Places I Go vs Google Maps Saved Lists
Saving a place isn't the same as remembering it.
Google Maps lists are a quick way to star a place, and each saved place can carry a note. What a list doesn't keep is the history: when you went, what you ordered, and whether it was any good. A few years in, it's a graveyard of pins you can't remember saving.
A saved place vs. every visit
Google Maps Timeline, if you turn it on, records the places you went. In Places I Go, every place has a history of the visits you log, and each visit gets its own rating, review, and photos, so you can see whether a place has held up — or slipped — over time.
Your own rating for every dish
Rate individual items — the dish, the hotel bed, the mechanic's service — and each one gets its own chart over time, so you know exactly what to order next time.
Your ratings stay private
Google Maps says reviews, photos, and ratings are public, and you can't post them privately. Places I Go has no public profiles: your ratings and reviews are visible only to you unless you share them.
Sharing with the people you choose
Google Maps lists can be private, shared by link, or public. Places I Go shares with friends you add by email, and every share shows a preview where you toggle exactly what's included.
More Than a List
What you can do with your own history in Places I Go.
Trips
Group visits into trips with a map, timeline, and stats like stops, days, and miles. Road trips get real door-to-door driving distances, and shared trips stay in sync for everyone on them.
GeoInsights
See every country, state, and region you've visited on a map, with visit counts and year-by-year filters.
Insights
Saved searches built from your own ratings, tags, distance, and dates: “Where's my best-rated pizza within 5 miles?” or “Which places did I visit this year?”
Item ratings over time
Rate the dish, the hotel bed, or the mechanic's parts cost, and every item gets a chart, so you can see what's stayed great.
Visits with friends
Invite a friend to a visit and their ratings, photos, and notes appear alongside yours, so the memory stays in one place.
Friends' picks on your map
Spots your friends vouched for show up on your map with a thumbs-up pin, right next to your own places.
Share exactly what you choose
Share a place, a trip, or a GeoInsights view with a preview that lets you toggle what's included. Nothing goes out until you approve it.
Your own tags and filters
Tag by cuisine, occasion, neighborhood, or service type, then filter by tag or by rating.
Chains as one place
Aggregated Places rolls every location of a chain into one profile, so you can compare locations on a map.
Beyond restaurants
Hotels, mechanics, plumbers, and other service providers, so you know exactly who to call next time.
Apple Watch and iPad
Log visits from your wrist, ask Siri to find a saved place, and use multiple windows on iPad.
Export, and no ads
Export your places, visits, ratings, and reviews as a JSON file anytime. No ads, and no data harvesting.
When Google Maps is the better fit
Google Maps is free, works on Android and the web, and is great for discovering places through public reviews, but any review, photo, or rating you post there is public too. Places I Go is an iPhone and iPad app with a 30-day free trial. It has no ads and doesn't sell your data, so subscriptions are how it's paid for. You can use both: Google Maps to find a place, Places I Go to remember it privately.
| Feature | Google Maps | Places I Go |
|---|---|---|
| Saved places | Lists, each place with an optional note | Places with every visit: date, rating, review, photos, and rated items |
| Where you've been | Timeline, if you turn it on, records places you visited | The visits you log, with Trips, GeoInsights maps, and Insights |
| Your ratings | Public reviews | Private unless you share them |
| Sharing | Private, shared by link, or public lists | Friends you choose, with a preview of what's shared |
| Platforms | iPhone, Android, and web | iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch |
| Price | Free | 30-day free trial, then a subscription |
Google Maps is a trademark of Google LLC. Places I Go is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google. Google Maps details are from Google Maps Help as of October 2026 and may change.
Common Questions
Are my ratings in Places I Go public?
No. You can share your places, visits, or trips with your friends, but no one else can see them. There are no public profiles.
Do I have to stop using Google Maps?
No. You can keep using Google Maps to find new places and use Places I Go to remember the ones you've been to.
Is Places I Go free?
It's free for 30 days, with no credit card needed. After that it's a subscription. See Pricing.
Remember Every Place You Go
30 days free. No credit card required.
