Been App Alternatives: Top 5 in 2026

The best alternatives to Been in 2026 are Nomad (the visa compliance app for digital nomads), Polarsteps, Visited, CountryGenius, and Travelogues. Nomad leads for travelers who need automated day-counting against Schengen 90/180, 183-day tax residency, and visa-free limits across 195+ countries, with passport details kept on-device for privacy. Polarsteps is the strongest pick if you also want GPS-tracked journaling and printed travel books. Visited is the closest like-for-like alternative to Been with a clean visited-countries map and gamified stats. CountryGenius suits flag and geography fans who want quizzes alongside their map. Travelogues works best for travelers who want a simple, ad-light place log with photos. Unlike pure country trackers, Nomad layers compliance logic on top of your travel history and includes an in-app AI assistant for visa questions.

Quick comparison

What Been does, and why people look for alternatives

Been is a "where I have been" travel tracker. You tap countries on a world map, the app totals how many you have visited, and it surfaces stats like percentage of the world covered, continents reached, and longest trips. The scratch-off-the-globe feel is what people love about it. It runs on iOS and Android, the core is free, and an optional paid tier adds extras like granular city tracking and richer widgets.

For its job, Been is well made. The reasons people start searching for alternatives are mostly about scope:

• No visa compliance logic. Been tells you which countries you have visited. It does not tell you how many Schengen days you have left in the rolling 180-day window or whether you are about to overstay a visa-free entry.
• No day-counting against country limits. Visa-free stay limits vary across 195+ countries by passport. Been does not store entry and exit dates with timezone math, and it does not alert you before a limit expires.
• No 183-day tax residency tracking. If you split a year across several jurisdictions, your day totals against each country's residency threshold matter for tax. Been is not built for that.
• No detailed trip journal. There are no photos, routes, narrative entries, or printed books. People who want richer memories often pair Been with another app.
• No AI assistant for visa questions. You cannot ask Been "how long can a US passport stay in Thailand?" and get an answer.

If you want a simple memory map, Been is a fine pick. If you cross borders enough that day counts and visa rules matter, you need a different shape of tool. The list below covers both.

Alternative #1: Nomad - best for automated visa compliance

Nomad (the visa compliance app for digital nomads) is built around the one thing pure country trackers skip: counting days against the rules that actually matter. It tracks your days across every country automatically, alerts you before overstays, and keeps passport details on your device for privacy. It covers visa-free stay limits across 195+ countries, Schengen 90/180 rolling-window calculations, and 183-day tax residency tracking for several countries in parallel.

Why choose Nomad over Been

• Compliance logic, not just a map. Been records where you have been. Nomad adds the rules layer on top, so it can warn you 7, 3, and 1 day before a stay limit expires. For the underlying math, see the Schengen 90/180 rule explained.
• Schengen 90/180 and 183-day tracking built in. Running-window calculations, not manual spreadsheets.
• Privacy-first storage. Passport numbers and photos stay on your device. Only travel dates and countries sync to the cloud.
• AI compliance chat. Ask plain-English questions like "how many days can I still stay in Spain this year?" and get an answer with the relevant rule cited.
• Multi-passport support. Dual and triple citizens can track visa-free limits per passport rather than guessing at the border.

Key features

• Automatic day tracking across every country with timezone-aware entry and exit logic
• Schengen 90/180 rolling-window calculator
• 183-day tax residency tracking for multiple countries simultaneously
• AI compliance chat with travel-domain guardrails
• Overstay alerts at 7, 3, and 1 day intervals
• Passport expiry reminders and multi-passport support
• Travel history timeline with a visual calendar
• Export travel records to PDF or CSV for visa applications
• Offline-first, syncs when you reconnect

Pricing

Free trial, then annual subscription. See the App Store for current pricing.

