Comparison

Polarsteps vs PIB

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

Head to head
About

Polarsteps

This travel app helps you plan, track, and share your journeys. Automatically record your routes, add photos and stories, and create beautiful digital memories or printed books. Keep friends and family updated on your adventures.

Highlights
  • AI itinerary planner
  • Automatic route tracking
  • Photo and video capture
  • Trip sharing with friends and family
  • Digital memory creation
  • Printed 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

PIB

This app lets you collect digital stamps by checking into real-world locations like parks, stadiums, and restaurants. Build a personalized map of your travels and discover new places with rarity-based suggestions.

Highlights
  • Check into real-world locations
  • Collect digital stamps with rarity tiers
  • Build a personalized travel map
  • Discover nearby places by rarity
  • Complete curated collections (e.g., National Parks, Stadiums)
  • Earn XP and level up your Explorer rank
  • Receive exclusive business perks and rewards
Features
Read full description

Places I've Been turns the real world into your personal collection. Check into real places — coffee shops, national parks, music festivals, stadiums, restaurants — and unlock a digital trading card for every spot you visit. Build a map of your life that's actually worth looking at. COLLECT THE WORLD Every place you check into earns you a collectible digital trading card with rarity tiers — from Common to Legendary. National parks, Wonders of the World, and iconic surf spots are Epic or Legendary, while the hidden local spots you discover make the collection uniquely yours. CURATED COLLECTIONS Complete iconic collections: • All 63 US National Parks • Every MLB, NFL & NBA stadium • 7 Wonders of the World • Disney Parks worldwide • Michelin 3-Star Restaurants • Music Festivals around the globe • Top 100 Golf Courses • UNESCO World Heritage Sites …and more added regularly EARN XP & LEVEL UP Every check-in earns XP. Rare places earn more. Level up your Explorer rank as you collect more of the world. BUSINESS PERKS Local businesses can offer exclusive check-in rewards — discounts, freebies, and limited collectibles only available when you're actually there. DISCOVER WHAT'S NEARBY The map shows what's around you — colored by rarity so you always know if there's something worth collecting nearby. Places I've Been is for people who actually go places.

Screenshots

Polarsteps4 screens
PIB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PIB at none against Polarsteps's 3. PIB also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Polarsteps's advantage is ratings volume (10K vs 1) and chart position (#55 vs unranked). 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. PIB asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 PIB. 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, PIB weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Polarsteps versus PIB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolarstepsPIB
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (10K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings10K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#55 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size219 MB4 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPolarsteps B.V.Casey Olayos

Customer experience

Polarsteps

All ratings10,090 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews2,330 reviews
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.9%
Negative6.3%

PIB

All ratings1 ratings
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

PIB

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
None

PIB

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Polarsteps free?
Polarsteps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PIB free?
PIB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Polarsteps or PIB?
PIB is rated higher. Polarsteps averages 4.9 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while PIB averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Polarsteps or PIB have ads?
Neither Polarsteps nor PIB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Polarsteps or PIB?
Polarsteps ships an update every 4 days, and PIB weekly. Most recently, Polarsteps was updated on November 4, 2026 and PIB on October 31, 2026.

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