This Marco Polo app review for travelers covers the top features, pros, and cons of the video messaging app
This is an honest Marco Polo App review for travelers. Marco Polo is a video app that lets you share video messages one-on-one and group threads. The app offers free and paid subscriptions, and both versions offer what you need to stay connected with loved ones while you’re traveling.
As a frequent and long-time traveler, Marco Polo is one of the best apps I’ve found for keeping in touch with close friends during trips and at home. The private video messages keep you feeling close to your favorite people from wherever you are currently located.
Because the app is strictly video messages held in a simple thread, it gives the vibe of listening to a friend’s podcasts made just for you. Just a couple clicks and you’re sharing your thoughts (or your amazing travel views) with your favorite humans.
In this review I’ll share Marco Polo’s main features, my favorite pros, and the main things I would change about it. Let’s dive in.
Marco Polo App Review Bottom Line
In my opinion, Marco Polo has far more pros than cons. It’s simple, user friendly features as easy to adapt to. I also find it easier to feel connected to people when I talk through videos rather than texting or social media. It’s similar to the difference between Face Timing and texting. Face Timing feels more personal and connected.
Features include simple user experience, easy video messages, audio with your phone closed (like a podcast!), and worthwhile paid features.
Pros:
- Immediate connections while traveling
- Build even deeper friendships
- Good free and paid features
- Feels like listening to a podcast from friends
Cons:
- Need to be aware of current privacy settings
- May get notified that friends are on the app (this can be turned off)
The bottom line is that the app is worthwhile to try out, and the free version is great. You can also get two free months of Marco Polo Plus pass here without a credit card required.
Let’s dive into a deeper look at the topics discussed above.
Marco Polo App Features
The Simplest Video Messaging App Out There
The video features are so simple you don’t even need a tutorial. It only takes 30 seconds to learn the app. I’ve tried so many different video and text tools over the years during travels, and I keep reaching for Marco Polo at the end of the day.
For trips where you’re traveling and switching time zones, you can still feel connected by sending a few minutes of video recapping your day or talking about what you have planned.
You hop on the app, select the thread you want to send a message to, and send a video of any length. If your wifi is spotty the app auto updates to share your message once you reach better reception and have the app open.
Just press record on the blue and white camera button, talk at the camera or flip it to show what you’re looking at, and hit the button to end your message when finished. People can watch in real time, but the camera is not two way, so any video they send at the same time goes into the line up of videos. Your video is automatically sent when you end the recording.
These short video messages are saved directly to the app so you can go back and watch them any time. They are ordered chronologically in the feed of each chat.
Listen to Audio with App Closed
Marco Polo acts like a video walkie-talkie. Just set your phone down and listen to other’s messages while you’re doing other things. If you have a Marco Polo Plus Pass you can shut your phone screen or have another screen on your phone open while you listen.
Most of us are multitasking on our phones, specially while traveling. The ability to have the Marco Polo app closed while you’re doing other things has come in handy for me since I switched to a paid plan in 2023. This feature is a nice add to the Marco Polo Plus paid membership.
Quick and Easy to Use
If you just have a couple people you want to connect with you simply send an invite through the app. The platform is as public or private as you want it to be. I should note this review is strictly from an adult standpoint, and I haven’t used the app with kids so I don’t have experience in that regard.
You can download the app on the iPhone App Store and Android Google Play Store for free. Currently it is supported for phone use on Android version 8.1 and above and Apple (iOS) version 15 and above.
The video is a decent quality, and I’ve never had issues with grainy videos. At times my video will freeze if I record with poor wifi or reception, but it uploads again once I have data bandwidth or wifi.
Access to Useful Free App Features
You have a free and paid option with Marco Polo, and both are very usable. Honestly you can use the free one and get all benefits of the app. The paid version does have some nice extras that enhance the listening experience.
The free version lets you send video messages to individuals and groups and have different chats. That’s pretty great, and if you’re looking to build deeper connections and stay in touch with people while traveling, its really all you need.
Access to Useful Paid Features
The Marco Polo Plus subscription plan, called Marco Polo Plus, lets you listen to audio with your screen off (think Spotify), take notes while watching videos, react with emojis, speed up audio settings up to 2x speed, and replay parts of videos.
The payments are on a monthly or annual subscription, and you can get two months of Marco Polo Plus for free (without adding credit card details). There is also a Marco Polo Plus Family Plan. It gives you all the benefits of the Plus subscription, with an additional 5 profiles to share with loved ones.
