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Choose TripLog if you need business-mileage records, reimbursement reports, expense tools, or accounting connections. Choose Google Maps Timeline if your goal is to remember where you went and when. Milepost cannot be ranked fairly from the currently documented material: its privacy policy explains data handling, but does not establish its tracking features, reports, supported platforms, or prices.
That distinction matters. A personal location history can help you reconstruct a journey, but it is not automatically a tax-ready mileage log. The sections below separate automatic capture, classification, reporting, privacy, cost, and the steps required to keep records you can actually use.
Quick comparison
| App | Best documented use | Automatic capture | Business reports and expenses | Price information in current sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TripLog | Business mileage, reimbursement, and expense workflows | Unlimited automatic GPS mileage tracking on the free Basic plan | Paid Premium adds reporting, receipt OCR, classification rules, cloud backup, web access, and accounting integrations | Basic is free; Premium is listed at $59.99 per year ($4.99 per month billed annually) on a US pricing page; optional Drive is $79.99 and Beacon is $19.99 |
| Google Maps Timeline | Personal history of places, routes, and travel modes | Opt-in device location history | No documented tax or reimbursement-report workflow in the cited Google help material | No separate Timeline price is stated |
| Milepost | Privacy and account-data handling are documented; product use is not sufficiently documented here | Not established in the available product documentation | Not established in the available product documentation | Not established in the available product documentation |
TripLog’s prices are volatile US figures shown by its publisher, so check the live plan page, currency, taxes, and eligibility before paying. The table does not treat Google Timeline as a mileage-reimbursement product, and it does not infer Milepost capabilities from a privacy policy.
What kind of driving record do you need?
Business mileage and reimbursement
For an employer reimbursement claim, client invoice, or tax work, you generally need more than a line on a map. You may need a distance total, date, origin and destination, business purpose, work-versus-personal classification, corrections, and an export or report that can be retained with receipts. TripLog’s documented Premium workflow is the only option in this comparison that explicitly combines mileage tracking with expenses, reports, receipt capture, cloud backup, a web app, and accounting integrations.
#1 Best Overall
Personal route memory
Google Maps Timeline is designed as a personal history of visits and routes. Google says it can show travel modes such as driving, walking, biking, or public transport. That is useful for answering “Where did I go last Tuesday?” but the documented purpose is location history, not an official mileage statement. You should not assume that a Timeline distance can be submitted as a tax or reimbursement record without checking the rules that apply to you and maintaining any required supporting log.
Privacy-first manual logging
If you do not want continuous location collection, a paper mileage log or a local spreadsheet remains a valid alternative. You enter the trip yourself and keep the record under your control, at the cost of remembering every journey and calculating totals manually. TripLog describes its free plan as a way to move away from paper logs, which confirms the practical trade-off: automation saves effort, while manual logging minimizes background location capture.
TripLog: the strongest documented business workflow
What Basic includes
TripLog’s current pricing page describes Basic as free and including unlimited automatic GPS mileage tracking plus basic expense management. “Unlimited” here is the vendor’s plan description; it is not an independent test of battery life, accuracy, or reliability. Confirm that the current Basic terms still apply in your country before relying on it for a reporting period.
What Premium adds
The same page lists these Premium capabilities:
- Unlimited reporting.
- OCR receipt capture.
- Web-app access.
- Automatic classification rules for work and personal trips.
- Cloud backup.
- Bank and credit-card integration.
- Connections to QuickBooks Online and SAP Concur.
The listed annual price is $59.99, displayed as $4.99 per month when billed annually. The page presents this as a US price and plans can change, so verify the amount, renewal terms, taxes, and whether each integration is available to your account.
Rank #2
- KEEP PERFECT RECORDS: Adams Vehicle Mileage and Expense Journals help you log business use of your car or truck with year start and year end odometer readings and flawless daily records
- GET THE BEST DEDUCTION: 588 entries capture the date, odometer readings, total miles and business purpose—everything you need to document business use for the IRS
- SUMMARIES MAKE TAX TIME EASY: Annual summary pages hold monthly mile totals to calculate percentage of business use; monthly maintenance totals help you deduct unreimbursed vehicle expenses
- INCLUDES 6 RECEIPT POCKETS: Don’t forget to save receipts; you get 2 double-sided pockets for oil changes and other service; 2 pockets for repairs, and 2 pockets for parking and tolls
- KEEP IT IN THE CAR: This portable 5-1/4 x 8-1/4 booklet was meant to travel with you; keep one in each glove compartment for a complete record of business use
Optional hardware
TripLog also lists a TripLog Drive device at $79.99 each and a TripLog Beacon at $19.99 each when accessed. TripLog describes Drive as a dedicated GPS mileage logger and Beacon as a USB-powered Bluetooth beacon that triggers tracking. Neither device is documented as required for the phone app, and neither should be assumed to work with Google Timeline or Milepost.
