Facebook Portal Video Calling Device

If you can’t be there, feel there with Portal

3.0•1 review•

3 followers

If you can’t be there, feel there with Portal

3.0•1 review•

3 followers

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Camera apps

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Video and Voice calling

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Physical Products

Facebook Portal is a brand of smart displays developed in 2018 by Facebook, Inc. The product line consists of four models (Portal, Portal Plus, Portal Mini, and Portal TV) that provide video chat via Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, augmented by a camera that can automatically zoom and track people's movements.

The Best Facebook Portal Video Calling Device Alternatives

The best Facebook Portal Video Calling Device alternatives are Echo Show, Facebook Messenger, The Meeting Owl, AIWatchfulCompanion, and tonari.

Echo Show

Choose Echo Show if...

✓you want Alexa voice control built in
✓you need a smart home hub screen
✓you want media, timers, and calls together

See details ↓

Facebook Messenger

3.0 ·

Choose Facebook Messenger if...

✓you don’t want to buy dedicated hardware
✓your contacts already use Messenger daily
✓you need chatting without sharing a phone number

See details ↓

The Meeting Owl

Choose The Meeting Owl if...

✓you run hybrid meetings in shared rooms
✓you need 360° room audio and video
✓you want plug-and-play with Zoom or Teams

See details ↓

AIWatchfulCompanion

5.0 ·

Choose AIWatchfulCompanion if...

✓you want safety monitoring with proactive alerts
✓you want to use existing cameras and devices
✓you need peace-of-mind for kids or elders

See details ↓

tonari

Choose tonari if...

✓you need life-size telepresence for enterprise rooms
✓you want true eye contact on video calls
✓you require very low latency collaboration

See details ↓

What to Consider

Facebook Portal earned its reputation as a living-room-friendly video calling device, designed to make staying in touch feel effortless on a dedicated screen. But the alternatives span very different philosophies: Echo Show turns calling into just one part of an Alexa-first smart display, Facebook Messenger removes the hardware requirement entirely for familiar, free communication, and The Meeting Owl shifts the problem to room-scale, 360° hybrid meetings across Zoom/Teams/Meet. On the more specialized end, AIWatchfulCompanion reframes “presence” as proactive safety monitoring and alerts using existing devices, while tonari targets premium, enterprise telepresence where realism and eye contact matter more than convenience.

In evaluating options, the key considerations were whether you need dedicated hardware or an app-only solution, how well each choice fits your calling ecosystem and meeting platforms, and the depth of “beyond calling” utility (smart-home control, room capture, or safety monitoring). We also weighed reliability signals from user feedback where available, plus practical factors like setup simplicity, interoperability, and the context of use—from family chats to classrooms and executive meeting rooms.

Echo Show

Amazon Echo now has a screen

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For homes that already run on Alexa, Echo Show makes video calling just one part of a broader smart-display experience. Instead of acting mainly as a dedicated calling appliance like Facebook Portal, it’s designed to live on a counter or side table and handle everyday tasks hands-free.

Echo Show stands out when voice control and smart-home utility matter as much as staying in touch. It can act as a central screen for routines, timers, lists, music, and compatible device controls, which often makes it feel more “always on” as a household assistant.

The trade-off is that its calling value is strongest when it fits your existing Amazon/Alexa setup and preferred communication options. If the goal is a multi-purpose home hub that also happens to do video calls, Echo Show is typically the more flexible choice than a call-first device.

Best for

Ideal for Alexa households that want a general-purpose smart display for voice control, media, and occasional video calling.

Standout features

✓Alexa voice control with hands-free commands
✓Smart home device viewing and control
✓Kitchen-friendly timers, lists, and routines
✓Video calling on a home display

Facebook Messenger

Hang out anytime, anywhere

3.0 · 2 reviews

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Messenger is the simplest way to get Portal-like communication without buying another device. It shifts the experience from a living-room screen to whatever people already have—phones, tablets, or web—making it easier to reach more contacts instantly.

It’s a strong alternative when flexibility and reach beat “always-available hardware.” Messenger is particularly useful when you don’t want to rely on phone numbers for identity and prefer a social-graph-based way to connect.

Compared to Facebook Portal, the experience is less about a dedicated family calling station and more about convenience across devices. If the priority is free, familiar messaging and calling that works wherever you are, Messenger is the practical pick.

Best for

Best for people who want free, familiar messaging and calling across devices without dedicated hardware.

Standout features

✓Cross-device messaging and calling
✓Works without sharing a phone number
✓Easy reach within the Facebook network
✓No extra hardware required

The Meeting Owl

Intelligent 360°All-in-One Video Conferencing Hardware

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The Meeting Owl is built for the scenario Facebook Portal isn’t optimized for: group settings where multiple people share one room. Its approach is room-centric, using a 360° camera and audio to help remote attendees feel included rather than focusing on a single caller framed in front of a screen.

Where Portal is a consumer living-room device, Meeting Owl is designed for hybrid collaboration—conference rooms, classrooms, training spaces, and team huddles. It’s especially compelling when the goal is to capture whoever is speaking and provide a more natural sense of the room.

Platform flexibility is another key difference. Instead of being tied to a consumer calling ecosystem, it’s intended to work with mainstream meeting tools via a plug-and-play setup, making it easier to standardize across organizations.

Best for

Ideal for teams and educators running hybrid meetings from shared rooms who need 360° coverage.

Standout features

✓360° camera for full-room coverage
✓Speaker-focused meeting experience
✓USB plug-and-play conferencing setup
✓Works with major meeting platforms

AIWatchfulCompanion

AI Caregiver to assist in caring for your loved ones

5.0 · 7 reviews

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AIWatchfulCompanion reframes “staying connected” as safety and supervision rather than just video chat. Compared to Facebook Portal’s call-first design, it emphasizes proactive monitoring, detection, and timely alerts so families can respond quickly when something seems wrong.

A major differentiator is that it can turn existing devices into a caregiving setup instead of requiring a dedicated smart display. That makes it appealing for households that already have cameras or spare devices and want coverage in multiple rooms without adding more specialized hardware.

It’s also a better fit when the use case extends beyond conversation—checking in on kids, supporting older adults, and creating more peace of mind day to day. If the priority is awareness and response, not just face-to-face calling, it offers a distinctly different value than Portal.

Best for

Best for families and caregivers who need proactive monitoring, alerts, and quick check-ins for loved ones.

Standout features

✓Real-time safety alerts and notifications
✓Uses existing devices and cameras
✓Caregiving-focused monitoring use cases
✓Video call check-ins when needed

tonari

life-sized video portals: be together in-person, anywhere.

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tonari targets a higher bar than typical consumer video calling: making remote interaction feel genuinely in-person. While Facebook Portal optimizes for approachable at-home calls, tonari is built for enterprise environments where realism, eye contact, and presence significantly impact collaboration quality.

Its differentiators are about fidelity and immersion—life-sized visuals, in-screen camera placement for natural gaze, and low latency that supports smoother turn-taking. This makes it a better match for executive rooms, high-stakes conversations, training, and cross-site team rituals where “good enough video” isn’t good enough.

Another advantage is the emphasis on interoperability with common meeting ecosystems, helping it fit into existing enterprise workflows rather than requiring everyone to adopt a consumer calling pattern. When the goal is premium telepresence rather than casual family chat, tonari is the more purpose-built alternative.