Comparison

Polarsteps vs TrekPins

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

Head to head
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

Join 23M+ travelers using Polarsteps as their all-in-one travel app. Build unique itineraries with the travel planner, let the travel tracker record your route, share the journey with friends and family, and turn it into a photo book to relive later. Whether it's a six-month trip or a weekend canoeing close to home, Polarsteps is here to capture and share your journey as it unfolds. 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

About

TrekPins

Map your past adventures and plan future trips with this travel companion. Log visited places, add notes and photos, and visualize your journeys on an interactive map. Organize destinations, create itineraries, and gain insights into your travel history.

Highlights
  • Map visited and dream destinations
  • Add notes and photos to places
  • Create custom routes and itineraries
  • Visualize travel footprint on interactive map
  • Track travel statistics and insights
  • Sync data across devices with iCloud
Features
Read full description

Dreaming of your next big adventure? Or want to keep a meticulous record of every place you've explored? TrekPins empowers you to do both, transforming your device into the ultimate travel planning and memory-keeping tool. It's like the old-school corkboards you hang on your wall, reimagined for your digital life. Effortlessly track your globetrotting adventures, relive cherished memories with notes and photos, and visualize your travel footprint with a beautiful, interactive map interface. Plan future escapades, discover insights about your journeys, and carry your travel story in your pocket. We believe that every journey is a story waiting to be told. TrekPins provides the canvas for you to illustrate your unique travel narrative. It's more than just an app; it's a companion for the curious, a journal for the adventurous, and a celebration of exploration. FEATURES: Your World, Mapped - Map Your Travels: Mark visited, dream, & home cities. - Fullscreen Map: Immerse yourself in your journey. - Quick Filters: Sort places by status instantly. - Pin Anything: Drop custom pins anywhere. - Personalized Map: Set home city & radius. Log Every Moment - Cherish Memories: Add visit dates, notes, & photos. - Organized Places: Browse by country & region. - Travel Timeline: Relive your journey's history. - Capture POIs: Pin sights & cafes with notes/photos. - Track World Wonders: Log global wonders you've seen. Plan Like a Pro - Craft Epic Trips: Group destinations & map routes. - Daily Itineraries: Link POIs to specific trip days. Smart & Seamless - Travel Stats: Unlock insights on your adventures. - Auto City Detection: Get reminders for new cities. - Your Data, Your Control - iCloud Sync: Keep data safe & synced. - Photo Format Choice: Pick HEIC or JPEG. - Smart Storage: Manage local image cache. - Optimized Data: Auto background cleanup. - Dark Modes: View comfortably. Subscription or one-time purchase required. TrekPins is a premium app. All features require an active subscription or one-time purchase after your free trial ends. Terms of Service: https://trekpins.com/terms.html

Screenshots

Polarsteps4 screens
TrekPins4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Polarsteps at 10K against TrekPins's 6. Polarsteps also leads on chart position (#63 vs unranked). TrekPins's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 90%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Polarsteps sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and TrekPins sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Polarsteps against 5.0 for TrekPins. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Polarsteps has 10K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Polarsteps's written reviews are positive against 100% of TrekPins's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, TrekPins every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Polarsteps versus TrekPins: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolarstepsTrekPins
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (10K ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#63 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB8 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPolarsteps B.V.Eric Randall

Customer experience

Polarsteps

All ratings10,024 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews2,329 reviews
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.9%
Negative6.3%

TrekPins

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and 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

TrekPins

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Polarsteps

Subscriptions3
  • Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Plus Yearly$34.991 Year
  • Plus Yearly$44.991 Year
3 purchases

TrekPins

Subscriptions2
  • Trek Pins Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Trek Pins Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Trek Pins One-Time$39.99

Questions

Is Polarsteps free?
Polarsteps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TrekPins free?
TrekPins is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Polarsteps or TrekPins?
TrekPins is rated higher. Polarsteps averages 4.9 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while TrekPins averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Polarsteps or TrekPins have ads?
Neither Polarsteps nor TrekPins shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Polarsteps or TrekPins?
Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, and TrekPins every 3 days. Most recently, Polarsteps was updated on October 27, 2026 and TrekPins on October 24, 2026.

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