What was it?
Location-based social check-in app. Beautiful illustrated stamps for places. Foursquare's main rival. Acquired by Facebook in 2011.
What happened?
Facebook acquired Gowalla's team in late 2011, shut the app down March 2012. Founder Josh Williams attempted a 2021 revival, also failed by 2023.
Migration Guide
Foursquare Swarm (still alive), Google Maps Timeline, or Polarsteps for travel logging.
Timeline & context
Gowalla acquired & killed in March 2012, 14 years ago. It sat in the design category, where Soft.xyz tracks 7 discontinued products in total. If you are still running it in production, the migration path above is the shortest route off it.
FAQ
Why did Gowalla shut down?
Facebook acquired Gowalla's team in late 2011, shut the app down March 2012. Founder Josh Williams attempted a 2021 revival, also failed by 2023.
What should I migrate Gowalla to?
No drop-in replacement is tracked yet — check the design category for current options.
Is there a free alternative to Gowalla?
Not among the tracked alternatives.