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Afterglow vs Polarsteps, Journi & PastBook
Polarsteps, Journi, and PastBook are great at what they do. Afterglow exists for the trip that already happened — the one sitting in your camera roll, done, with nothing left to track.
Comparison as of October 2026
| Feature | Afterglow | Polarsteps | Journi | PastBook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for past trips | Automatic, from photo EXIF | Mostly by hand (on iOS it can suggest past trips from your camera roll, then you finish them by hand) | No journey concept | No journey concept |
| Route as the story's spine | Yes | Tracked trips only | Per-page mini-maps | No maps |
| Writes the story with you | AI interview → journals + captions | Your live journal entries | Captions only | Auto-picked photos only |
| Digital keepsakes | Interactive globe + reel | Trip replay | Not offered | Not offered |
| Book price | From €39, plus shipping | From €45, free shipping | From €22.99 | Free to build, pay to print |
Where they beat us
- Polarsteps is the right choice if you want live tracking while you're actually traveling — Afterglow only starts once the trip is over.
- Journi and PastBook both have longer-established print pipelines and more mature photobook editors today.
How your data is handled
Afterglow reads each photo's EXIF data — its location and time — right in your browser, so you can build your whole route and book before ever creating an account. If you do create an account, your trips back up to a private cloud diary so you can pick up on any device.