Comparison

Trace World vs To Be Free

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

Head to head
About

Trace World

This app creates a personal exploration map that reveals areas as you travel through the real world. Your visited locations are saved locally, and you can customize your recent path. It offers different map styles and prioritizes user privacy with no account or data uploads.

Highlights
  • Exploration map reveals visited areas
  • Recent track customization
  • Auto-recording for travel
  • Exploration level progression
  • Multiple map styles
  • Privacy-first design, no account needed
Features
Read full description

TraceWorld turns every walk, ride, and trip into a personal map of where you have really been. Reveal the world as fog lifts, see density as a heatmap or dots, place your photos on the map, and look back through travel stories — privately, on your iPhone. ONE MAP, THREE VIEWS • All — your full journey at a glance: Fog, Heatmap, or Dots • 7 Days — a closer look at the past week • Today — focus on what you are doing right now RECORD AS YOU GO • Start recording when you head out; keep going in the background when you allow Always location • Choose how hard GPS works: Standard, Power Saver, or Ultra Saver (premium options for longer battery life) PHOTOS ON THE MAP • Show geotagged photos where you took them • Browse an aggregated all-photos view when you want the big picture • Photos stay on your device; TraceWorld does not upload your library FOOTPRINT MAP • See countries, regions, and cities you have lit up • Spot airports and other explored places • Open the real map and list for details, visit dates, and a clearer browse TRAVEL STORIES & IDENTITIES • Travel Stories — a timeline of trips and moves (premium) • Identities — keep commute, travel, and other lives on separate maps (extra identities are premium; your main identity stays free) BACKUP & PRIVACY • Optional iCloud backup of your exploration data to your own Apple ID • No TraceWorld account, no ads, no analytics SDK, no upload to our servers LANGUAGES Follow the system, or pick English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese (Brazil), or Italian. TraceWorld Pro is an optional one-time unlock for premium features such as Travel Stories, extra identities, and Footprint Map details. Mapping overview, recording, and the main identity stay free.

About

To Be Free

Features
Read full description

■ The world is covered in fog When you first open To Be Free, the entire world is hidden beneath dark fog. Only the places you physically walk to — exactly those — are cleared, revealing the map beneath. Not a character on screen, but your own two feet are the key that opens the world. ■ Your map grows with every step Walking paths, your commute, alleyways in a city you're visiting — every place your feet reach is recorded permanently. The neighborhood you explored for the first time today, the unfamiliar streets you walked while traveling, all build up into your own personal map of exploration. ■ Compete with explorers worldwide The fog you clear is converted into your share of the entire planet explored, and placed on a global leaderboard. See how much of the world you've covered on foot, and compete in real time with explorers everywhere. ■ Key features · Real-time GPS fog clearing — just walk, and it records automatically · Three difficulty levels — choose your clearing radius (Easy ~260m / Normal ~165m / Hard ~33m) · Satellite map support — see the real terrain you've explored · Border & coastline layers — a richer world map · Global leaderboard — sign in with Apple and compete with the world · Cloud backup — switch devices and keep your exploration intact · Share your exploration map as an image ■ Perfect for · People who love walking and taking strolls · Travelers who want to record where they've been · Anyone who wants exercise that motivates like a game · Those who enjoy the satisfaction of widening their world, step by step Head outside now, and open your own world.

Screenshots

Trace World4 screens
To Be Free4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: To Be Free at none against Trace World's 1. Trace World's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). 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. Trace World sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. To Be Free asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trace World ships an update weekly, To Be Free every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Trace World versus To Be Free: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrace WorldTo Be Free
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer高锋 李Minsu Kim

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Trace World

One-time1
  • TraceWorld Pro$3.99
None

To Be Free

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Trace World free?
Trace World is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is To Be Free free?
To Be Free is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Trace World or To Be Free have ads?
To Be Free shows ads; Trace World does not.
Which is updated more often, Trace World or To Be Free?
Trace World ships an update weekly, and To Be Free every 2 months. Most recently, Trace World was updated on November 5, 2026 and To Be Free on November 6, 2026.

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