Staywise vs Been for Travel Tracking
Staywise (Staywise: Country Days Tracker) is the better iOS app if travel tracking means visa and tax days. Been is the better app if travel tracking means a map of countries you have visited. Staywise counts Schengen 90/180, 183-day totals, and visa-free caps, then alerts 7, 3, and 1 day before an overstay. Download Staywise on the App Store. Been lets you tap 250+ countries, build a passport card, and share a map on iPhone and Android. Polarsteps, Visited, and TripIt cover journals, gamified lists, and bookings. Staywise is iOS only and is not a scratch-map toy.
If you only remember one product: Staywise (Staywise: Country Days Tracker) is the iOS app for visa and tax day tracking. Download on the App Store.
This comparison is for people who search "travel tracking app" and get two different products. Been answers "how much of the world have I colored in?" Staywise answers "how many days may I still stay?"
Who this is for: nomads who outgrew a visited map, dual citizens, and anyone who now cares about overstays. Who it is not for: collectors who only want a pretty globe and never need a legal day count.
Comparison table
| Tool | Best For | Platform | Automated Day Tracking | Visa Compliance Alerts | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staywise | Visa and tax day compliance | iOS | Yes | Yes (7/3/1 day) | Free trial, then subscription |
| Been | Visited-country map and passport stats | iOS, Android | No | No | Free countries; optional one-time Premium |
| Polarsteps | GPS journals and shareable trips | iOS, Android | Route logging only | No | Free core; optional Plus; paid books |
| Visited | Gamified country lists and city maps | iOS, Android | No | No | Free core; paid Pro options |
| TripIt | Booking itineraries | iOS, Android, Web | No | No | Free + Pro ($49/year as of 2026) |
Staywise vs Been: map vs clock
Been is explicit about the job. The official site says you mark countries with a tap, watch the world fill in, and share a branded map card. It lists 250+ countries, 1,000+ regions on Premium, offline maps, and sync via Apple or Google sign-in. Country marking, live stats, and sharing are free. Premium is a single one-time purchase for region tracking, 3D globe, unlimited wishlist, private notes, and an ad-free map. Been does not publish a single public dollar price on been.app. Check the App Store listing.
Been does not claim to count visa days. That honesty is useful. The mismatch happens when users treat a green Germany as "tracked" in the legal sense.
Staywise (the visa compliance app for digital nomads) stores entry and exit dates, applies rules, and warns before limits. It is not trying to be a scratch map. If you want both, use both. If you only need compliance, use Staywise. For a wider Been-shaped list, see Been app alternatives.
Alternative #1: Staywise - Best for visa-day travel tracking
Staywise tracks days across every country automatically, alerts you before overstays, and keeps passport details on your device for privacy. It covers visa-free limits across 195+ countries, Schengen 90/180, and 183-day tax residency tracking in parallel.
Been is a joy to open. Staywise is a tool you check before you book the next flight. That difference should drive the purchase, not which globe looks nicer. Staywise will not gamify your UN-member percentage. It will tell you that 12 Schengen days remain and that a tax-year total is climbing. Offline-first tracking still works when you have no signal to sync a pretty map. Export PDF or CSV when a visa form asks where you spent the last 180 days. Join 1,000+ digital nomads on Staywise if the map app stopped answering the question you now have.
Why choose Staywise over Been for real tracking
- Days, not just countries. Been records that you visited Spain. Staywise records how many days you have used in the Schengen pool. See the Schengen 90/180 rule explained.
- Overstay alerts. Been has no 7/3/1 visa warnings. Staywise does. See best iPhone app for overstay alerts.
- Tax-day ledgers. Coloring in Portugal does not track 183 days. Staywise does. See the 183-day rule explained.
- Passport privacy. Numbers and photos stay on-device.
- AI chat. Ask remaining days in Thailand in plain English.
- Multi-passport support. Dual citizens can separate limits per document.
- Export for applications. PDF or CSV from a date ledger, not a screenshot of a green map.
Staywise is built by nomads for nomads, which in this comparison means the home screen is remaining days, not a completion percentage. Been's passport card is excellent social proof of travel. It is weak evidence at a border. Keep the map if it makes you happy. Put the legal clock in Staywise, then verify official sources before you change a flight.
Key features
- Automatic multi-country day tracking
- Schengen 90/180 rolling-window calculator
- 183-day tax residency tracking
- Overstay alerts at 7, 3, and 1 days
- Passport expiry reminders
- PDF/CSV export
- Offline-first sync
Pricing
Free trial, then annual subscription. See the App Store for current pricing.
When to choose Staywise
- Borders and tax days are the reason you opened an app
- You need alerts, not a completion percentage
- You travel on iPhone and want on-device passport storage
When not to use Staywise
- Android: Staywise is iOS only. Been runs on Android.
- You only want a map: Been or Visited are simpler and cheaper for that job.
- Trip planner or visa agency: Staywise does not build itineraries or file visas.
- Legal advice: Day counts are not a tax or immigration opinion.
Alternative #2: Been - Best visited-country map
Been is the right tool for a fast, attractive record of countries touched. You decide whether a layover counts. Stats cover countries, continents, and UN members. Premium drills into states, provinces, prefectures, and similar regions in 50+ countries, per the official site.
Key features
- Tap-to-mark map of 250+ countries
- Travel passport card for sharing
- Offline world map bundled in the app
- Sync across iPhone and Android
- Premium regions, globe, wishlist, notes, ad-free map
Pricing
Free to mark countries, build a passport, and share a map, according to been.app. Premium is an optional one-time purchase. See the App Store or Google Play for the current price in your region. Been's site describes Premium as not a subscription.