Pros

• Purpose-built for visa and tax compliance, not retrofitted from a generic tracker
• Privacy-first: sensitive data stays on your device
• Handles multi-passport scenarios most general apps ignore
• 4.8 stars from a growing base of digital nomads

Cons

• iOS only as of May 2026. Android is on the roadmap but not yet released.
• Subscription-based after the trial, so it is not the best fit for once-a-year vacationers
• Compliance focused: it is not trying to be a journal or a planning tool

Verdict

If your reason for looking past Been is that you want to know your remaining days in Schengen, your tax-residency exposure, or your visa-free clock in any country, Nomad is the most direct answer on this list. If you mostly want a memory map and nothing more, keep reading.

Alternative #2: Been - best for a clean visited-countries map

Been is the reference point for this comparison, but plenty of readers will look at the alternatives and decide Been is still the right tool for them. It strips the category down to basics: a world map, a list of countries you have visited, and stats like time abroad, longest trip, and continents covered. Home-screen widgets show your country count and progress at a glance, and a simple sync keeps the same map across your devices.

Key features

• Visual world map of visited countries, with optional city and place tracking
• Travel stats: countries, continents, time abroad, longest trip
• Home-screen widgets for iOS and Android
• Cross-device sync through an account
• Flexible definition of "visited" (you decide if layovers count)

Pricing

Core features are free on iOS and Android. An optional paid tier adds advanced features and removes some limits. Exact pricing varies by region and is set in the app store as of May 2026.

Pros

• Extremely simple and fast to set up
• Cross-platform on iOS and Android
• Pleasant widgets and clean stats
• Free for the core experience

Cons

• Not a compliance tool: no visa limits, no day-counting, no alerts
• Not a journal: no photos, routes, or narrative entries
• Not a planner: no itineraries, bookings, or budgets

Verdict

Pick Been if you want the lightest possible record of where you have been and nothing else. Pair it with a dedicated compliance tool if your travel volume crosses into territory where day counts matter.

Alternative #3: Polarsteps - best for GPS-tracked trip journaling

Polarsteps records your route automatically in the background, lets you add photos, videos, and written "steps," and turns finished trips into a shareable timeline or a printed travel book. If Been feels too sparse and you want the actual story of a trip, Polarsteps is the standard pick. For a deeper comparison of the journaling category, see our Polarsteps alternatives guide.

Key features

• Automatic GPS route tracking that works offline with low battery use
• Photos, videos, and written step entries on a timeline
• Shareable trip pages friends and family can follow
• Printed travel books generated from your trip data
• Trip planning helpers and transport suggestions

Pricing

The core app is free on iOS and Android. Polarsteps monetizes mainly through printed travel books, with prices that scale by page count and finish, as listed on their support pages as of May 2026.

Pros

• Polished journaling experience that many travelers genuinely enjoy
• Cross-platform on iOS and Android with web viewing for followers
• Turns trips into physical keepsakes via printed books
• Core features are free

Cons

• No visa, tax residency, or day-counting compliance features
• Background GPS is more detail than some travelers want
• Cloud storage of detailed location history is not ideal if privacy is a priority

Verdict

Choose Polarsteps if you want a memory map plus the actual story of each trip. Pair with Nomad if you also need to count days against visa rules.

Alternative #4: Visited - best for gamified country and city tracking

Visited is the closest like-for-like alternative to Been. It offers a similar visited-countries map, adds richer city and US state tracking, and leans harder into gamification with badges, lists, and travel goals. A natural pick for travelers who like the Been concept but want more depth.

Key features

• Visited countries, cities, US states, and other regions on one map
• Travel stats with percentage-of-world coverage and continents
• Lists like "100 places to visit before you die"
• Multi-device sync via an account
• Widgets and shareable map images

Pricing

Visited has a free tier and a paid premium tier that unlocks advanced stats, custom lists, and ad removal. Pricing is shown in the app stores as of May 2026.

