A photo book full of happy memories is the perfect gift for friends and family — especially this holiday season, where some families might be reuniting for the first time since the pandemic’s onset.
The days of dropping off film canisters at a 24-hour photo counter and carefully arranging the prints in a physical album may be in the past, thanks to the digital era. But for me, nothing can replace cherishing family photos in a book on my lap.
A number of reputable options from photo-book services are available online to help you compile a photo book project that can be mailed right to your door. We tested a few of the best photo-book services to see how easy they are to work with, though we haven’t actually gotten any books made yet, so we can’t compare the quality of the final products.
What should I consider before ordering a photo book?
- What are the available book sizes?
- What are the cover and page style options? (Matte, glossy, standard, etc.)
- Can it be done on mobile, or is the site desktop-only?
- How long will the photo book take to arrive?
- Is it easy to upload photos?
- How much creative freedom do I have with templates?
Here are the best photo-book services to check out online. We’ll update this periodically as new services become available and existing services expand their offerings.
Read more: The best printer for 2021
More options
Apple Photos
Apple no longer has an in-house photo book service, but you can download project expansion apps to create photo books with iOS devices like iPhone and Mac. Open the Photos app and choose File > Create > Book. From there you can download third-party apps Motif, Mimeo Photos, White Wall, Ifolor Designer, Mpix, Fujifilm Prints and Gifts or Wix Photo Albums to start a project. Any app you download will be available through Book when you create a new project in the Photos app.
Costco
Costco requires a paid membership to access its photo center. If you have a membership, you can build three different types of 30- to 100-page photo books with multiple themes, captions and layout designs.
The 12-by-12-inch premium layflat starts at $40 and has a special spine to accommodate bigger photo spreads. The 11.25-by-8.75-inch hardcover photo book starts at $20. Costco also offers a two-pack of 8-by-8-inch softcover photo books starting at $20.