Polarsteps Plus features are designed to work even when not everyone in a trip group is subscribed. Here's what you can do and see, depending on whether you're a Plus member and whether you're the trip owner, a travel buddy, or following the trip.
Plus features overview
| Feature | Plus members | Travel Buddies (free users) | Followers (free user) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus map styles | Choose any Plus or free map style | See the style the Plus member set. Can switch between that and free styles. | Same as Travel Buddy |
| 3D map and 3D Play view mode | Enable on any trip you own, are a buddy on, or follow | See the view mode the Plus member set. Buddies can switch back to 2D. | Same as Travel Buddy |
| Elevation profile | Enable on trips you own or are a Travel Buddy on | Visible if a Plus member enabled it. Others can disable it, but can't re-enable. | Not shown — elevation isn't displayed when viewing others' trips |
| Step stats | Turn on for any step on trips you own or are a buddy on | Visible on existing steps. When you create a new step, Step stats is off by default — only a Plus member can turn it on. | Visible if enabled by the Plus member |
| Adding up to 10 Travel Buddies | Invite up to 10 Travel Buddies | If there is at least one Plus member in the trip group, they can invite via the shared link, up to 10 total | n/a |
| Plus Travel Books discount | 20% discount applies to all Travel Book orders | No discount applies | n/a |
| Plus badge on your profile | Yes | No | No |
Good to know
Your local changes stay on your device. If you're a free user and you switch a Plus map style back to a free one, that change is saved for your device only. It doesn't change what other people see, and it doesn't affect the Plus member's settings.
Plus members can override settings on others' trips too. If you're a Plus member following or joining someone else's trip, you can switch the map style or view mode to anything you like. That preference is saved locally for that specific trip.
The elevation profile is always hidden for followers. This applies whether you're a Plus member or not — it's a technical limitation of viewing someone else's trip.
Step stats behave a little differently when creating steps. If you're a Free user collaborating on a trip that has a Plus member, new steps you create will have step stats turned off. The Plus member on the trip can open the step and turn it on.