Comparison

Cluster vs Marco Polo

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Cluster

Create private groups to share photos and videos with specific people. Ideal for families, friends, or colleagues to share moments securely without broadcasting to a wider audience. Access your shared memories across mobile devices and the web.

Highlights
  • Create private sharing groups
  • Share photos and videos
  • Invite specific members
  • Web and mobile access
  • Relevant notifications
  • Secure and private sharing
Features
Read full description

* Featured as “New and Noteworthy” by Apple * Cluster makes it possible to create private groups where you share moments through photos and videos with the people you care about. Create a group with family, a group of friends, coworkers, people from your home town, or anyone else! Great for: • New Moms! Share photos of a new baby with close friends and family without spamming everyone on other social networks • College Students! Share memories with friends not appropriate for Facebook • Families! Keep in touch even if you’re not in the same place. Tons of people already trust Cluster. Here’s why: • Private & secure: Only invited members of the group can see what you post. • An app for everyone: Access Cluster through gorgeous mobile apps and the web. • Relevant notifications: Know when people you invited post new things to the group. How it works: 1. Create a group. 2. Add the people you care about. 3. Share photos, videos and notes together. People LOVE Cluster: • “The app is fantastic! Me and my sister were so happy to find it. We made a group of the whole family and its great. My big brother is living in Europe, my sister traveling for the next 4 months and the rest of the family lives in Chile. They upload pictures and we can see how and what they are doing. Its very simple to use (even our grandmother is in the group!).” • “I downloaded 10 different photo sharing apps, not including your Cluster app. I needed an app that allowed the creation of multiple albums, other users could join from anywhere, was password protected and SIMPLE. I deleted every app except your Cluster app. All the other apps were either too difficult to explain...to someone 8 hours away, too complicated to set up and/or upload, they limited the number of albums a user can create, required Bluetooth or wifi to share, or required a social media account to set up. Your app served all the purposes that I need. It is great, fabulous, fun & simple! Keep up the good work!” • “I really like the privacy of the app and the fact that only people invited or with the code can access our pictures.” • “I want to thank you all for such a wonderful product - it really has brought us all even closer together. The constant banter, the photo streams, the comedy...all of it...it's been awesome. So, as far as my feedback goes, I'd say this is an awesome program and we'll continue using it for as long as it's available!” The press LOVES Cluster: • Featured by the Apple App Store (“New and Noteworthy”), NYTimes, TechCrunch and many more! Cluster Club is a monthly or annual subscription to give admins more control over their groups. Check it out by visiting the Settings → Subscription Settings section of the app. By purchasing a subscription you agree to Cluster's Terms of Use: https://cluster.co/terms/ and Privacy Policy: https://cluster.co/privacy/

About

Marco Polo

This app offers private, ad-free video messaging for one-on-one or group conversations. It focuses on genuine connection without social media pressures, allowing users to communicate on their own schedule.

Highlights
  • Private, ad-free video chat
  • Asynchronous video messaging
  • One-on-one and group chats
  • Emoji reactions and special effects
  • Sharecast feature
  • Background listening (Plus)
  • Speed control (Plus)
Features
Read full description

Marco Polo is the video chat app that brings you closer to the people who matter most without asking you to compromise on trust. ONE VIDEO IS WORTH A THOUSAND TEXTS Communicate face-to-face in a private, ad-free space with no interruptions or intrusions. This award-winning video chat app isn’t social media. There are no “likes” or comparisons, and there are no tricks to keep you on the app for longer than you wish. SIMPLE, CONVENIENT, ANYTIME CONNECTION Send a video. Get one back. Talk one-on-one or in groups. Continue the conversation on your own schedule. YOU DON’T HAVE TO COMPROMISE ON TRUST Our purpose? To help people feel close. To fulfill it, Marco Polo does things differently. We monetize responsibly. The Marco Polo Plus subscription plan allows us to make money in a way that’s true to our purpose – no ads, no selling your data – while maintaining a free service for the majority of our community. We hold ourselves accountable. Earning your trust is vital to our team, from the technology we create to the business decisions we make. We measure our impact. Does our product deliver on our promise and our purpose? Does it make people happier? Research indicates yes, and we commit to conducting this research regularly to ensure we stay on track. CHOOSE THE VERSION THAT FITS YOUR LIFE Marco Polo is FREE, with: Unlimited chats and groups Emoji reactions and fun special effects Sharecast, our newest feature. Send one video to everyone in your circle, and only you see reactions and replies. It’s the convenience of groups with no cross-conversations. Marco Polo Plus offers premium features including: 1.5-3x speed control Background listening Custom and animated emojis 6 Plus Passes so you can share 2 months free with friends and family Marco Polo Plus Family Save with up to six memberships with one plan. Plus Family is not limited to members within one household. - Payments are charged to the user's Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscriptions automatically renew unless the user cancels at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - The account is charged for renewal within 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Users can manage and cancel subscriptions in their account settings on the App Store. Terms of Service: https://www.marcopolo.me/terms/