How TripLog calculates distance
TripLog’s help center says the accumulated distance is calculated from device GPS information collected each second and summed over the trip. It stores route-drawing points less frequently; the highest-resolution setting it describes is two minutes between collected points. Consequently, the visible route can contain straight segments even when the accumulated distance uses more frequent readings. This is TripLog’s explanation, not an independent accuracy benchmark. Treat unusual totals as records to review rather than proof that any mileage app is exact.
Data-safety disclosures
The Google Play listing for TripLog describes background automatic tracking, classification, and expense/report functions. Its developer-provided data-safety section says the app does not share data with third parties, may collect location and personal information among other categories, encrypts data in transit, and permits deletion requests. These are declarations by the developer, not an independent security certification. Review the current store disclosure and your organization’s data-retention policy before enabling background tracking.
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How Timeline works
Google says Timeline records visits and routes after you opt in. When enabled, precise device location is regularly saved to the device, including when Google apps are not open. Timeline is accessed in the Google Maps mobile app. Google states that Maps on a computer does not provide Timeline because the data comes directly from the device.
Rank #3
- KEEP DETAILED RECORDS OF THE CAR'S MILEAGE - This mileage log book for car, whether you are a professional driver who needs accurate mileage reimbursement records, or you just want to track your personal vehicle usage, our mileage log book is the perfect choice for you
- UNIQUE DESIGN - The vehicle mileage log book with spiral binding for truck drivers has 1732 entries to meet your needs. Each entry has space to log date, depart time, odometer readings, business & personal miles, purpose, vehicle info, start location & destination and expenses.
- MORE FUNCTIONS - Auto mileage log book help you keep track of mileage, expenses, gas consumption, lubrication, repairs & accessories, annual summary, contacts, important dates and notes.
- HIGH QUALITY - This mileage log book for business or personal, mileage logbook size of 5.8" x 8.5", just the perfectly size to fit in your backpack, purse or laptop case. Is used to high quality 100gsm pure white paper, elastic band and a back pocket for extra space.
- THE PERFECT GIFT - This driving log book can effectively organize and track your work or life, give it to your children, friends, family as a gift for Birthday| Easter|Children's Day|Halloween|Thanksgiving|Christmas|Back to school and New Year's Day.
Version requirements
Google’s Android help page lists Maps version 11.106 or later and says Android Go is unsupported. Its iPhone and iPad page lists Maps version 6.93 or later. App requirements can change, so check the help page and the app store listing on the device you will use.
Turn Timeline on and review a trip
- Open Google Maps on your phone and open your profile menu.
- Enter Your Timeline and follow the prompt to enable Timeline, if it is off.
- Choose a date in the Timeline view to inspect recorded visits, routes, and travel modes.
- Correct a visit or route when Maps has identified the wrong place or mode; Google provides editing controls in the Timeline view.
- Export or retain the information you need before changing phones or deleting the app.
Timeline is off by default, so no history is recorded until you enable it. Editing a route can improve your personal recollection, but it does not turn Timeline into a certified mileage report.
Backup, deletion, and export
Backup is a separate, per-device choice. Google describes the server copy as encrypted and says it can be imported onto a replacement device. Backup changes may take a few days to appear, and Google’s help page says backup requires auto-delete to be turned off. Export instructions are provided by Google; on iOS, the documented export file is location-history.json.
You can edit or delete visits and routes. Google’s iPhone and iPad guidance says that deleting Google Maps or factory-resetting the device deletes Timeline data from that device. Verify your current backup and export state before deleting the app, resetting a phone, or handing it to someone else. A backup setting is not a substitute for keeping a separate copy when records matter.
Milepost: what is documented, and what is not
Privacy policy findings
Milepost’s privacy policy, last updated May 28, 2026, says the service collects account data such as your email address and name, trip data including routes, stops, and notes, and payment data handled by Stripe without storing card numbers. It says PostHog usage analytics are collected only with consent, lists providers used to operate the service, and says account-tied data persists while the account exists.
