9 Feb
2010
I have spent some time over the past month playing with location check-in games Foursquare and Gowalla. They are pretty similar, but have some vital differences that make choosing pretty easy.
The first comparison is the interface. Foursquare doesn't do well here. While not ugly as such, the UI gives the impression is has been designed by an engineer. It's perfectly navigable, but isn't pleasing on the eye. Gowalla on the other hand looks very pretty. Both are fast and intuitive enough, but I would much rather be looking at Gowalla each day.
Gowalla also wins on creating check-in points. It's very easy to do on both, but when your GPS signal info isn't quite up to scratch, Gowalla makes it very easy to update in their web interface. When you add further details to Foursquare check-in points, it can make them vastly more inaccurate. The only way to sort this is to contact Foursquare themselves to make the change. Very Web 1.0! My only minor gripe with Gowalla is that their categorisation system doesn't seem to have enough options.
As for the game itself, Foursquare seems very competitive. It's about making your way up a league table agains your friends, while Gowalla is about collecting and sharing. It's a matter of personal taste, but I much prefer the later.
With Gowalla winning on all three of these tests you would think it would make my decision for me. unfortunately for Gowalla there is one more test. How many of my friends are on it. Foursquare wins hands down on this test and until that changes, I'll have to put up with the shortcomings of an otherwise inferior experience.
Winner: Foursquare
