We_Wander vs NomadMates
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
We_Wander
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If you crave a travel adventure with people and solo exploration at the destination, we’ve got you covered. Say goodbye to lonely solo trips and wander worry-free with WeWonder. Hold your independence while also connecting to like-minded travellers. Your perfect balance of solitude and connection is waiting for you. Time to transform your solo adventure? Dive into the WeWonder experience and rediscover the joy of travelling on your terms.
NomadMates
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NomadMates is the map and meetup app for people who travel. See where your mates are, meet people in every city you land in, and carry your whole travel life in one place. YOUR MATES, YOUR MAP - See your mates scattered across the world, or grouped by city. - Set how precisely each person sees you: country, city, or a rough block radius. Your raw GPS never leaves your phone. - Get a heads up when you and a mate land in the same city, then flip on Available to Meet. - Find people you may know through the mates you have in common. MEETUPS AND CITY LIFE - Create a meetup in seconds, for your mates or the whole city. - Join what is on where you are: dinners, hikes, coworking, nights out. - Every city has its own group chat. Drop in before you even arrive. VENUES - The group chat for your hostel, coliving or coworking space, without the WhatsApp chaos. - See who is staying, message the venue, and find what is on. NETWORKS - Bring a whole community with you: an alumni group, a nationality abroad, a coliving's past guests, a club with chapters everywhere. - One main channel for everyone, and a group for every city and country your people are in. - A map of where everybody is, by city. Counts only, never names or pins. - Invite codes you control, roles for the people who help you run it, and the whole thing manageable from your phone. STORIES AND THE GLOBAL MOMENT - Share a story from wherever the road has taken you. - Post your Global Moment and light up the map with everyone travelling right now. YOUR TRAVEL TOOLKIT - A passport map of every country you have set foot in. - Add your passports and see where each one can take you, visa-free. - A visa clock tracking your days, entries and expiry dates, so you never overstay. - Plan trips, float ideas, and see which mates overlap your route. - Split shared costs and settle up without the awkward maths. PRIVACY AND SAFETY, BUILT IN - Ghost mode hides you from everyone with one tap. Block means total invisibility. - Mark places as safe zones and quietly drop off the map whenever you are there. FREE, AND GENEROUS The map, your mates, meetups, venues, stories, privacy controls, chat, tap-to-translate messages, trips and Splits are free, always. It holds up on bad hotel wifi too: you can see when a screen is showing older data, and it refreshes the moment you are back online. MATES+ ($3/month, or $30/year for 2 months free) Lifts the limits and adds the deeper traveller toolkit: - A travellers-only room in every city, away from the usual swarm. - Saved searches and watched-city alerts. Get pinged when a mate or event matches. - Your arrival brief: trusted tips for a city, compiled before you land. - Automatic translation: whole chats translate as you scroll, no tapping. Translating one message is always free. - An unlimited personal map and shareable city lists. - A pinned trip plan with locked dates, a meeting point and an ordered stop list. - Recurring meetup series, templates and attendee export. - An opt-in public profile page to share how to meet you. - Clean CSV exports of your passport, splits and trips. - Unlimited Splits and trips. One Mates+ member lifts the cap for the whole group. - Extra profile photos and a Mates+ badge. - A fourth map style you design yourself: your own accent and basemap colours, and which labels and borders show. Colour, Theme and Satellite stay free. Cancel anytime in your store settings. No third-party ads. We never sell your data. Your mates' locations stay your mates' business.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: NomadMates at every 9 days against We_Wander's every 6 weeks. We_Wander's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
We_Wander ships an update every 6 weeks, NomadMates every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | We_Wander | NomadMates |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Sharen Sitzes | Jack Robinson |
In-app purchases
We_Wander
No in-app purchases
NomadMates
No in-app purchases








