# Polarsteps vs MapWalker

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Polarsteps at 90% against MapWalker's 40%. Polarsteps also leads on price (Free vs $2.99) and rating (4.9 vs 1.0). MapWalker's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.0). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Polarsteps is free to download; MapWalker costs $2.99 up front. Polarsteps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and MapWalker sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Polarsteps holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Polarsteps has 9.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Polarsteps's written reviews are positive against 40% of MapWalker's.

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, MapWalker every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Polarsteps | MapWalker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.9 (9.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polarsteps/id947925763/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapwalker-route-planner/id1230753633/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.5K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **89.6% of reviews** | 40.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#49** | — |
| Size | 218 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Polarsteps B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/947925762) | [Little Sam Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/500544253) |

## What reviewers say

### Polarsteps

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

**Currently charting:** #49 Top Grossing · Travel, #155 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 (2)**

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


### MapWalker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapwalker-route-planner/id1230753633)

Virtually explore the world by creating and sharing custom walking and driving routes. Plan your journeys, save your paths, and even add landmarks for a personalized travel experience.

**Highlights:** Simulated virtual travel on map, Create and save custom travel paths, Edit and add landmarks to routes, Share travel paths via iCloud/Dropbox, Replay saved travel path movements, Locate current position on path

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| 550 Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1200 Coins | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Polarsteps free?

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

### Is MapWalker free?

MapWalker costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Polarsteps or MapWalker?

Polarsteps is rated higher. Polarsteps averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9.5K ratings, while MapWalker averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Polarsteps or MapWalker have ads?

Neither Polarsteps nor MapWalker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Polarsteps or MapWalker?

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, and MapWalker every 2 months. Most recently, Polarsteps was updated on September 27, 2026 and MapWalker on September 12, 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.*