The best apps to track countries visited (2026)
If you want one app to count the countries you have visited, the honest answer depends on what you value. Here is a fair comparison of four, with a table you can scan in ten seconds.
If you want one app to count the countries you have visited, there is no single winner. Been gives the cleanest “percent of the world” number, Polarsteps is best if you want an automatic route timeline you can share, Visited maps countries and US states together, and Stamp Hunt is best if you want a private, proof-backed collection that never leaves your iPhone.
This guide compares all four honestly, including where each is stronger than the rest. Pricing and platform details reflect each app’s model as of June 2026, so check the App Store for the current numbers before you buy.
What a travel collection app is
A travel collection app turns “places I have been” into a list, a map, and a count you can trust. Instead of guessing at dinner, you mark each country once and the app keeps the running total. The good ones let you add some kind of evidence, a photo, a flight, or a stamp, so the count is real and not just a vague memory.
The apps, compared
| App | Platform | Price | Data model | Best at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Been | iPhone, Android | Free, paid upgrade | Cloud account | A clean “percent of the world” snapshot |
| Visited | iPhone, Android | Free, paid upgrade | Cloud account | Countries plus US states on one map |
| Polarsteps | iPhone, Android | Free, paid photo books | Cloud account, auto GPS | An automatic route timeline you share |
| Stamp Hunt | iPhone, iPad | Free for 10 stamps, one-time unlock | On device, no account | A private, proof-backed collection |
The split is really about one question: do you want your travel history in a cloud profile, or on your phone? Cloud is not a flaw. It is exactly what lets Polarsteps draw your route automatically and show a social feed of your trips, and it is how Been and Visited back up and sync your map across devices. If that social and sync layer is the point for you, one of those three is the better pick, and that is an honest recommendation.
Stamp Hunt makes the opposite trade on purpose. Your collection stays on the device with no mandatory account, so nothing about where you have been is sitting on a server. The cost of that privacy is that there is no social feed and no automatic GPS trail. What you get instead is proof: you can back each country with a scanned passport stamp, a boarding pass from Apple Wallet, a geotagged photo (the app reads only the country, and the image never leaves your phone), or on-the-ground GPS.
How to choose
Pick by what you actually want to look at later. Want to brag about a number? Been. Want a beautiful, shareable map of your journeys? Polarsteps. Want countries and home-country states in one place? Visited. Want a quiet, honest archive that proves where you went and keeps it off the cloud? Stamp Hunt, free on the App Store.
Traveling with other people while you collect? To split the trip costs without a spreadsheet, FastBillSplit scans the receipt and divides the bill, so the only thing you have to track on the trip is your next stamp.
Sources
- Free-tier and one-time purchase as described on the Stamp Hunt homepage and in the App Store listing.
- Proof tiers and on-device behaviour as described on the Stamp Hunt homepage.
- Competitor models reflect each app’s public App Store listing as of June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app to track countries visited?
It depends on what you want. Been gives the cleanest world percentage, Polarsteps is best for an automatic route timeline you share, and Stamp Hunt is best if you want a private, proof-backed collection that stays on your iPhone. All four count countries; they differ on privacy and on what they show.
Is there a countries-visited app that keeps data on my phone?
Yes. Stamp Hunt stores your collection on device with no mandatory account, so your travel history is not sitting in a cloud profile. Most cloud trackers sync to a server account instead, which is what powers their social and backup features.
Are these apps free?
All four start free and charge for more. Stamp Hunt is free for your first 10 country stamps, then a one-time purchase unlocks unlimited stamps with no subscription. The others use free tiers with paid upgrades or printed books; check the App Store for current pricing.
Which app works without an account?
Stamp Hunt works with no sign-up. You can open it and start marking countries right away, and because the data lives on the device it keeps working offline.