Been has been on the App Store for over a decade and does one thing with real clarity: it turns your travel into a number. Countries visited, percentage of the world, a share for each continent, and a map you can post.

Pin Traveler is after something else — a detailed record you keep adding to, built city by city rather than country by country.

If you already know which of those you want, you can stop reading. If not, the practical differences are below.

Quick comparison

Ratings from the US App Store, September 2026. Both price by region.

Free tier comparison

This is the difference that matters most day to day, so it goes first.

Pin Traveler's free tier includes cities. Unlimited pins across cities, countries and U.S. states, the colour-coded map, and the travel statistics — most-visited destination, furthest distance travelled, continent breakdowns. Nothing is capped. Premium adds photo uploads, custom pin colours and styles, and saved locations via Pin Traveler Premium or directly via download on iOS and Android.

Been's free tier is country-level. Countries and U.S. states, the world map, the percentage, and continent ratios. Cities and airports sit behind Premium Mode, along with regions in 25+ countries, the extra globe filters, the chronological map and the shareable timeline video. (For a full overview of zero-cost options in this space, see our guide to the best free travel tracker apps in 2026).

So if city-level tracking is what you are after — and for anyone whose travel is more than a passport-stamp count, it usually is — Pin Traveler gives it to you without paying and Been does not. That is a straightforward, checkable difference rather than a matter of taste.

Why city-level changes the map

Country tracking compresses everything into a binary. Italy is either coloured in or it is not. Three weeks moving from Rome to Naples to Palermo looks exactly like ninety minutes in an airport lounge, and a year of travel inside your own country produces a map that has not changed at all.

Pinning cities keeps the detail. You can see the parts of a country you have actually covered and the parts you have not, domestic travel finally counts for something, and the map stops flattering you — which, if the point is an accurate record, is what you want. We explore other city-level apps in our guide to the best apps to track cities you've visited.

Been is not unaware of this; cities are available, just as a paid feature. The question is whether the core unit of your map should be something you pay to unlock.

Been strengths

Been is the more focused product, and focus has real advantages.

It is faster to a satisfying result. Open it, tap the countries, get a number. Pin Traveler asks you to think in cities, which is more work up front — a first session filling in years of travel takes longer when the unit is finer.

The shareable output is stronger. The 3D globe filters, the chronological map and the timeline video are built for posting. Pin Traveler's map is designed to be looked at rather than performed with, and if what you want is an Instagram story at the end of the year, Been has more purpose-built ways to produce one.

The percentage is a genuinely good hook. "I have been to 14% of the world" is a sentence people want to say. A city map does not compress into one number as neatly, and some of the appeal of this category is exactly that compression.

It has been around a long time. Over a decade on the store, with a Classic Mode kept for users who preferred the old interface — a sign of a developer who looks after long-term users.

Pin Traveler tradeoffs

Fair warning on the trade: the finer unit means more input. Fifty countries take a couple of minutes to tap. Two hundred cities take an evening.

Most people find it is worth it once, because the map you end up with is the one you keep opening — but if you want your travel summarised rather than recorded, the extra effort buys you something you did not want.

There is also no percentage-of-the-world headline in the same prominent way. Statistics are there — most-visited, furthest, continent coverage — but the product is not organised around a single score, and if that score is the reason you want the app, that is a real preference and Been is built around it.

Pricing

Both use the same broad shape: a free tier with a paid upgrade above it. Pin Traveler offers monthly, yearly and one-time options, so you can pay once and stop thinking about it. Been's Premium Mode unlocks all features; check the current price in your store, since both apps vary by region and have changed over time.

What is worth comparing is not the headline price but what sits on each side of the paywall. On one, cities are the free foundation. On the other, they are part of the upgrade.

Which app should you choose

Choose Been if the number is the product — you want the percentage, the continent ratios and a good-looking shareable globe, and country-level detail is enough.

Choose Pin Traveler if you want the map to hold the actual shape of your travel, city by city, with domestic trips included, and you would rather that foundation were free.

Comparing other travel trackers? Check out Pin Traveler vs Visited: A Practical Comparison and Pin Traveler vs Polarsteps: A Practical Comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Does Been track cities?

Yes, with Premium Mode. Cities and airports are part of the paid tier, along with regions in more than 25 countries. Pin Traveler includes unlimited city pins in its free tier.

Which one gives a percentage of the world visited?

Been is built around that figure. Pin Traveler reports travel statistics — most-visited destination, furthest distance, continent coverage — but is organised around the map rather than a single score.

Do either of them track my route automatically?

No. Both are manual records, so neither needs background location access, and both can be filled in for travel from long before you installed them.

Can I track U.S. states in both?

Yes, and both include states in the free tier. Been additionally offers regions in 25+ countries with Premium; Pin Traveler's equivalent depth comes from city pins, which work in every country. (See the best apps to track U.S. states you've visited for a dedicated comparison).

Which is quicker to set up?

Been, if you are only recording countries — it is a few minutes of tapping. Pin Traveler takes longer because the unit is smaller, which is also why the finished map shows more.

Can I export or share my map?

Both produce shareable maps. Been has more formats built for social posting, including a timeline video with Premium.