6 Best FindPenguins Alternatives in 2026

FindPenguins plans, tracks and shares trips from your phone and makes a hardcover book. If you want another take, Polarsteps is the nearest app. Wanderlog suits planning. MapShare, SPOT Shared Views and SpotWalla suit family following a satellite tracker.

AdventureLive is not a FindPenguins replacement. It is not a phone app. It needs an inReach, a SPOT or a Garmin watch with LiveTrack and reads that device, adding a 3D map, the weather where you are and HELP emails to home contacts.

Why look for an alternative?

The App Store listing says FindPenguins tracks offline and can share live location with a time delay. That fits a journal. It does not suit a family who want to see a hiker with no phone signal. Others simply want a different book, or a planner. The listing does not mention weather.

How did we compare them?

We read each tool's own pages in November 2026 and list them under Sources. Where a page is silent we write "not stated on the pages we read". We compared signal needs, cost, followers, weather and whether the tool replaces your tracker or its plan. We make AdventureLive, so weigh our view with that in mind.

At a glance

Prices are at the time of writing (November 2026), from each tool's own pages.

1. Polarsteps: best for a free phone-based journal

Polarsteps is a phone app that tracks your route and turns it into a travel journal. Its tracker page says tracking is completely free, that it works offline and keeps tracking off-grid, and that data syncs and the map updates once you reconnect. You choose whether a trip is public, followers only or private.

The page says live location shows to viewers only if the tracker is on and your privacy settings allow it. It says Polarsteps earns money from Travel Books and Polarsteps Plus. Weather is not mentioned. If you carry a phone and want a keepsake, this is a good fit. If you carry an inReach and want family to see you live, it is a different job. AdventureLive is not a phone tracking app.

Pros

• Tracking is listed as free
• Records offline and syncs later
• Privacy per trip: public, followers only or private

Cons

• Not live while the phone has no connection
• Weather where you are is not stated on the pages we read

2. AdventureLive: best for adding weather and a 3D map to the inReach or SPOT you already carry

AdventureLive reads the tracker you already carry and turns it into one follower page. You keep your inReach and MapShare switched on, or your SPOT and its shared page, or Garmin LiveTrack. AdventureLive does not replace any of them, or their plans. It adds a 3D satellite map, the route, the line you have travelled and your dot, with "Seen 22 min ago, via inReach".

Followers open a link in any browser, with no app and no account unless the trip is for approved people only. They see the weather where you are now and for 48 hours, with alerts for strong wind, gales, severe cold, heat, heavy rain and thunderstorms. Up to five home contacts get an email if your tracker sends a HELP message. SOS does not go to home contacts. It goes to Garmin Response or SPOT's GEOS centre, which call the emergency contacts you set up with Garmin or SPOT. It is free, thanks to ProLend. Plan your trip.

Pros

• Adds a 3D map and the weather where you are, with safety alerts
• Up to 5 home contacts get an email on a HELP message
• One link even if you link an inReach, a SPOT and LiveTrack

Cons

• Needs an inReach, SPOT or Garmin LiveTrack, plus that device's own plan
• Not a phone tracking app and not a journal

3. Garmin MapShare: best for family following an inReach

MapShare is the page Garmin builds for an inReach. The pages we read say your track points appear on it as you move, that inReach messages show up there, and that followers can reply or send a message if they have your link. You can add waypoints with notes and share a planned route made in Garmin Explore.

It needs an inReach device with MapShare set up in Garmin Explore, and Garmin's own warning says messaging, tracking and SOS need an active subscription. The pages we read do not say whether MapShare costs extra, and they do not mention weather. Plenty of people never need more than this.

Pros

• Built by the maker of the inReach, so it works with the device out of the box
• Followers can message you from the page
• Waypoints and planned routes can be shared

Cons

• Needs an inReach with an active subscription
• Weather where you are is not stated on the pages we read

4. SpotWalla: best for trip logs from satellite trackers

SpotWalla calls itself an online personal location management system. Its home page lists trips (travel logs that can be public, private or password protected), retrospectives that show several trips on one map, location pages that show the last known positions of many people, and Secure Zones that hide your location around places like home.

It supports satellite trackers from SPOT, Garmin and ZOLEO, and phones running its own apps. The page says a membership is required to create devices, document travels and share them, in several levels, with a Maintenance level that keeps devices and data online. Prices are on a separate Memberships page that we did not rely on. Weather is not mentioned.

Pros

• Supports SPOT, Garmin and ZOLEO trackers, and phones
• Location pages put many people on one map, handy for groups and events
• Secure Zones hide your location around places you choose

Cons

• A membership is needed to share; prices not on the home page
• Weather where you are is not stated on the pages we read
• Like AdventureLive, it still needs your tracker and its plan

5. Wanderlog: best for planning with friends

Wanderlog is a free trip planner. Its home page says you can create itineraries shown alongside a map, import flight and hotel reservations from forwarded emails, and plan with friends through live syncing and collaborative editing.

It lists offline access and route optimization as features without detail, and route tracking is not mentioned on the page we read. Pro prices are not stated. It is the choice for planning a trip with others, not for showing where you are right now. That makes it a good partner to a tracker page rather than a rival.

Pros

• Free planner with a map view
• Plan together with live syncing
• Imports reservations from forwarded emails

Cons

• Route tracking is not mentioned on the page we read
• Pro prices not stated on the home page

6. SPOT Shared Views: best for family following a SPOT

SPOT Mapping is the page that goes with a SPOT device. The page we read says Shared Views let family and friends follow your progress, show your latest position and reports from the field, and can notify people if you need help. For hikers, it says loved ones can follow your route in real time.

At the time of writing (November 2026), the SPOT page we read lists Basic as included per device with unlimited Shared Views, Premium at $2.50 a month or $25 a year per device, and Enterprise at $5 a month or $50 a year. SPOT's home page says the devices use the Globalstar network. Weather is not mentioned on the pages we read.

Pros

• Basic Shared Views are included per device, with no limit on Shared Views
• Price tiers are published on the page
• Can notify people if you need help

Cons

• Needs a SPOT device and its service plan
• Weather where you are is not stated on the pages we read

How to choose

• If you want another free phone journal, try Polarsteps.
• If you want to plan with friends, look at Wanderlog.
• If you carry an inReach, MapShare is the page that comes with it.
• If you carry a SPOT, use SPOT Shared Views, or SpotWalla for trip logs.
• If you already carry an inReach or SPOT and want weather and a 3D map for family, add AdventureLive.

See link a tracker, share an inReach with family and the older SPOT shared page alternatives.

FAQ

Is there a free FindPenguins alternative?

Polarsteps lists tracking as free and Wanderlog is a free planner. FindPenguins itself is listed as free on the App Store.

Does FindPenguins work offline?

The listing says route tracking is offline and battery-friendly.

Can AdventureLive replace FindPenguins?

No. It is not a phone app or a journal. It reads an inReach, SPOT or LiveTrack.

Which alternative works without phone signal?

Satellite trackers with MapShare or SPOT Shared Views. Phone apps record offline and upload later.

This guide belongs to our comparison of the best live tracking for adventures. For a head-to-head, read AdventureLive vs FindPenguins.