Both free and paid versions are ad free (one of my favorite things about Marco Polo). Both versions let you watch old videos, and link your phone’s contacts. There are unlimited chats available for both versions.
Pros and Cons of Marco Polo
Pro: Easily Stay Connected with Your Favorite Humans While Traveling
This app is so simple that anyone you want to stay connected to while traveling can easily download it and use it. With essentially two button clicks, you’re in the app in your chosen message thread sending high res videos to anyone you want.
I love to use Marco Polo during trips to share about my day or film something cool I’m looking at at the moment. Something about video captures the moment and lets loved one’s experience it with you in a much more intimate way than just texting.
Pro: Build Deeper Friendships Through Travel
Traveling is exciting, and it can also get lonely. Video chats with loved ones are one way I like to feel like I’m not alone. Lining up schedules to Face Time can be tough across time zones. Marco Polo is a great solution.
Marco Polo is also useful when you don’t have access to strong wifi for Face Time or phone calls to talk to someone in real time. It is better than simple text messages because you can watch people’s video messages at any time and replay them as much as you want.
The app’s user interface is simple to use especially for anyone who’s stressed out by social media’s changes and notifications. Very different from Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook which feel draining and distracting.
Pro: Like listening to a Podcast from Friends (Paid Version)
Marco Polo is like the best of group chats without the bombardment of messages. You can basically listen to friends like you’re listening to your favorite podcast. I even tell my friends to send me videos (we call them polos) on travel days so I can listen while I’m on the go.
Pro: Both Free and Paid Versions of the App are High Value
The free version has everything you need to video message loved ones, and there are no ads. At the same time, the premium version is a great deal. I share the family Plus Pass with some of my closest friends and the closed screen listening option was a main selling point for me.
The company’s mission is to connect people, so their updates are consistently high value, nothing is added to get more money out of users.
Opinion: What I Would Add to the Marco Polo App
I had to think long and hard about this because nothing came to mind immediately. The app is rolling out some amazing beta features. Their updates are very user-centric.
I’m such an advocate for the app, but I think because other social and messaging apps can be quite abusive to users over time, some people are hesitant to add one more app to their phones. My biggest challenge with the app is convincing more of my loved ones to give it a try.
I appreciate that the app is a female founded company with the mission of building connections. You can tell this in how the app was designed with an ad-free interface, privacy features, and no random ways for people who you don’t know to send you video messages.
It feels like a safe place to connect with friends and family members. Which is the reason I keep using it year after year.
What Negative Reviews say About Marco Polo – Video Chat
End-to-end Encryption and Security Practices
I found websites that raise concerns about end-to-end encryption and data privacy. The bottom line: Marco Polo seems to encrypt messages enroute. But they keep the messages stored on their servers. I have seen Marco Polo get flack for this online, yet Facebook, Instagram, and others also store user information. I’m not saying that is a good thing, just that it is a common thing.
If you’re erasing the app and want to make sure your data is deleted, the advice I see online is to erase everything on your account before erasing your Marco Polo account. Especially if you are going to switch phone numbers. This is because Marco Polo accounts are connected to and set up with your unique phone number.
At the end of the day, I think each of us needs to be aware of how our data is used (and at times abused) and the potential dangers so we know what we are comfortable sharing or downloading.
Notifications About Contacts
I feel like this is a common practice that all apps use, and I agree its a little redundant and annoying to get prompted to connect with your phone contacts.
You can visit your account settings to change some privacy settings. These include being excluded from Contact Activity Updates (notifying others when you’re online), restricting others from downloading your videos, and hide when you’re active. If you are erasing the app or changing phone numbers, you should probably delete your chat history fully.
Marco Polo App Review Bottom Line
If you’re tired of using social media platforms to stay in touch while traveling, give Marco Polo a try. In my opinion it is a great app whether you have the free or paid version, the paid version offers additional listening and reaction features that make the experience even more engaging. The app is an easy way to build deeper connections, something I can’t say about any other platform I’ve tried.
There are other popular messaging app options for sure, and I’ve downloaded most of them over the years. From Skype in 2011 to pretty much every major video tool up to 2025, I keep coming back to Marco Polo as the best way to stay in touch.
If you’re curious about trying the Marco Polo App for your next adventure (or just in general) then you can use my Marco Polo Plus Pass for 2 FREE months of a Marco Polo Plus. This is the app’s paid membership with the features I mentioned above. No credit card needed to sign up.
If you want recommendations on other travel apps, check out the top music apps to listen to music on a plane.
Here’s to happy travels! Visit my blog for all things upscale travel and adventures.
