If you've been using Polarsteps for years, you might be wondering what Polarsteps Plus means for you. The short answer: the free app stays free, and you can choose Plus if it feels like it's something for you.
What's staying free
Everything you've been using on Polarsteps is still free. That includes:
- Tracking your trip, adding steps, uploading as many photos and videos as you want
- Sharing your trip with your followers, the public, or keeping it private.
- Your Travel Stats, the scratch map, generating Trip Reels
- Planning your trip, generating your itinerary and adding planned steps
- Following trips of your loved ones
- The Explore tab and Activity tab, browsing others' trips and following your loved ones
Your account, your trips, and your data are all still there exactly as they were.
What's new with Plus?
Plus is a new optional subscription that adds new features including step stats, 3d maps, map styles, elevation data, discounted Travel Books, and more. It's entirely optional. If it's not for you, the free Polarsteps experience remains unchanged.
For the full list of Plus features and pricing, please see polarsteps.com/plus
What about my followers?
Whether you're a Plus member or not, your followers will continue to receive the same updates on your trip and can follow along as usual.
If you are a Plus member, you may choose to enable Plus features such as step statistics or different map styles for your trip. Some features will be visible to your followers, even if they are not a Plus member themselves.
For more information about what Plus means for followers or Travel Buddies, please see How Polarsteps Plus works for Travel buddies and followers
What about my existing trips and data?
Your trip data is safe and stays free. Trips you've created, photos you've uploaded, places you've logged — all of it remains in your account whether you subscribe to Plus or not. We will not put your existing data behind a paywall.
To see what happens to the Plus features after your subscription ends, please check What happens if my Plus subscription ends?
Why are we introducing Plus?
Polarsteps has grown a lot over the years, and we want to keep building the kind of app experience our community asks for. Crucially, we want to do that without filling the app with ads or selling data. Plus gives those who want to a way to support our work and unlock additional features while doing so. For more info please check out this message from our CEO.
Is there a free trial or discount for long-time users?
We currently do not have any free trials or discounts for long-time users. If you are planning to order a Travel Book after your trip, then it might be worth considering our annual Plus subscription. It includes an immediate 20% discount on all your Travel Book orders. If you already intended to make your Travel Book anyway, it essentially means you can get Plus at a discount.
Questions or feedback?
We know that introducing a paid subscription is a moment that matters to our community. If you have thoughts — positive or critical — we want to hear them. Please let us know through our contact form.