# Polarsteps vs 88mates

Polarsteps and 88mates both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of Polarsteps's written reviews are positive against 50% of 88mates's. Polarsteps also leads on ratings volume (9.5K vs 1) and chart position (#55 vs unranked). 88mates's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Polarsteps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. 88mates 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 88mates. 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 are what separate them: 90% of Polarsteps's written reviews are positive against 50% of 88mates's.

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, 88mates every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Polarsteps | 88mates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (9.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polarsteps/id947925763/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/88mates/id6767465969/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.5K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **89.6% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#55** | — |
| Size | 218 MB | 60 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) | [Simon Marion](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896477791) |

## What reviewers say

### Polarsteps

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

**Currently charting:** #55 Top Grossing · Travel, #142 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


### 88mates

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/88mates/id6767465969)

This app assists with your Working Holiday Visa in Australia by tracking regional work days, displaying eligible work zones on a map, and providing exclusive job offers. It also includes budgeting tools, a checklist, community features, and event information.

**Highlights:** Track 88/179 regional work days, Interactive map of eligible work zones, Exclusive job offers, Budgeting and WHV checklist, Backpacker community, Australian events and road trip guide

**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 88mates free?

88mates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Polarsteps or 88mates?

88mates is rated higher. Polarsteps averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9.5K ratings, while 88mates averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Polarsteps or 88mates have ads?

Neither Polarsteps nor 88mates shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Polarsteps or 88mates?

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, and 88mates every 2 days. Most recently, Polarsteps was updated on September 27, 2026 and 88mates on September 14, 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.*