved video support and integration
- More flexible map and route editing tools
- Synchronization across multiple devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chicago Travel Guide . free?

Chicago Travel Guide . is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Polarsteps free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Chicago Travel Guide . or Polarsteps?

Polarsteps is rated higher. Chicago Travel Guide . averages 4.8 out of 5 from 411 ratings, while Polarsteps averages 4.9 from 10K ratings.

### Do Chicago Travel Guide . or Polarsteps have ads?

Neither Chicago Travel Guide . nor Polarsteps shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chicago Travel Guide . or Polarsteps?

Chicago Travel Guide . ships an update every 5 months, and Polarsteps every 4 days. Most recently, Chicago Travel Guide . was updated on November 1, 2026 and Polarsteps on November 1, 2026.

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