# Polarsteps vs PathReel

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PathReel at none against Polarsteps's 2. PathReel also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Polarsteps's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#65 vs unranked). On price and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Polarsteps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. PathReel asks for nothing beyond the download.

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, PathReel every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Polarsteps | PathReel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (9.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polarsteps/id947925763/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **9.9K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 89.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 228 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Polarsteps B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/947925762) | [Origin Innovation Lab Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1794812125) |

## What reviewers say

### Polarsteps

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

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Grossing · Travel, #187 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


### PathReel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pathreel/id6761773065)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Polarsteps free?

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

### Is PathReel free?

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

### Do Polarsteps or PathReel have ads?

PathReel shows ads; Polarsteps does not.

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

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, and PathReel every 3 days. Most recently, Polarsteps was updated on October 20, 2026 and PathReel on October 18, 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.*