Everything has a subscription service — pharmacies, cars, software — and, with the introduction of GoPro Plus is 2016, GoPro cameras.
(GoPro has drastically changed its subscription offering since this review was published — please see my updated review here)
In the two years since it released Plus, GoPro has done a lot to sweeten the deal, turning something that was appealing only to beginner users to something that can be useful for casual and professional GoPro users alike.
UPDATE (10/01/20): GoPro has renamed “GoPro Plus” as “GoPro Subscription”, however, most people still know it for the time being as GoPro Plus.
Let’s take a look at what it offers.
Unlimited uncompressed video storage
When it first launched, GoPro Plus allowed for unlimited photo storage but capped video backups at 250GB and transcoded the footage to a lower bitrate when it was uploaded.
Last January however, GoPro announced that all footage backed up using Plus would be uncompressed and that subscribers could backup unlimited video.
This alone would have been enough to convince a lot more people to give Plus a try, but GoPro wasn’t done yet.
50% off GoPro accessories
A GoPro camera becomes exponentially more useful when paired with the right accessories.
With this in mind, GoPro offers Plus subscribers a 50% discount on almost all accessories they sell — even if you only sign up for a month.
Doing the math, that means that if you purchase $60 worth of GoPro accessories a year, the subscription has essentially paid for itself.
UPDATE (11/01/20): GoPro has changed the discount from a fixed “50% off everything” to “up to 50% off”.
This translates to $100 off a new GoPro, 30% off batteries/mods, and 30%-50% off all other accessories (for an up-to-date list of GoPro Plus discounts, check out this page on GoPro’s website.
You break it, we replace it
The final cherry-on-top of the Plus subscription is the peace of mind in knowing that if anything happens to your GoPro camera — GoPro will replace it for free.
This is huge since action cameras like GoPros are routinely put in harm’s way.
With GoPro Plus, users can get up to 2 free replacements a year if they damage or break their GoPro.
Is it worth it?
After using GoPro Plus for a few months, I can tell you that it is more than worth it for any avid GoPro user — especially if you don’t want to travel with a computer for backing up SD cards.
Using the Plus subscription (and the WiFi at my hotel) I was able to upload the footage I shot during the day while traveling straight from my GoPro 8.
Getting your GoPro setup to backup via WiFi is fairly straightforward too, though slow internet speeds can make the entire process crawl.
This could be a concern if you frequently travel to places that don’t have robust internet or any WiFi at all.
The 50% discount off all accessories/mounts is really awesome and even though GoPro limits you to only 10 purchases within a year, that can still be a savings of $100 or more considering most accessories will run you $20+.
As for the “You break it, we replace it” warranty repair service — I luckily haven’t had to use it, but will be glad I have it if I ever do.
GoPro Plus
$4.99
Pros
- Easy to use
- Affordable, especially given what you get
- 50% off accessories is added bonus
- Don't worry about breaking GoPro
- Unlimited uncompressed video
Cons
- Lacking cloud editing features
- Slow WiFi is its death
