The PNP alternative: personalized Santa videos, compared
An honest, side-by-side look at pass-based Portable North Pole and paying per greeting — including the cases where PNP is genuinely the better pick.
Create a free previewThe short answer
PNP sells a season pass: you pay once — around $14.99 for a year — and make as many videos as you like, and that pass renews on its date unless you cancel it first. We sell single greetings: $3.99 for an audio message, $5.99 for a short video, $9.99 for the full one-minute film. Nothing renews, because there is nothing to renew. The other difference worth knowing before December: their published refund policy asks for the request within 14 days of purchase, before December 20th, and only if the content has not been used — so a greeting that disappoints on Christmas morning is already outside it. Ours is refundable for 180 days, Christmas included. And Santa speaks 29 languages here against six there.
Side by side
Checked in August 2026. Both services deliver a personalised video within minutes; the differences are in pricing model, languages and formats.
| What matters | Santa here | PNP |
|---|---|---|
| Languages Santa speaks | 29 | 6 (EN, FR, ES, DE, IT, JA) |
| How you pay | Per greeting, from $3.99 — no subscription | Season pass, from about $14.99/year |
| See it before you pay | Free preview with your child's real name | Free sample videos |
| Formats | Video, audio message, and live chat with Santa | Videos and calls |
| Ready in | A few minutes, delivered by email | A few minutes |
| What happens next year | Nothing — you paid once, there is no pass | The pass renews on its date unless cancelled before it |
| Guarantee | 180 days, no conditions attached | Per their policy: within 14 days, before Dec 20, content unused |
| Free tools, no account | Letter from Santa, Nice List certificate, tracker, 38 coloring pages, chat | Free sample videos |
| Apps | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
| Start for free |
What you actually pay
One greeting, one price. There is nothing to renew and nothing to cancel.
Audio message — $3.99
Santa says your child's name, their city and your message. Perfect for a phone speaker on Christmas morning.
Short video — $5.99
15–30 seconds, made for a phone screen and for sending straight to family.
Full video — $9.99
60–90 seconds filmed at the North Pole, with your child's name, their achievement of the year and your own custom lines.
Every order is covered by a 180-day money-back guarantee.
See Santa say your child's name — free
Create a free previewWhen PNP is the better choice
We'd rather you pick the right thing than pick us. A pass genuinely wins in these cases:
- You're making videos for a lot of children — a class, a nursery, a big extended family. Past roughly three or four videos, an unlimited yearly pass costs less than paying per greeting.
- You want their specific extras, like the reaction recorder that films the child watching.
- Your family already has a PNP tradition and the kids expect that exact format each year — don't break a tradition to save a few dollars.
How to make one in about three minutes
Tell Santa who it's for
Your child's name, their city, their age and what they did well this year.
Watch the free preview
You see and hear Santa saying the real name before you pay a cent.
Get the full greeting
Pay once, and the finished video lands in your inbox in a few minutes — ready to download or play from your phone.
See Santa say your child's name — free
Build the greeting, watch the preview, and only pay if it makes you smile. No subscription, no pass, 180-day money-back guarantee.
Create a free previewMore honest comparisons
Examples
Stories video (15–30 sec)
Full video (60–90 sec)
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the PNP Magic Pass renew by itself?
Their own help pages describe the pass as recurring: it renews on its date, and you have to cancel before that date to stop the next charge — they state that forgetting to cancel does not qualify for a refund. Where you bought it decides where you cancel: on their site, in Apple, in Google Play or in PayPal. Here there is nothing to cancel, because there is no pass — you pay for one greeting and that is the end of it.
What is the best Portable North Pole alternative?
It depends on how many videos you need. For one or two children, a pay-per-video service is cheaper than a season pass — here a full personalised video is $9.99 with no subscription, and a family film naming up to four children is $12.99 — no pass needed. For a whole classroom, an unlimited pass like PNP's works out cheaper. If you need a language other than English, French, Spanish, German, Italian or Japanese, PNP does not cover it — Santa speaks 29 languages here.
Is there a free Santa video?
Yes. You can build the greeting and watch a free preview with your child's real name before deciding to buy. Our letter from Santa, Nice List certificate, Santa tracker, coloring pages and chat with Santa are completely free, with no account needed.
How much does PNP cost?
PNP sells a Magic Pass — around $14.99 for a year at list price, with frequent early-season discounts — and a multi-year Magic Pass+. Once you hold the pass you can create unlimited videos. Prices change through the season, so check their site before buying.
Can Santa say a custom message?
Yes. You write the lines yourself — the name, the city, the achievement, an inside joke, whatever you like. Santa reads it naturally in the language you choose.
How fast will I get the video?
A few minutes. It's emailed to you and saved in your account, so you can download it and play it from a phone, a tablet or the TV on Christmas morning.
What if my child doesn't like it?
Every order carries a 180-day money-back guarantee — long past Christmas. Write to us and we refund it.
Portable North Pole and PNP are trademarks of their respective owner. This is an independent comparison; we are not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by them. Details were checked in August 2026 — prices and features on their side may have changed since.