The policy says deleting the account in settings removes the data. You can decline or change analytics consent in settings, and the policy says the service honors browser Do Not Track. These are policy statements, not an independent audit of implementation or a measurement of the app’s GPS behavior.
Why a feature verdict would be premature
The available Milepost material does not establish its automatic-tracking method, correction tools, business classification, reports, integrations, supported platforms, or prices. Do not select it on the assumption that it matches TripLog or Timeline. Before committing records to Milepost, read its current product and pricing pages, confirm whether it supplies the exact export and retention controls you need, and check which devices and permissions it requires.
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Privacy and control differences
Where location data lives
With Google Timeline enabled, precise location is regularly saved to the device, even when Google apps are closed. Optional encrypted backup creates a server copy for recovery. TripLog’s Premium page advertises cloud backup, while its app-store disclosure describes collection of location and personal information. Milepost’s policy describes account-linked trip data and deletion through account settings. These models are not interchangeable: on-device history, optional backup, and cloud-connected business records create different exposure and recovery choices.
Best Value
- Sold as 1 EA.
- Mandatory records for all who use their automobile for business purposes. Records mileage, parking fees and tolls.
- Features a detachable year-end summary for tax advisor.
- Undated-start any time.
- Good for one full year.
Questions to answer before enabling tracking
- Do you need a report that separates business and personal miles, or only a memory of places visited?
- Will an employer, accountant, or auditor require an export, receipt attachment, or accounting integration?
- Can you accept background location collection while the app is not open?
- Do you need recovery after a lost phone, and are you willing to enable cloud backup?
- How will you delete or export records when you close the account or change devices?
Choosing and setting up the right option
Choose TripLog when workflow is the priority
- Start with Basic if you need automatic GPS mileage and basic expenses without a subscription.
- Record several trips and inspect how work and personal journeys are classified before a reporting deadline.
- Move to Premium when you need reports, OCR receipts, web access, cloud backup, rules, or the listed accounting connections.
- Review every automatically classified trip and correct purpose, start, end, and distance details before exporting.
- Consider Drive or Beacon only if their dedicated logging or trigger behavior solves a problem your phone setup has; they are optional hardware.
Choose Timeline when recollection is the priority
- Update Google Maps to the applicable Android or iOS version and confirm that the device is supported.
- Enable Timeline deliberately, understanding that precise location will be saved to the device in the background.
- Open the mobile Timeline view after important journeys to correct places and travel modes.
- Enable encrypted backup only if recovery is worth creating a server copy; turn off auto-delete as required by Google’s backup guidance.
- Export
location-history.jsonon iOS, or use Google’s current export instructions, before deleting the app or resetting the phone.
Choose Milepost only after feature verification
- Read the current Milepost product page rather than relying on the privacy policy.
- Confirm automatic capture, manual correction, business/personal labels, exports, report formats, platform support, and pricing.
- Check how long trip data remains, how account deletion works, and whether analytics consent can be changed.
- Test a representative trip and export before making it your primary record.
Accuracy, battery, and recordkeeping cautions
No source here provides an independent test of mileage accuracy, battery drain, or reliability for any of the three options. TripLog’s own explanation distinguishes high-frequency distance calculations from lower-frequency map points; Google describes Timeline as a history of visits and routes; Milepost’s policy does not describe measurement behavior. Keep a contemporaneous note of unusual detours, parking movements, toll roads, or trips made with location disabled so you can reconcile a report later.
For tax or reimbursement use, preserve the original export, receipts, and any edits according to your employer’s or tax authority’s retention rules. A map history alone may omit the business purpose or supporting documentation those rules require. If continuous tracking is unacceptable, use a paper log with date, starting and ending odometer readings, destination, purpose, and business miles, then total it regularly.
Bottom line
TripLog is the best-supported choice here for a business mileage workflow because its documented plans cover automatic mileage, expenses, reports, receipts, classification, web access, backup, and integrations. Google Maps Timeline is the better fit for opt-in personal travel history, provided you understand its on-device storage, optional encrypted backup, mobile-only access, and deletion consequences. Milepost deserves a privacy review, but the available documentation is not enough to call it a comparable mileage tracker or to recommend it over either documented alternative.
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