The Best Forest Alternatives for Location Sharing Without the Creep Factor

Forest is a unique app designed to answer a simple question: "who's there?" It focuses on places rather than people, letting you see who's at work, home, or your favorite coffee shop without sacrificing privacy. However, if you're looking for different features, broader platform support, or simply exploring other options in the realm of location sharing, several excellent Forest alternatives offer similar functionality with their own unique twists.

Top Forest Alternatives

Whether you prioritize real-time tracking, social networking, or focused group sharing, there's a Forest alternative out there for you. Here are some of the best options:

foursquare

Foursquare helps you explore your city and discover new places. While it's more focused on discovery and less on a simple "who's here?" answer like Forest, its location-based and social networking features, available on Free, Web, Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Telegram, Windows Phone, Apple Watch, Kindle Fire, and Pebble, make it a compelling alternative for those who enjoy sharing their whereabouts and finding others.

Glympse

Glympse is an excellent Forest alternative for safe, real-time location sharing without the need for sign-ups or social networks. You can easily send a Glympse to anyone via email or SMS, making it perfect for quick, temporary sharing. It's available on Free, Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Android Tablet, Windows Phone, iPad, Android Wear, and Kindle Fire, offering robust GPS Location Tracking and real-time features.

Zenly

Zenly provides a live map of your friends and family, making it a fun way to connect and see what everyone is up to. Similar to Forest's focus on presence, Zenly offers real-time location sharing with a social network aspect. It's available on Free, Android, iPhone, and Apple Messages, featuring GPS Location Tracking, location-based interactions, and a unique map experience.

Pathshare

Pathshare is a beautifully designed app for real-time path sharing, making it a safe and simple Forest alternative for knowing where your friends are. Available on Free, Web, Android, iPhone, and Android Tablet, it offers GPS Location Tracking, group collaboration, location-based features, and real-time updates within a social network context.

Miataru

Miataru, meaning "be found" or "to come across" in Japanese, is an open-source set of tools for location tracking. As a Free and Open Source option available on iPhone, Miataru provides a more technical and customizable Forest alternative for users who want to control how they track and share locations, focusing purely on GPS Location Tracking.

GeoCha

GeoCha is a local interaction platform that supports transient events, local chats, publishing, exchange, and collaboration. While not a direct "who's there" app like Forest, its focus on location-based interactions and points of interest (POI) makes it an interesting Free and Web-based alternative for connecting with people based on shared physical spaces.

When.me

When.me connects your social circles to what's happening in your life, when it's happening. This Free iPhone app offers location-based features and social networking, providing an alternative to Forest for those who want to share their activities and presence with friends and family in real-time.

Hello

Hello transforms your daily journey into a shareable story, which can be kept private or shared with friends and family. This Free iPhone app is a location-based social network that allows you to track activities and share your experiences, making it a good Forest alternative for more narrative and activity-focused presence sharing.

Jigglist

Jigglist is a mobile messaging service designed to help friends get together in a simple and fun way. As an evolution of location-based services, this Free iPhone app acts as a social network that helps coordinate meetups, making it a practical Forest alternative for those who want to know who's around for spontaneous gatherings.

Minutes Away Social simplifies event coordination by allowing users to create events, invite guests, and track their real-time location and ETA. Available on Free, Windows, Android, iPhone, and iPad, it's a powerful Forest alternative for group meetups, featuring Google Maps integration, live push notifications, and even weather alerts.

Ultimately, the best Forest alternative depends on your specific needs, whether it's simple presence awareness, detailed real-time tracking, or a robust social networking platform. Explore these options to find the perfect fit for staying connected with your friends and family.