Comparison

been vs Polarsteps

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

Head to head
About

been

Log your travel history by tracking visited countries and US states. Visualize your journeys on a world map and share them on social media. Compare your travel map with friends and explore advanced features with premium.

Highlights
  • Track visited countries and US states
  • Visualize visits on a world map
  • Share maps on social media
  • Compare maps with friends
  • Unlock regional tracking in 25+ countries (Premium)
  • Track cities and airports (Premium)
  • Chronological map and 3D globe filters (Premium)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Keep track of countries and US states that you have visited, and if you wish, also when you visited. The app visualizes the visited countries both as a list, along with a ratio for each continent, and as a world map. The map can be shared on social networks, such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, using the standard iOS sharing functionality. You can compare your map with friends that also have the app, by sharing your map with them. - If you miss the old look of the app, you can enable Classic Mode to get the old experience back. We hope you will like the new experience though, as we will continue to improve it. PREMIUM MODE There is a Premium Mode in the app that you can unlock if you wish. It unlocks all features in the app. Features unlocked with Premium Mode: - In addition to states and regions in the US, with Premium, you can select regions in 25+ countries. - Select cities and airports. - More 3D globe filters. - More visualizers, such as a chronologic map. - Add local profiles, to allow for multiple maps and country selections. - More detailed comparisons with more information. - Share your timeline as a video. CONTACT US Feel free to give us feedback - contact details are available in Contact section in the Profile tab in the app. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://bit.ly/been_pp

About

Polarsteps

Plan, track, and relive your adventures with this app. It helps you create personalized itineraries, automatically logs your routes, and allows you to share your journey with friends and family. Capture memories with photos and videos, and even create shareable video reels or printed travel books.

Highlights
  • AI itinerary planner
  • Automatic route tracking
  • Photo and video capture
  • Trip sharing with updates
  • Trip Reels video creation
  • Printable Travel Books
Features
Read full description

Plan, track and relive your adventures with Polarsteps. Keep your friends and family up to date. Whether it’s a six-month trip or a weekend canoeing close to home, Polarsteps is here to capture and share your journeys as they unfold. Awards ■ Top 26 Apps — Apple App Store (2026) ■ Top 3 Travel Apps — Apple App Store (2026) ■ App of the Day — Apple App Store (2025) PLAN ■ AI itinerary planner: Create a personalized adventure based on past trips or current goals. ■ Destination snapshots: Get a quick overview of each place, why it fits your travel style, and which friends have already been there. ■ Trip details: Add notes, accommodation details, and must-see spots and activities. ■ Transport planner: Choose how you'll get from A to B for every leg of the trip. ■ Inspiration: Follow other explorers, see where they went, and get ideas for your own trips. TRACK ■ Automatic route tracking: Accurately track the route you took on a beautiful digital world map. ■ Travel Buddies: Invite friends to track trips together. ■ Capture the adventure: Add photos, videos, and stories to each step to bring your journey to life. ■ Travel stats: See how much of the world you’ve traveled, with your total of countries visited, distances covered, and more. ■ Top spots: Add your favorite places and activities so they’re part of your story. ■ Transport mode: Select how you got from place to place, whether by plane, train, or even tuk tuk. SHARE ■ Trip updates: Share your journey so friends and family can follow along from anywhere, seeing where you are and what you’ve been up to. ■ Traveler tips: Leave suggestions for other travelers on what to see and do. ■ Privacy controls: Decide who sees your adventures: everyone, followers only, or you only. RELIVE ■ Digital memories: Scroll through the places, photos, stories, and stats you’ve captured across all your trips. ■ Trip Reels: With the press of a button, transform your trip into a memorable video (also perfect to share on socials). ■ Travel Books: Turn your trip into a beautifully printed Travel Book that showcases your route and memories. WHAT OUR USERS SAY: “Love this app! It tracks me on my vacation and provides real-time notifications to friends and family of my trip. At the end, I ordered a Travel Book of my photos which is very high quality.” “The Polarsteps app is great. I am totally addicted. It is so nice to keep up with all your travels. And friends and family can follow you wherever you go. The Travel Book, which you can order afterwards, is of very good quality.” “I’ve been using this app for years now. It’s always been good and it keeps getting better.” WHAT THE PRESS ARE SAYING ABOUT POLARSTEPS “The Polarsteps app replaces your travel journal, making it easier and more beautiful.” - National Geographic “Polarsteps helps you track and share your journeys in an easy and visually appealing way” - The Next Web “Polarsteps’ resulting travel log is impressive, and is the source of a severe case of itchy feet in your correspondent.” - TechCrunch

Screenshots

been4 screens
Polarsteps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Polarsteps at 90% against been's 59%. Polarsteps also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. been sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Polarsteps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Polarsteps holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.5K and 9.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of been's written reviews are positive against 90% of Polarsteps's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

been ships an update every 10 days, Polarsteps every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
been versus Polarsteps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterbeenPolarsteps
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.5K ratings)4.9 (9.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.0% of reviews89.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.5K9.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#55#49 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size196 MB227 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperVINCI APPSPolarsteps B.V.

Customer experience

been

All ratings9,509 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews664 reviews
Positive59.0%
Neutral14.6%
Negative26.4%

Polarsteps

All ratings9,805 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews2,296 reviews
Positive89.9%
Neutral3.9%
Negative6.2%

Bugs and requests

been

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Polarsteps

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Trouble uploading videos
  • Incorrect time zone and location tracking
  • Steps and photos randomly disappearing
  • Crashes and freezes during usage

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to collaborate on trips with others
  • Option to customize page layouts for travel books
  • Improved video support and integration
  • More flexible map and route editing tools
  • Synchronization across multiple devices

In-app purchases

4 purchases

been

Subscriptions3
  • been premium weekly$4.997 Days
  • been premium yearly$19.991 Year
  • been premium yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Features$2.29
2 purchases

Polarsteps

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Plus Yearly$34.991 Year

Questions

Is been free?
been is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Polarsteps free?
Polarsteps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, been or Polarsteps?
Polarsteps is rated higher. been averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.5K ratings, while Polarsteps averages 4.9 from 9.8K ratings.
Do been or Polarsteps have ads?
Neither been nor Polarsteps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, been or Polarsteps?
been ships an update every 10 days, and Polarsteps every 4 days. Most recently, been was updated on October 14, 2026 and Polarsteps on October 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, been or Polarsteps?
been currently peaks at #55 in the App Store charts, and Polarsteps at #49. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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