# Polarsteps vs Spike Island

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spike Island at none against Polarsteps's 3. Spike Island also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). Polarsteps's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (10K vs 1). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Polarsteps sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Spike Island asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Polarsteps against 5.0 for Spike Island. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Polarsteps has 10K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, Spike Island every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Polarsteps | Spike Island |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polarsteps/id947925763/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spike-island/id1111148592/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **10K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 89.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#58** | — |
| Size | 215 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Polarsteps B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/947925762) | [Cork County Council](https://appshunter.io/developer/944230057) |

## What reviewers say

### Polarsteps

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polarsteps/id947925763)

**Currently charting:** #58 Top Grossing · Travel, #203 Top Free · Travel (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Plus Yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| Plus Yearly | $44.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Excellent app for travel blogging
- 👍 Easy to use and share with family/friends
- 🗺️ Great GPS tracking and map features
- 📷 Seamless photo/video integration
- 📚 Ability to create high-quality travel books

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔄 Difficulty editing/rearranging photos and steps
- 🔋 Can be battery-intensive
- 🗺️ Inaccurate GPS tracking in some cases
- 🤖 Struggles with importing past trips and photos

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Spike Island

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spike-island/id1111148592)

Explore the rich history of Spike Island, a unique visitor experience in Cork Harbour. Discover the island's past as a monastery, fortress, and prison through an engaging guided tour.

**Highlights:** Historical island tour, Monastery, fortress, and prison history, Visitor experience guide, Cork Harbour location information, Island's past inhabitants

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Polarsteps free?

Polarsteps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Spike Island free?

Spike Island is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Polarsteps or Spike Island?

Spike Island is rated higher. Polarsteps averages 4.9 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Spike Island averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Polarsteps or Spike Island have ads?

Neither Polarsteps nor Spike Island shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Polarsteps or Spike Island?

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, and Spike Island every 3 months. Most recently, Polarsteps was updated on October 27, 2026 and Spike Island on October 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*