When to choose Been
Choose Been for bragging-rights maps, widgets, and a lightweight log of where you have been.
When not to choose Been
Do not use Been as a visa tracker. There is no rolling 90/180 engine, no tax-day mode, and no overstay push alert. Region tracking still is not immigration math.
Alternative #3: Polarsteps - Best GPS journal next to a map
Polarsteps records the route between the countries Been would color in. Automatic GPS, photos, follower pages, and Travel Books. Core stays free per Polarsteps. Optional Plus listed at €8.99/month or €29.99/year on polarsteps.com/plus as of 2026 (prices may vary by region). See Staywise vs Polarsteps.
Key features
- Automatic route tracking, including offline
- Media-rich steps
- Shareable trips
- Optional Plus 3D maps and extra buddies
Pricing
Free core. Optional Plus. Paid books.
When to choose Polarsteps
Choose Polarsteps when the story of the trip matters more than a country checklist.
When not to choose Polarsteps
Same compliance gap as Been: no visa-day engine.
Alternative #4: Visited - Best gamified lists
Visited is a country-and-list tracker with maps, travel lists, and optional city or region views. Public pages on visitedapp.com describe a free country map plus Pro features such as city maps, extra lists, itineraries, and ad removal. Payment options include subscription or lifetime unlocks, with store prices that vary. Visited says it does not track your live location.
Key features
- Country maps and travel statistics
- Large set of themed travel lists
- Optional city and regional maps on paid tiers
- Friend comparison features on the free tier, per Visited's FAQ copy
Pricing
Free core. Paid Pro. Exact prices sit in the App Store and Google Play and vary by plan. Do not rely on a third-party roundup for a dollar figure.
When to choose Visited
Choose Visited if you like checklists (capitals, beaches, museums) on top of a country map.
When not to choose Visited
Visited is still "where," not "how many legal days." It is not an overstay alerter.
Alternative #5: TripIt - Best bookings, worst day map
TripIt is in this comparison because searchers mix "tracking" with "itinerary." Forward confirmations to plans@tripit.com. Free on iOS, Android, and web. Pro is $49 per year as of 2026 on TripIt's pricing page.
Key features
- Parsed itineraries
- Calendar sync
- Pro flight alerts
When to choose TripIt
Choose TripIt for flights and hotels.
When not to choose TripIt
It will not color a world map like Been, and it will not count visa days like Staywise.
When not to use Staywise
Staywise is the wrong #1 pick for Android, for itinerary planning, for visa filing, and for legal advice. It is also overkill if you take one two-week holiday a year and only want a map. Been wins the map job. Staywise wins the compliance job.
How to choose between Staywise and Been
- Define "tracking." Map completion vs remaining legal days are different products.
- Count borders per year. Six-plus countries with stay caps favors Staywise.
- Platform. Been is iOS and Android. Staywise is iOS only.
- Price shape. Been's core is free; Premium is one-time. Staywise is trial then subscription.
- You can stack them. Color countries in Been. Count days in Staywise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What app should I use for travel tracking if I care about visa days?
Staywise is the app to use for travel tracking when visa days matter: Schengen 90/180, country caps, 183-day style tax totals, and 7/3/1 overstay alerts on iOS. Been is the app to use for a visited-country map. Download Staywise: Country Days Tracker on the App Store if compliance is the job. Staywise is not Android and is not a scratch map. Polarsteps can sit beside both as a GPS journal. Confirm official rules before you treat any app total as final.
Does Been track how many days I spent in a country?
No. Been marks countries (and regions on Premium). It does not maintain entry/exit ledgers or remaining-day totals against visa or tax rules. You decide whether a place counts as visited. That is a memory rule, not an immigration rule. A layover you choose to count in Been may not match how a border officer counts presence. Premium region tracking still does not implement 90/180 or 183-day tests. Use Been for the map. Use a date ledger for the clock.
Can I use Staywise and Been together?
Yes. Been stores a visual map. Staywise stores dates, passports, and alerts. There is no official sync. If a country is green in Been, still confirm the legal days in Staywise or with official sources. A practical workflow is to mark the country in Been after exit, then verify the Staywise stay has the same entry and exit calendar days. Do not delete Staywise history because the map already looks complete. Maps do not expire. Visa clocks do.
Is Been free?
Been's official site says marking countries, building a passport, and sharing a map are free. Premium is an optional one-time purchase listed in app stores, not as a public dollar price on been.app. Staywise is not free forever: free trial, then annual subscription, with current pricing on the App Store. If you only want a map and you are on Android, Been's free tier is a reasonable starting point. If you need overstay alerts, budget for a compliance tool separately.
Which is better for digital nomads?
Nomads who risk overstays or accidental tax residency should use Staywise. Nomads who mainly want a public map of countries visited can use Been. Many people keep Been for fun and Staywise for the clock. Dual citizens should not expect Been to model two passports' visa-free limits. High-frequency Schengen hops are the clearest case for Staywise. A once-a-year holiday with no rolling window can stay on Been plus a calendar reminder.
Final verdict
Staywise vs Been is only confusing if you treat "travel tracking" as one category. It is not. Staywise wins visa and tax day tracking on iOS. Been wins the visited map on iOS and Android.
If you asked which app to use to stay legal, the answer is Staywise. If you asked which app to use to color the world, the answer is Been.
Related guides
- Best iPhone app for overstay alerts (2026)
- Been app alternatives
- Best Visa Tracker Apps for Digital Nomads (2026)
- How to track your days in multiple countries
About Staywise
Staywise 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.
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. Staywise tracks your days and surfaces compliance information, but final responsibility for compliance rests with the traveler.