Comparison

The Puzzle Map vs Wandr

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

Head to head
About

The Puzzle Map

Features
Read full description

Download Puzzle Map and let your location automatically unlock the cities you visit, one by one. Puzzle Map turns your trips, journeys, and discoveries into visible progress on an interactive map. Each detected city or area is unlocked automatically, helping you earn XP, level up, unlock badges, and grow your explorer profile. Whether you travel often, take weekend trips, or simply want to keep a faithful record of your discoveries, Puzzle Map helps you build a personal, motivating map that reflects where you’ve really been. Main Features • Automatic city unlocking Enable location tracking and let Puzzle Map automatically detect the cities and areas you pass through. • Photo Import Recover places you’ve already visited using GPS metadata from your photo library. Choose a date range, identify cities linked to your photos, and add them to your map. • Edit Mode If a city was missed, if something looks wrong, or if you want to complete your map so it better represents your real travels, Edit Mode lets you manually add or remove cities. • Gamified Progress Earn XP, level up, and unlock badges as you discover more cities, countries, and continents. • Detailed Stats Track your explored cities, countries, and continents with clear progress indicators and dedicated views. • GPS Modes for Your Needs Choose between Battery Saver, Balanced, or Intensive depending on the precision and battery usage you want. Automatic Intensive Mode can improve detection when you’re moving fast. • Widgets and Live Activity Check your stats from your Home Screen and quickly enable Intensive Mode before a trip. • Customizable Map Use Xray Mode, detailed outlines, country view, and visual distinctions for areas unlocked by GPS, manual edits, photos, or shared maps. • Map Sharing Share your map with friends and family, view their discoveries, and compare your explorations. • Optional Cloud Sync Use Puzzle Map locally without an account, or sign in to sync your progress across devices. Premium Puzzle Map Premium unlocks the full experience: • All continents • Photo Import • Edit Mode • Xray Mode • City Search • Shared Maps Privacy You can use Puzzle Map without an account: your data stays on your device. Cloud sync is optional. For Photo Import, only the dates and GPS coordinates needed for analysis are used. Start today and watch your world unlock automatically, city by city.

About

Wandr

Features
Read full description

Wandr turns the world into a map you uncover by living in it. The map starts dark. As you move through the real world — on foot, by car, by bike — Wandr quietly reveals the places you pass through. No checking in, no tagging; just go, and your map fills in. Come back a year from now and you'll see the real shape of your life: every neighborhood, every road trip, every walk to the coffee shop. Save the places that matter, build day streaks, and compare your map with friends if you want to. Everything lives on your iPhone — no ads, no trackers, no account. Requires Always location access so the map can keep revealing while the app is in the background.

Screenshots

The Puzzle Map4 screens
Wandr4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Wandr at none against The Puzzle Map's 1. Wandr also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). The Puzzle Map's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). 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. The Puzzle Map sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Wandr asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Puzzle Map ships an update every 2 weeks, Wandr daily. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
The Puzzle Map versus Wandr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Puzzle MapWandr
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVincent PommazRed Hills Media, LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

The Puzzle Map

One-time1
  • Puzzle Map Premium$5.99
None

Wandr

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Puzzle Map free?
The Puzzle Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wandr free?
Wandr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Puzzle Map or Wandr have ads?
Neither The Puzzle Map nor Wandr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Puzzle Map or Wandr?
The Puzzle Map ships an update every 2 weeks, and Wandr daily. Most recently, The Puzzle Map was updated on October 14, 2026 and Wandr on October 6, 2026.

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