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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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Better options than

Marco Polo alternatives

Users often seek alternatives to Marco Polo due to its expensive premium features, frequent glitches, and frustrating notification system. Many feel that essential functionalities are paywalled, leading to a degraded free experience and a search for more reliable and affordable communication apps.

Why users look for alternatives to Marco Polo

The alternatives

Messenger
4.7★ · 12,992,438 ratings · Free

Messenger is a communication app known for its video call quality and ability to connect with friends and family R58. It allows users to play games while on calls R52 and is generally seen as a good platform for communication R60R62.

Better for: Messenger is better for users who prioritize reliable video calls and general communication with friends and family, especially if they enjoy playing games during calls R52R58. It's also suitable for those who need a stable platform for messaging R60.

Head-to-head: Marco Polo vs Messenger
X
4.6★ · 10,859,816 ratings · Free

X (formerly Twitter) is a platform for instant information and open conversation, where users share thoughts and get current news R66R69R72. It allows for broad communication and sharing of content R69.

Better for: X is better for users who want to stay current with information, engage in open conversations, and share their thoughts with a wider audience R66R69. It's less about private video messaging and more about public discourse and news consumption R69.

Head-to-head: Marco Polo vs X
Snapchat
4.5★ · 5,866,765 ratings · Free

Snapchat is an app for connecting with friends through pictures, calls, and chats, offering various filters R86R92. It's known for its bitmoji features and visual communication style R86R92.

Better for: Snapchat is better for users who enjoy visual communication, using filters, and connecting with friends through pictures and calls R86. It's also suitable for those who like the bitmoji features and want a more informal, picture-centric way to chat R92.

Head-to-head: Marco Polo vs Snapchat
Reddit
4.8★ · 3,453,744 ratings · Free

Reddit is a platform for finding reliable information and connecting with communities that share common interests R100R102R106. Users find it easy to use for discovering answers to questions and engaging in discussions R98R102.

Better for: Reddit is better for users seeking reliable information, community discussions, and answers to specific questions R100R102. It's ideal for those who want to explore various topics and connect with like-minded individuals rather than direct video messaging R98R106.

Head-to-head: Marco Polo vs Reddit
Hoop
4.5★ · 683,085 ratings · Free

Hoop is an app where users can connect with others, described as having awesome people on it R111. It's noted for being 13+ R118.

Better for: Hoop is better for users looking to meet new people and connect in a social context R111. It's specifically for a younger audience, being 13+ R118.

Head-to-head: Marco Polo vs Hoop
Stick with Marco Polo if

You should stick with Marco Polo if you value its asynchronous video messaging format for staying in touch with friends and family, especially across different time zones, and find its core functionality of sending and receiving video messages convenient . It's also useful for student presentations due to its flexibility in uploading work .

Evidence note: Hoop has limited reviews, making it difficult to provide a comprehensive pitch grounded in extensive user feedback. Reviews mention issues with messaging and needing to pay to friend people or boost profiles .

