Comparison

BackPass vs Passported

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

Head to head
About

BackPass

This app helps backpackers plan trips, discover curated accommodations, and avoid common travel scams. It offers personalized recommendations and booking flexibility to ensure your travel pass pays for itself.

Highlights
  • Curated hotel and hostel recommendations
  • Guidance to avoid scams and overcharging
  • Flexible booking engine
  • Same-day re-booking protection
  • Personalized travel agent support (Beta)
Features
Read full description

BackPass is your travel pass to go backpacking on the best trips you will ever take. Our app designed to ensure your pass pays for itself. Built by backpackers, for backpackers. BackPass provides specific guidance and curation of experience that makes sure you don't waste any time or money as you travel. How do we do this? Experience. BackPass recommends specific hotels and hostels depending on how you're feeling. We don't get paid by hotels or hostels to do this, and we refuse all promotional offers from our lodging partners. We choose them, so that we only promote the best. Additionally, our app is full of valuable guidance for travelers to avoid being scammed/overcharged. Studies show that over a third of travel expenses and easily avoidable, and because we at BackPass have been everywhere we recommend, our personal experience in paying the "tourist tax" means you don't have to. This value to the travelers, if used correctly, will save you hundreds on your trip. Your BackPass buys itself and more. Flexibility: Want to explore beyond our recommendations? If your destination isn't covered by the pass we guarantee the price you see in our global booking engine will be the best available, and we are happy to make that booking for you. Safety: Same day re-booking provides unmatched protection in the travel space. Never stay somewhere just because you've already paid for the room. Social Features: Honestly? Once you're on your journey we want you off of your phone as much as possible. We keep social features to a minimum. The app is designed for you to plan your trip and learn what you need to know to save as much money as possible. Currently, BackPass is in Beta. BackPass Beta means you will have personalized communication from BackPass every step of the way. Think of it as a cheapest travel agent you will ever have. In return we'll use your experience to help shape the future of travel. Backpacking is for people who seek experience. Minimal materials and social gatherings mean you will find people and places overflowing with enthusiasm. The freedom and flexibility is unlike anything you will have known so far. Some solo-travel continents, others form friendships that last a lifetime. Many fall in love. When you backpack you can be whoever you want to be, but pretty soon you'll realize there is no one you'd rather be besides who you really are. Meeting that person is what it means to backpack with BackPass. The world can't wait to meet you.

About

Passported

Features
Read full description

Pick a city walk. Collect the places you visit. Keep a souvenir of your day. Passported helps you turn a walk into a collection of places and a keepsake you can share. A Charm is a digital collectible for a place you actually visit. Your collection groups these places into city Globes. FIND YOUR FIRST FREE WALK • Start as a guest and explore before linking an account • Use Nearby with location access, or browse destinations without it • Pick a 20, 45 or 90 minute walking-time budget • Preview a pedestrian route from available places, then choose Start • Save a walk for later and reopen a fresh route preview when you are ready Existing-place walk planning is free and uses no Discovery Tokens. Coverage depends on the available places in each destination. A time budget is a planning guide; actual walking time and access conditions can vary. Previewing another city does not unlock its collectibles before you arrive. COLLECT THE PLACES YOU VISIT • Follow your ordered stops and see the next walking leg • Claim a Charm when your location can be verified at the place • Continue the same outing or make a keepsake after a successful claim • Reopen a device-saved active walk after closing the app • Save a recap when you finish, see your collected stops and preview another nearby walk Claims need location access, a sufficiently accurate recent fix and a connection. A device-saved walk or recap is separate from your account's collection. KEEP A SOUVENIR OF YOUR DAY • Make a basic keepsake free • Add collected Charms, a photo and a short message • Choose a layout, save your keepsake and use the system share options • Reopen a saved memory to share it again OPTIONAL PASSPORTED PLUS Preview additional keepsake designs before choosing Plus. Members can use the additional designs and view their collection's known rarity and progress. The app shows the benefits, local price and billing period of available offers. Monthly and annual subscriptions renew unless cancelled. Other available digital purchases are shown separately. Location is requested when you choose Nearby or need to validate a claim. Optional nearby alerts and product analytics have their own choices. You can browse destinations and begin exploring as a guest. Privacy: https://passported.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: https://www.passported.app/support

Screenshots

BackPass3 screens
Passported4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BackPass at none against Passported's 10. BackPass also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Passported sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. BackPass asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BackPass ships an update every 8 days, Passported every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BackPass versus Passported: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackPassPassported
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB160 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBackPassBILLY PAUL MASON

In-app purchases

None

BackPass

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Passported

Subscriptions2
  • Passported Plus Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Passported Plus Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time8
  • 1 Discovery Token$0.99
  • Travel Essentials$1.99
  • Seasonal Stickers$1.99
Show 5 more
  • London Stickers$2.99
  • Summer Markets 2026$2.99
  • 5 Discovery Tokens$3.99
  • 15 Discovery Tokens$9.99
  • Passported Plus Lifetime$299.99

Questions

Is BackPass free?
BackPass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Passported free?
Passported is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BackPass or Passported have ads?
Neither BackPass nor Passported shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BackPass or Passported?
BackPass ships an update every 8 days, and Passported every 3 weeks. Most recently, BackPass was updated on November 5, 2026 and Passported on October 28, 2026.

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