Comparison

Backpackr vs Tribes

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

Head to head
About

Backpackr

Connect with fellow travelers worldwide to discover new destinations and plan adventures. Find companions for your next trip, share experiences, and organize meet-ups.

Highlights
  • Discover travel buddies
  • Connect with global travelers
  • Find people going to the same destination
  • Organize meet-ups
  • Share photos with friends
  • See what's happening nearby
Features
Read full description

Discover travel buddies and connect with other like-minded travellers across the globe. Travel the world while meeting backpackers who want to see and do the same things as you do. Find others travelling to the same destination, collect virtual stamps and share photos with friends as you go! In the Common Room, anything goes. Ask travellers what the best sites to see are, the best bar to drink in, or even organise meet-ups. The 'nearby' tab allows you to see what's going on around you whereas the 'worldwide' tab is a more universal way of finding out information from around the world. Enter a date and city and Backpackr will show you all the travellers going there at the same time. The results will show you their interests and if they match yours you can plan to meet or travel together. This feature can be a handy aid in helping to eliminate the fear of travelling alone. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://backpackr.org/privacy-policy

About

Tribes

Features
Read full description

Meet people around the world through shared interests. Chat across 9 languages with real-time translation, let AI keep the conversation going when you're stuck, and watch your world map light up with every new country. Whether you're into photography, travel, indie music, fitness, gaming, or looking for a language exchange partner, Tribes helps you find people you genuinely click with. ■ Feed: Let People Find You Through Your Interests Share what you care about, and AI automatically adds interest tags to your posts so like-minded people can find you. Posts from other countries are automatically translated into your language, too. Like what you see? Follow them. Want to talk? Send a message and say hi — just start chatting. ■ Meet Someone, Light Up a Country Every time you meet someone from a new country, that country lights up on your world map. Your map starts out all gray. Watch your progress climb across the six continents, then share "My World Map" with friends. ■ Stuck? Let AI Keep It Going When a conversation stalls, tap Keep It Going. AI looks at where your chat left off and suggests a direction for your next line, in the tone you choose: Friendly, Witty, Curious, and more. Whether to send it or edit it is always up to you. (Keep It Going is available in conversations that have already started, with a usage limit.) ■ Language Is No Barrier: Real-Time Translation in 9 Languages You type in English, they read it in their own language. Chat messages and feed posts are translated automatically across 9 languages: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. ■ Interests, Personality Traits & MBTI Introduce yourself with interest tags, personality traits, and your MBTI, so you know whether you'll click before you even say hello. ■ Free Sign-Up, No Phone Number Needed Sign up with just your email — no phone number, no credit card. Complete your basic profile to get: ・The feed with AI interest tags ・Follow people you're interested in and message them directly ・Real-time translation in 9 languages for chats and posts ・Light up and share your world map ・Explore people from around the world by country ■ Tribes Is for You If You... ・Have clear interests and want to meet people you genuinely click with ・Are learning a language and want a partner to actually speak with ・Are getting ready to travel, study abroad, or go on a working holiday and want to meet locals first ・Want to meet people from different cultures and countries ■ Start Safe, Get to Know People at Your Own Pace All accounts require email verification, uploaded photos are reviewed, and Tribes is for users 18+ only. Report or block inappropriate behavior in one tap. Content and accounts that violate our Community Guidelines will be handled accordingly. Questions or suggestions? Contact us at service@tribes.asia Privacy Policy: https://www.tribes.asia/en/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.tribes.asia/en/terms

Screenshots

Backpackr4 screens
Tribes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tribes at none against Backpackr's 1. Tribes also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). Backpackr's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, 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. Backpackr sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Tribes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backpackr ships an update monthly, Tribes every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Backpackr versus Tribes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackpackrTribes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB214 MB
Age rating12+17+
Developer1000543729 Ontario LtdBrainstorm Digital Communications Corp.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Backpackr

Subscriptions1
  • Backpackr Plus$4.991 Month
None

Tribes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Backpackr free?
Backpackr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tribes free?
Tribes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Backpackr or Tribes have ads?
Tribes shows ads; Backpackr does not.
Which is updated more often, Backpackr or Tribes?
Backpackr ships an update monthly, and Tribes every 5 days. Most recently, Backpackr was updated on October 28, 2026 and Tribes on October 28, 2026.

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