Frequently asked

Why are users unhappy with Marco Polo's pricing?
Users are unhappy with Marco Polo's pricing because many features that used to be free or were expected to be free are now paywalled, making the free version very limited R7R9R10R31. The subscription cost is considered too high, with some users stating anything over $30 is unreasonable, especially when they only communicate with one or a few people R12R15R33.
Does Marco Polo have notification issues?
Yes, Marco Polo has significant notification issues, with users reporting that the system sends too many irrelevant notifications, such as when contacts are online or when they are 'all caught up' R1R3. There are limited settings to customize these notifications, leading some users to disable them entirely R1R3. Additionally, some users experience intermittent or delayed message notifications R21R45.
Has Marco Polo removed any key features?
Yes, Marco Polo has removed key features, most notably closed captioning and transcript copy functionality R10R16R19R22. Users, including those with hearing impairments, have expressed strong disappointment and labeled the removal of captions as ableist R16R22. The ability to upload videos and unlimited storage were also mentioned as features that were once available to Plus members but are no longer R10.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R7] Marco Polo 1/5 · US Most features are PAID: Free features are extremely limited. Would rather use WhatsApp than this
  2. [R9] Marco Polo 3/5 · US Cool app won’t pay: Been using Marco Polo for years liked it much better when it was free and they were trying to sell you on a subscription or something. There’s too many other ways to video chat with people that are free so why should I pay a subscription for Marco Polo?
  3. [R18] Marco Polo 3/5 · US Fun app only with the premium: Really fun entertaining app however so many things are locked because I don’t have the premium which is way too expensive. I can’t fast forward videos and I can only react with a couple specific emojis.
  4. [R31] Marco Polo 1/5 · US So EXPENSIVE now. “Free version” terrible.: Stop making excuses. You created a great app and then ruined it by pay walling all of the features. You claim to have a free version, but the free version is so hard to use it’s ridiculous. It’s obvious only there for marketing purposes to catch people and suck them in. Cannot justify at these prices. The current annual price should be a one time forev
  5. [R6] Marco Polo 3/5 · US Great until you pay for it: I have had Marco Polo for a while now, this is how I talk to my best friend everyday. I decided to upgrade to premium because we use it so much that it was worth the money for the features. However, ever since upgrading and now paying the app has severely lacked. When actively talking back and forth most of the time the “live” doesn’t come back until 3-4 minutes into th
  6. [R12] Marco Polo 3/5 · US Great idea: The idea is awesome and is easy to use. Unfortunately it works when it wants to work. Some get deleted for no reason or it’s unable to view. It is free so I wonder if we payed for the subscription if it would work better. I can’t justify the price when I only talk to one person though. If I had a family and more friends on it then it might be worth it. Over all it is a neat way to keep
  7. [R13] Marco Polo 1/5 · US It lags: The video most of the times doesn’t show up
  8. [R21] Marco Polo 3/5 · US Issues: Marco Polo used to be great to use. Anymore, all you get is multiple false notifications saying you have a message. You get delays in a message playing when you have good service and they have good service. You get freezing of Marco Polo messages and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. It is hardly worth the effort to use it now.
  9. [R1] Marco Polo 2/5 · US Terrible notification system: No, I don’t want to be notified in the middle of the day that I’m all caught up. No, I don’t want to know when my contact is online. I just want to know when I receive a message. Thanks to Marco Polo’s extremely limited notification settings, that’s not a possibility.
  10. [R3] Marco Polo 3/5 · US Notifications needs attention: The app will notify you anytime your friends are online. This is way too often, and there’s not a specific setting to turn it off. It’s miserable. So I’ve had to just disable notifications entirely - I review polos whenever now. My friends are adjusting lol
  11. [R45] Marco Polo 3/5 · GB Message notification breaks often: Intermittently notifies you of a message received. This happens on Apple and Samsung phones. You have to keep checking the app for a message.
  12. [R10] Marco Polo 1/5 · US Used to be great, greed ruined it: It’s really a huge disappointment. My whole family loved Marco Polo. It was our preferred method of keeping in touch. We would use the Sharecast feature for video updates of our kids. The ability to upload videos, the unlimited storage, even the transcripts of Polos was great. What was really amazing is that as a Plus member you used to be able to gift temporary P
  13. [R16] Marco Polo 1/5 · US WHY DID YOU REMOVE CLOSED CAPTIONS!!??: My wife is deaf and can only watch our family Polos with captions! Very ableist and a dirty trick by the developers and needs to be reversed! Even people who aren’t deaf or hard of hearing may like this feature to watch a Polo without the sound as to not disturb others. The developers of this app are constantly removing basic features and placing them behin
  14. [R19] Marco Polo 1/5 · US Transcript copy removed from pro: Hopefully this is just a bug, but the absolute best feature and the reason me and my developers where using pro and sharing was the transcript copy feature. This has been removed and it is rather frustrating. We are working around this of course but we are a small hobby team right now with the hope of growing capital in the future.
  15. [R22] Marco Polo 2/5 · US Please bring back closed captioning!: The transcript hasn’t been working and my app removed the closed captioning option so I have no way of reading what my friends are saying! Edit: They replied saying I should reach out to the support team, I already did 6 days ago with no response.
  16. [R15] Marco Polo 3/5 · US Desires in an app: I wish it was free to close the app while listening to the video I want the ability to put the phone in my pocket while listening with my EarPods without the video stopping I also wish it was cheaper to get the premium and even a one time purchase would be great!
  17. [R33] Marco Polo 3/5 · US Make this app more affordable: I like this app, but it would be so much better if you made it a one time charge overall or lowered your price to something more affordable and reasonable. I guarantee if you lowered your prices to something more affordable, then you would see people subscribe for sure. Anything over $30 is very unreasonable, especially during times like this.
  18. [R52] Messenger 4/5 · US good: i like the games you can play while on call. I dont like that you cant play the games unless you’re on the call.
  19. [R58] Messenger 5/5 · US Love messenger: Thank you for your video calls
  20. [R60] Messenger 5/5 · US Messages: Love talking to all my hoes
  21. [R62] Messenger 5/5 · US Messenger: Updates
  22. [R66] X 5/5 · US Always current: I enjoy X more than I should .
  23. [R69] X 5/5 · US I love it: Instant info with all parties sharing their thoughts on a platform aimed for Open Conversation We are the news Sdaniels009 ToreSays Student
  24. [R72] X 5/5 · US Hi: Very interesting
  25. [R86] Snapchat 5/5 · US Snapchat is great!: If you need friends or an app to call and chat, Snapchat is the one for you! There’s so many filters to try on, some funny, some cute!
  26. [R92] Snapchat 4/5 · US What I think they should add: I’ve been using Snapchat for a while. I really like the bitmoji stuff. I know the app is more about pictures and staying connected but there are some things I would like for them to add to bitmoji. I would like for there to be separate back hair, and front hair options, different layers of clothing in separate sections and a bit more diversity with their hair style an
  27. [R98] Reddit 5/5 · US reddit: new to reddit and most social media i found this to be extremely easy to use!
  28. [R100] Reddit 5/5 · US Reliable info.: I could trust Reddit more than Google or Ai, as it provides real and reliable info without selling pressure
  29. [R102] Reddit 5/5 · US Amazing: Reddit is the biggest lifesaver any question you have people can help you answer it I do a lot of fish camping and I had lots of questions. Why my water was this or is this OK and people would reply back saying whatever
  30. [R106] Reddit 5/5 · US Here’s the deal…: I find comfort in knowing that others ‘get it’ (anti trump).
  31. [R111] Hoop 5/5 · US Good: App is really good and awesome ppl are on the app love it!
  32. [R118] Hoop 3/5 · US Actually, great app really great app. I love it.: This app is so amazing because it’s 13+

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store