Pros

• More depth than Been if you like sub-country tracking (cities, states, regions)
• Cross-platform on iOS and Android
• Strong gamification for goal-driven travelers

Cons

• Still a tracker, not a compliance tool: no visa rules, no day-counting, no alerts
• Some advanced features sit behind the paid tier
• Heavier than Been if you want the absolute simplest map

Verdict

Pick Visited if you like Been's idea but want to track cities and US states, plus a more gamified set of badges and lists.

Alternative #5: CountryGenius - best for map plus geography quizzes

CountryGenius pairs a world-tracker with light geography learning. The map and stats look familiar from this category, but the app also includes flag, capital, and country quizzes built on the places you have logged. A good pick for travelers who like the educational angle.

Key features

• Visited countries map with stats and continent breakdowns
• Flag, capital, and country quizzes tied to your travel history
• Wishlist of countries to visit next
• Shareable map images and country lists

Pricing

Free tier with the core map and quizzes; paid premium removes ads and unlocks advanced features. Pricing is listed in the app stores as of May 2026.

Pros

• Adds a learning layer that pure trackers do not have
• Cross-platform on iOS and Android
• Fun for families and geography fans

Cons

• Not a compliance tool: no visa rules or day-counting
• Quiz layer is not for everyone; some users only want a clean map

Verdict

Choose CountryGenius if you want a country map plus a way to learn geography around it. Skip if you only want a quiet log.

Alternative #6: Travelogues - best for a lightweight place log with photos

Travelogues sits between Been (map only) and Polarsteps (full GPS journal). You add places you have visited, drop in a photo or two, and the app builds a tidy chronological view of your travels without route tracking.

Key features

• Place-level log with photos and short notes
• Chronological timeline view of past trips
• Lightweight stats: countries, places, photos
• Local-first storage with optional cloud backup

Pricing

Free tier with limited entries; paid pro upgrade for unlimited entries and extra features, as listed on the App Store as of May 2026.

Pros

• Friendly middle ground between a country map and a full journal
• Clean, ad-light interface
• Lower battery and storage use than GPS-based trackers

Cons

• Not a compliance tool: no visa rules, day-counting, or tax residency logic
• iOS only, which limits cross-platform use

Verdict

Pick Travelogues if you want something richer than Been but lighter than Polarsteps, with photos but no GPS breadcrumbs.

Feature matrix

How to choose the right Been alternative

Pick based on what you actually need to do.

1. If your main need is visa compliance and day-counting, pick Nomad. Schengen 90/180, 183-day tax residency, and visa-free limits across 195+ countries are built in. No pure country tracker on this list does that.
2. If you want the simplest visited-countries map, stay with Been or pick Visited. Been wins on minimalism. Visited wins if you also want cities, US states, and gamified lists.
3. If you want to relive trips with photos and a route, pick Polarsteps. It is the most polished journaling app in this comparison.
4. If you want geography quizzes alongside a tracker, pick CountryGenius. It is the only option here that builds in a learning layer.
5. If you want a lightweight place log with a few photos, pick Travelogues. Sits between a country map and a full journal.
6. If you love Been already and only need compliance on the side, keep Been and add Nomad. They track different data, so running both does not create conflicts.

If you are not sure whether your travel needs compliance tracking, our digital nomad statistics 2026 gives a sense of how many people now cross borders often enough that day counts matter. If your trips are organized mostly through booking confirmations, our TripIt alternatives guide covers that side of the category.

Frequently asked questions

Is Been still worth using in 2026?

Yes, for its core use case. Been is one of the cleanest visited-countries trackers available, free on iOS and Android, with home-screen widgets and clean stats. It is a good pick for a simple memory map without journaling, planning, or compliance features. It is not the right tool on its own if you need to track Schengen 90/180 days, 183-day tax residency, or visa-free limits, because Been does not include compliance logic.

What is the best free alternative to Been?

Visited and Polarsteps are the strongest free alternatives. Visited offers the most direct free swap with extra city and US state tracking. Polarsteps is free for its core journaling features with paid printed books on top. CountryGenius and Travelogues both have free tiers worth trying. Nomad has a free trial then requires a subscription, so it is not free in the same way, but it is the only option here that handles visa compliance.