Screenshots

Cluster4 screens
Marco Polo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Marco Polo at 2.2M against Cluster's 22K. Marco Polo also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). Cluster's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Cluster sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Marco Polo sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Cluster against 4.8 for Marco Polo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Marco Polo has 2.2M ratings behind it against 22K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of Cluster's written reviews are positive against 65% of Marco Polo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cluster ships an update every 3 weeks, Marco Polo weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Cluster versus Marco Polo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClusterMarco Polo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (22K ratings) — better4.8 (2.2M ratings)
Positive reviews56.4% of reviews65.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22K2.2M — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#13 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB223 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCluster Labs, Inc.Joya Communications

Customer experience

Cluster

All ratings22,149 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews236 reviews
Positive56.4%
Neutral9.3%
Negative34.3%

Marco Polo

All ratings2,163,836 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral3.2%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews1,466 reviews
Positive65.3%
Neutral9.2%
Negative25.5%

User reviews

Cluster

From 22K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Great for sharing photos and videos
  • 🔒 Allows private sharing with selected groups
  • 💡 Helpful for keeping family connected
  • 👍 Simple and effective interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Issues with photo/video uploads
  • 🐛 Unreliable notifications
  • 🐛 Glitchy performance after updates
  • 🔍 Lack of search and organization features

Marco Polo

From 2.2M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for long-distance communication
  • 🚀 Convenient video messaging
  • 💡 Allows asynchronous communication
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Helps maintain relationships

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Video and audio quality issues
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔋 High data usage
  • 🔒 Removing previously free features

Bugs and requests

Cluster

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Photos and videos fail to upload consistently
  • Notification issues - not receiving updates
  • Compatibility problems with newer Android devices
  • Unexpected errors when trying to access accounts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to edit/delete posts
  • Improve photo/video upload reliability
  • Implement better notification system
  • Add option to create galleries/albums within groups
  • Enhance search and filtering capabilities

Marco Polo

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Videos stopping or going black during playback
  • Issues with marking messages as unwatched
  • Inconsistent behavior after app updates
  • Forced upgrade to paid version without warning

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add text messaging capabilities
  • Improve video/audio quality
  • Bring back previously free features
  • Add option to save/download videos
  • Improve navigation and playback controls
Show 1 more
  • Expand emoji and reaction options

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Cluster

Subscriptions6
  • Cluster Friend$4.991 Month
  • Cluster Family$9.991 Month
  • Cluster Pro$19.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Cluster Friend$49.991 Year
  • Cluster Family$99.991 Year
  • Cluster Pro$199.991 Year
11 purchases

Marco Polo

Subscriptions10
  • Marco Polo - Unlimited Storage$7.991 Month
  • Marco Polo Plus7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Marco Polo Plus14 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Marco Polo Plus - Family Plan7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Marco Polo Plus – Family Plan14 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Marco Polo - Unlimited Storage$47.991 Year
  • Marco Polo Plus$79.991 Year
  • Marco Polo Plus7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Marco Polo Plus – Family Plan$159.991 Year
  • Marco Polo Plus – Family Plan7 Days trial$159.991 Year
One-time1
  • Plus Guest Pass$14.99

Questions

Is Cluster free?
Cluster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marco Polo free?
Marco Polo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cluster or Marco Polo?
Cluster is rated higher. Cluster averages 4.8 out of 5 from 22K ratings, while Marco Polo averages 4.8 from 2.2M ratings.
Do Cluster or Marco Polo have ads?
Neither Cluster nor Marco Polo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cluster or Marco Polo?
Cluster ships an update every 3 weeks, and Marco Polo weekly. Most recently, Cluster was updated on November 2, 2026 and Marco Polo on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons