The Best Photo Album Websites
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For special occasions like a graduation or wedding, photo albums are a great option to preserve and personalize memories. While the days of printing photos and sticking them in a scrapbook are not far behind us, the era of utilizing photo album websites has arguably taken over.
Photo album websites give users the option to create, customize, and purchase an album from the comfort of their computer or phone. Oftentimes, these sites allow you to upload pictures and control specific details like album type and page quantity to create an album that suits your needs. When evaluating a photo album site to create a memory book, factors to consider include page layout and design customization, image quality, and user accessibility.
As there are a multitude of photo album websites on the web, narrowing down the best service according to your needs might feel overwhelming. After researching several services, we gathered the best photo album websites based on criteria like affordability, customer service, customization options, and more. Whether you're looking to create an album to capture a special event, or putting together a photobook on a budget, these photo album websites are bound to help you turn your memories into a precious keepsake.
Best Photo Album Websites of 2022
Best Overall: Artifact Uprising
Best for Occasions: Mixbook
Most Affordable: Amazon Prints
Best for Social Media Photos: Snapfish
Best Album Cover Variety: Printique
Best Customer Service: Shutterfly
Best Photo Album App: Chatbooks
Best for Mac Users: Motif
Best Overall: Artifact Uprising
Key Specs
Printing Service Available? Yes
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Max Album Size? 380 pages
Pros & Cons
Pros
Premium photobook materials are durable and made to last
Offers preset albums catered to special occasions
Can create a photo project from your phone using the app
Photobook prices start as low as $18
Cons
Creativity is limited with pre-designed layouts
Why We Chose It
Artifact Uprising has been recognized by publications like The Oprah Magazine and Vogue for its outstanding photo service and quality. The site offers a large variety of over 12 premium photo book options, ranging from layflat albums to softcover books. Photo album covers consist of either linen or leather, and are available in a plethora of hues along with five foil-stamping color options to personalize the front.
In addition to the luxurious cover choices, customers can choose between lustre or superfine photo paper for the pages of the album. Prices for photo albums depend on the type of book you select. Softcover album sizes as small as 5.5 x 5.5 inches start at $18, while large 10 x 10-inch albums cost $41. For hardcover photo books, pricing starts at $72 for small 6 x 8-inch albums, and increases to $99 for the 10x10 books.
Customization is limited with the site's pre-designed layouts, and photo editing options only include cropping, rotating, adjusting brightness, and choosing between color or black and white. Despite this, Artifact Uprising's simplistic software and design themes offer a premium experience that will make for a long-lasting gift or treasured family heirloom.
Best for Occasions: Mixbook
Key Specs
Printing Service Available? No
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Max Album Size? 399 pages
Pros & Cons
Pros
Themes for several occasions and events, ranging from sports to graduations
Offers both soft and hardcover book options
Can upload pictures from computer, phone, or social media
Page orientation and design is customizable
Cons
Doesn't provide photo printing services
Why We Chose It
While some photo album websites may lack customization options, Mixbook offers a large selection of templates and designs to customers for a highly personalized experience. In terms of album templates, Mixbook has a theme for a variety of occasions and events. In fact, Martha Stewart's collection of photobooks make an excellent home for wedding anniversary photos, yearly memories, and old family pictures.
Each category has multiple design layouts, so customers are not limited to a select number of photo or page orientations. In the event that you want to change up the content of your album, you can easily customize the design according to your taste. However, we should note that Mixbook sadly doesn't offer photo printing services, so you will have to find an alternate way to obtain your photos physically.
Despite this drawback, Mixbook's low photo album prices offer some relief for your wallet. Costs for square photo books start at $10 for the softcover 6 x 6-inch books, and can go as high as $115 for the large 8.5 x 11-inch layflat options. Along with the customizable book covers, the site also offers four photo paper options—signature matte, signature lustre, premium matte, and premium lustre—for a personalized experience based on your taste and budget.
Most Affordable: Amazon Prints
Key Specs
Printing Service Available? Yes
Photo Editing Tools? No
Max Album Size? 150 pages
Pros & Cons
Pros
Album prices start at $9
Customizable pages with text, embellishments, photo layouts, and borders
Additional services include photo gifts like mugs and calendars
Prime members get free shipping
Cons
Photobooks only consist of six sizes
Editing tools are not available
Why We Chose It
If you're looking to create a photo album without breaking your budget, Amazon Prints is a low cost option that delivers in both price and customization. While the site offers a small range of album sizes, it makes up the difference with album costs that start as low as $9 for 5 x 7-inch softcovers, and $60 for premium 12 x 12-inch lay-flat albums. In addition to the low price of photo books, customers can also cut shipping costs by being a Prime member.
Despite a lack of editing tools on the site, Amazon Prints does have a variety of album templates with specific themes for special occasions, such as birthdays, graduation ceremonies, and weddings. Building pages for whichever theme you choose is made easy with Amazon Photos, as all you need to do is select and upload your pictures. Afterwards, you can customize album pages with text, embellishments like stickers and clip art, borders, and more.
Best for Social Media Photos: Snapfish
Key Specs
Printing Service Available? Yes
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Max Album Size? 150 pages
Pros & Cons
Pros
Can add photos from computer, phone, and social media sites like Facebook and Instagram
Dozens of page templates with a variety of backgrounds and layouts
Premium book features include a matte cover and thick paper
Offers a large variety of photo gift options like mugs, blankets, and more.
Cons
Costs for shipping starts at $11
Why We Chose It
Doing the work of downloading your favorite pictures from Instagram and Facebook can be a hassle, but juggling different social media and photo album sites isn't a problem with Snapfish. The service allows you to upload photos to a customizable album directly from sites like Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Google Photos, and more. Adding pictures is as easy as hitting the drop down menu, logging into your desired account, and selecting the photos you want to add.
Snapfish has many book size options, which start as small as 5 x 7 inches for $13, and go up to 11 x 14 inches for $70. While prices are accessible, shipping isn't free—customers can expect to pay at least $11 for ground shipping. However, you can choose from a variety of photo album materials, which range from standard soft and hardcovers to more premium choices like leather and linen. If you also want your pictures on other objects, Snapfish also has photo gift options like blankets, mugs, puzzles, magnets, and more.
Best Album Cover Variety: Printique
Key Specs
Printing Service Available? Yes
Photo Editing Tools? No
Max Album Size? 100 pages
Pros & Cons
Pros
Cover textures include leather, fabric, softcover, and hardcover in a variety of colors
Offers vegan and genuine leather options
Can choose from six unique paper types
Customer service can be accessed via phone and email
Cons
Album covers are a little pricey
$100 minimum for free shipping
Why We Chose It
Designing a photo album's cover is arguably just as important as pictures going into it, and Printique delivers in providing customers with a premium selection of cover materials and colors. The standard hardcover book has a soft-touch coating, and is available in three different shapes and four different sizes. For a more luxurious experience, you can opt for a leather (vegan or genuine) or fabric cover, which both have over 12 unique colors.
Printique's products are pricier than other competitors, with small 6 x 4.5-inch hardcovers starting at $38, while larger 10 x 12.5-inch options cost $82. For premium albums that have materials like fabric, prices start at $48, while the vegan leather choice is priced from $84. Additionally, the site has a high $100 purchase minimum in order to qualify for free shipping. At the end of the day, you're paying for quality covers, but be sure to keep your budget in mind when using Printique.
Best Customer Service: Shutterfly
Key Specs
Printing Service Available? Yes
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Max Album Size? 110 pages
Pros & Cons
Pros
Offers 24/7 chat service for customer support
Customer service is available via phone on both weekdays and weekends
Expert designing service is free
Allows users to customize photo books from scratch or use pre-selected layouts
Cons
Free shipping policy is vague
Why We Chose It
Whether you're dealing with shipping snags or book quality issues, Shutterfly offers readily available customer service that can tackle your biggest photo album questions and concerns. For any issues regarding your photo orders, whether it be prints, photo albums, or photo gifts, the site has a 24/7 chat service to address questions and concerns. Additionally, if you don't have the time or energy to make an album yourself, Shutterfly has a free 24-hour designing service, which gives all the work of building a book to its experts
If you decide to make your own photo album on Shutterfly, you can choose either the "Simple Path" or "Custom Path" options. The former allows you to pick from pre-selected designs and layouts, while the latter lets you completely customize every aspect of the book, from cover color to page layout. If you want Instant Photo Books, prices are also relatively affordable, with small 6 x 6 hardcover books starting at just $10, and larger 12 x 12-inch books costing $20.
We should note though that shipping isn't free, and can vary depending on how much you're ordering. There's a shipping calculator during checkout that will determine how much you're going to wind up paying, but we wish there was a clearer policy. Despite this, you can expedite your photo album delivery—at an additional cost—if you need to have a book ready in time for an event or the holidays.
Best Photo Album App: Chatbooks
Key Specs
Printing Service Available? No
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Max Album Size? 366 pages
Pros & Cons
Pros
User-friendly app allows for easy navigation
Can choose from a variety of special occasion photo books
Photo editing tools include filters, saturation, brightness, and contrast
Offers monthly subscription service for photo albums
Cons
Page customization is limited to a select number of layouts and additions
Why We Chose It
If you're someone who enjoys the convenience of having everything on your phone, the Chatbooks app is a great way to create a photo album from your mobile device in a short period of time. Navigating the Chatbooks products page is as simple as pressing the "Shop" button, which takes you to the app's selection of custom photo books. Users can choose from three different options: a softcover, hardcover, or premium layflat book, which are priced as low as $20, and increase up to $80.
In terms of photo album customization, Chatbooks has a small pool of options to choose from. The site offers 6 x 6, 8 x 8, and 10 x 10-inch soft and hardcover books, and only has three colors available for album covers. While Chatbooks is limited in its creative tools, the app hosts a "Monthbooks" subscription service, which gives users the ability to print new books every month. The service is great for those who want a recurring supply of albums on hand, with prices ranging from $7 for minis to $15 for hardcovers.
Best for Mac Users: Motif
Key Specs
Printing Service Available? No
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Max Album Size? 100 pages
Pros & Cons
Pros
Available on several Apple devices, including Mac, iPhone, and iPad
Syncs with Apple Photos, making photo uploads seamless
Advanced photo editing available through Mac Photos
Offers both soft and hardcover book options with a variety of sizes
Cons
Photo editing tools are limited to standard Photos app adjustments
Standard shipping costs $12
Why We Chose It
Motif offers a simplified photo album experience for Mac users. The app is an extension of Apple Photos, which stores and manages photos on Apple devices. With the extension, you can build an album right from the Photos app, and have photos taken with your Apple devices conveniently uploaded onto one platform. While Macs offer a smooth Motif experience, the app is also available to download on iPhone and iPad, allowing you to use it across multiple devices.
Motif's photo editing tools are limited to the options included with Photos such as adjusting brightness, saturation, shadows, and the like. Other than these editing tools, Motif does not offer much else in terms of creative freedom. However, users can choose from both soft and hardcover albums, and customize pages by changing the background color, layout, and adding text.
On Motif, the small 8 x 6-inch softcover albums are priced at $14, while large 13 x 10 hardcover options start at $55. The prices are relatively average compared to other competitors, but shipping isn't free. Standard shipping for deliveries comes out to $13, tacking on a few extra dollars. In the event you need an album ASAP, you can expedite your delivery for an additional cost.
Final Verdict
Artifact Uprising is the best photo album website due to its premium material quality, multiple design options, and simplistic layouts. With over 12 photo book options available to them, users can choose from a variety of sizes, colors, cover materials, and foil-stamping for a customizable experience. For the inner contents of the book, Artifact Uprising offers multiple paper types, including lustre, superfine, and recycled matte for a professional touch.
Pricing for softcover books starts as low as $18, and can go as high as $99 for the largest hardcover size, so there are options for a variety of budgets. Despite the site's limited photo editing software, the preset designs make each album look crisp and clean. Overall, Artifact Uprising offers a premium experience for users seeking a wide range of style and cost options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the Average Cost for Making a Photo Album Online?
Photo album costs can range significantly depending on the type of book you build. Small, softcover albums can start at $9, while larger 10 x 10-inch book sizes can enter the $60-$100 range. Additionally, any books with a page count that goes over 20 will typically be charged a fee for every extra page. Lastly, any premium covers, page materials, and embellishments can add some extra dollars to your total cost.
Can Photo Album Websites Make an Album for Me?
There are photo album websites like Shutterfly that offer design services that help build a book for you based on your preferences. Should you opt for this type of service, expect to pick out an album size, theme or design, and a range of photos to add to the album. Once selections are made, experts will carefully create your album and allow you to make any additional tweaks that you feel are necessary.
Can I Embed Photos From Social Media Into a Photo Album Website?
Taking and uploading pictures from our smartphones and posting online is more common than ever, and many photo album sites take this into consideration. Sites like Snapfish give users the option to connect social media accounts to its site, and allow them to select photos straight from their profiles. Facebook and Instagram are the most common social media sites that are able to use this feature, but other photo platforms like Google Photos, Flickr, and more can also be connected to other photo album websites.
Methodology
We researched several photo album websites to determine which companies offered the best prices, customization options, cover materials, and more. We evaluated each company based on the following criteria:
Price range
Cover material quality
Paper type options
Photo editing tool availability
User accessibility
Delivery and shipping costs
Customer service accessibility
Photo album websites that had affordable prices and a variety of customization options for covers and pages were given precedence over other companies. Brands that also boasted photo editing tools and multiple avenues to contact customer service were highly rated. Any photo websites that excelled in specific categories were given their respective superlatives on this list.