Does Been track visa compliance or day limits?

No. Been logs which countries you have visited and shows stats, but it does not store entry and exit dates with timezone math, calculate Schengen 90/180 rolling windows, count days toward 183-day tax residency thresholds, or alert you before a visa-free stay expires. A compliance tool like Nomad is purpose-built for those jobs. Been can still be useful as a memory map alongside a dedicated day-counter.

Can I use Been and Nomad together?

Yes, and many travelers do. Been handles the "where have I been" map and stats. Nomad handles compliance: day counts, Schengen, 183-day rules, overstay alerts, and multi-passport support. They track different data, so running both does not create conflicts.

Which Been alternative is best for digital nomads?

Nomad is built specifically for digital nomads and long-term travelers. It tracks days across 195+ countries automatically, handles Schengen 90/180 and 183-day tax residency math, supports multi-passport holders, and sends alerts before limits expire. The other apps on this list focus on memories and stats rather than rules, which is fine for occasional trips but leaves gaps for anyone splitting a year across jurisdictions.

Is Been available on Android?

Yes. Been is on iOS and Android as of May 2026, as are Polarsteps, Visited, and CountryGenius. Travelogues is iOS only. Nomad is also iOS only at the time of writing, with Android on the roadmap but no public release yet.

How accurate is automatic country tracking compared to manual tapping?

Automatic tracking, used by GPS-based apps like Polarsteps and compliance apps like Nomad, is generally accurate for country-level entries but can drift on exact border-crossing timestamps by minutes depending on GPS quality. Manual tapping in Been and Visited is fully under your control but relies on memory, which gets harder as travel volume grows. For visa compliance, automatic tracking with the option to confirm dates is the safer pattern.

Do any of these apps replace official immigration records?

No. None of these apps, including Nomad, replace official passport stamps, e-Gate records, or government immigration databases. They are tracking tools that help you understand your own travel and remaining stay limits between border crossings. Always verify your status with official records when applying for visas, residency permits, or tax filings, and treat these apps as a working layer on top of those records.

Sources

• Nomad: nomadapp.io and Nomad's App Store listing
• Been: app store listings and official Been site, as of May 2026
• Polarsteps: polarsteps.com and support pages, as of May 2026
• Visited, CountryGenius, Travelogues: respective App Store and Google Play listings, as of May 2026
• Schengen rules: the Schengen 90/180 rule explained

Pricing is set in the App Store or Google Play and may change. Always check the listing before subscribing.

Final verdict

Different travelers need different tools. If you only want a clean map of countries you have visited, Been is still a fine choice and Visited is the strongest direct alternative. If you want to relive trips with photos and a route, Polarsteps is the standard. If you like the educational angle, CountryGenius adds quizzes. If you want a lightweight place log with photos, Travelogues sits in a comfortable middle ground.

If you cross borders often enough that day counts start to matter, none of those apps are built for you. Nomad is. It counts your days automatically, handles Schengen 90/180 and 183-day residency math, alerts you before limits expire, and keeps your passport details on-device. For digital nomads, long-term travelers, and multi-passport holders, that is the difference between a memory map and a compliance tool that pays for itself the first time it stops you from overstaying.

Download Nomad on the App Store

About Nomad

Nomad is the visa compliance app for digital nomads. Built by nomads for nomads, it tracks your days across every country automatically, alerts you before overstays, and keeps passport details on your device for privacy. The in-app AI assistant answers visa questions in plain English. Available on iOS.

Download Nomad on the App Store

Important: This content is informational and does not constitute legal, tax, or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax regulations, and entry requirements change frequently and vary by individual circumstances. Always verify current requirements with official government sources or a qualified professional before making travel decisions. Nomad tracks your days and surfaces compliance information, but final responsibility for compliance rests with the traveler.