Several countries-visited apps for iPhone work without an account, and their App Store listings say so plainly: Globestamp, Trāce, Roamprint, ScratchMap: Travel Tracker and Scratch Map: Countries Visited all describe no sign-up, and Onedermap's core map works without one. Others are built around an account: Polarsteps asks you to create one, Skratch's privacy policy lists required account details, and Visited's website says signing up keeps your data on its servers. "No account" is a good start, but check the privacy label too.
Everything below comes from each app's own listing, website or help center as they read on 13 November 2026. It's a sample, not a full list: many smaller apps make the same promise.
The apps
| App (developer) | Account | Where it says your list lives | Reads photo locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Globestamp (Loopware LLC) | No | In your iCloud, with a backup | Yes, on the iPhone; photos never uploaded |
| Trāce (HYTimes Group) | No | On your device; syncs through your own iCloud if you want | Yes, on the phone |
| Roamprint (Josiah Rininger) | No | On your device and your own iCloud | Not stated |
| ScratchMap: Travel Tracker (Oleksandr Shymanskyi) | No | On your device | Not stated |
| Scratch Map: Countries Visited (Daniel Nagy) | No | On your devices; optional iCloud sync with your Apple ID | Not stated |
| Onedermap (Tamas Gallo) | Not for the core map; optional for cloud backup | On your device | No: it calls itself a manual tracker |
| Polarsteps (Polarsteps B.V.) | Yes | Your Polarsteps account | Not stated |
| Skratch (Zero Dawn) | Yes | Your Skratch account | Uses camera-roll location for the photos you add |
| Visited (Arriving In High Heels) | Sign-up saves your data on its servers | Its servers, once you sign up | No: its site says it doesn't read photo metadata |
What "no account" tells you, and what it doesn't
An app with no account usually keeps your list on the phone, with your own iCloud for syncing. That rules out a lot: no password to leak, no profile on a company's server, nothing lost if the company changes its plans. Why a travel tracker without an account is worth looking for goes through those risks one by one.
But "no account" isn't the same as "no data collected". An app can skip sign-up and still send analytics. The App Store privacy label is the place to look. On 13 November 2026, as written by each developer:
- Trāce: Data Not Collected.
- Roamprint: Data Not Collected.
- ScratchMap: Travel Tracker: Data Linked to You: Identifiers, Other Data. Not Linked: Location, Usage Data, Diagnostics. Its listing adds that usage and crash data are shared only if you choose.
- Scratch Map: Countries Visited: Data Linked to You: Purchases. Not Linked: Usage Data.
- Onedermap: Data Linked to You: Contact Info, Identifiers, Other Data. Not Linked: Purchases, Search History, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics.
And for the account-based apps:
- Polarsteps: Data Linked to You: Purchases, Financial Info, Location, Contact Info, Contacts, User Content, Search History, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics.
- Skratch: Data Used to Track You: Identifiers, Usage Data. Linked: Purchases, Contact Info, Identifiers, Usage Data. Not Linked: Location, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics.
- Visited: Data Linked to You: Contact Info, Identifiers, Usage Data. Not Linked: Usage Data, Diagnostics.
Labels are the developer's own statement, and Apple notes that it hasn't verified them. They can also change with any update, so look again before you install.
How to check any app in two minutes
- Read the listing for the words. Look for "no account", "no sign-up" or "stays on your device". Vague phrases like "securely stored" usually mean a server.
- Open the App Privacy section. "Data Not Collected" is the strongest answer. "Data Linked to You" with Contact Info often means an account.
- Look for how photos are handled. If the app reads your library, the listing should say whether that happens on the phone and whether anything leaves it.
- Check the first screen. If it asks for an email or a Google or Apple sign-in before you see a map, your list is going to a server.
- Find the way out. An export to a file, such as CSV or KML, means you're never stuck. How to move your visited countries from one app to another shows what to do with one.
What you give up without an account
Being fair to the account-based apps, a server does some things well:
- A new phone, any phone. Sign in on a new phone and your map is back. Without an account you rely on iCloud, so check the app really uses it, and keep your own copy as in how to keep your travel photos safe.
- A web version. Polarsteps, for example, has a website you can log in to. A phone-only app doesn't.
- Following friends. Social feeds and live trip updates need a server. Without one, sharing works by a link or an image.
Where Globestamp fits
Globestamp has no account, no server and no ads. It reads where your photos were taken privately on the iPhone, never uploads them, keeps your data in your iCloud with a backup, and exports CSV, PDF, KML or GeoJSON. Comparing with a friend works by a link, with no account on either side.
Whatever you use, share your map with care: a zoomed-in map or a photo with its location attached can say more than you meant. How to share a photo without its location covers the photo side. And if you'd rather not install anything yet, our country checklist lets you tick off countries by list in the browser.
Trāce, Roamprint, ScratchMap, Scratch Map, Onedermap, Polarsteps, Skratch and Visited are trademarks of their owners; Globestamp is not affiliated with any of them.