The 9 Best Photo Storage Services for Parents’ Gazillion Pics
Right from the start, parenthood comes with tons of precious moments and memories to be made. And now that our smartphones allow us 24/7 instant access to a camera, it all adds up to lots (and lots) of pictures of our little ones. When they grow up and leave the nest, we’ll certainly have plenty of photos to swoon over! Assuming, that is, we can find them. The key is to store them properly. The last thing you want is for those precious pics to get left on old devices, or to not be able to take more photos because the storage on your device is full. Good news: We’ve done the research and put together a list of digital and online photo storage options to try out if you need a declutter. Some of them are free and all are simple to use, so no more excuses! Check out our picks for the best photo storage apps, sites and services, then take some time this weekend to get those pictures of your kiddos safely stored away so you can look at them whenever the mood strikes.
Just when you thought Amazon Prime couldn’t get more amazing, we’re here to fill you in on their free photo storage service. Now, your Amazon Prime membership gets you unlimited storage for all your photos and videos. Share your favorite snaps with family and friends through the Family Vault and even order prints when it’s time to refresh those picture frames. Easy (and free!) sharing with up to five people allows you to keep the grandparents in the loop on all of baby’s cutest moments, and you can even synch with your Amazon Fire TV to create a custom slideshow-style screensaver. Amazon’s online photo storage is free up to 100 gigabytes, then you’ll pay a fee of $12 per month for additional storage.
Get it: It’s available across all your devices, including your computer, smartphone and tablet—download the Prime photo app on the Apple Store or on Google Play, or use it on your desktop.
Called “the best photo product on Earth” by the Verge, Google Photos definitely deserves a spot on any list of the best online photo storage. This handy photo storage app is available for both Android and iPhones and allows you to share across both as well. It offers free photo storage up to an image size of 16 megapixels and 1080p HD, and the super-easy Free up Space function prompts you to go ahead and upload your pictures whenever the storage on your device is close to full. You can then easily access them on the photos.google.com site (in case you’ve ever wondered where the heck your photos actually go once you upload them to the cloud). Another amazing feature? Google’s photo storage app organizes and stores your photos based on subject matter, which lets you search through them using simple keywords. Looking for those pictures from your trip out West? Simply type “mountains” and they’ll be at your fingertips in no time.
Get it: Download the app from Google Play or Apple Store.
You may have used Dropbox at work to share large files, but have you considered using it to store all those adorable pictures of your kiddos? If you haven’t, you should, because Dropbox offers 2 gigabytes for free with their basic plan, and as much as 2 terabytes (yes, you read that right) of online photo storage with their reasonably priced premium plan. For $10 per month, you get all that storage plus the ability to share with anyone, sync pictures across multiple devices and even use Dropbox’s unique rollback feature, which protects against accidental file deletion. What’s more, the simple platform allows you to organize your photos into folders for easy retrieval.
Get it: Visit Dropbox.com to start your free account.
One of the pioneers when it comes to decluttering your devices, Shutterfly’s online photo storage service is another of our favorite photo storage sites. They’re one of the only companies to offer unlimited free photo storage. It doesn’t get much better than that! And parents love the site’s unique ability to detect and delete duplicate photos. Shutterfly is your BFF when the holidays come around too, offering a seemingly endless array of photo gifts and prints.
Get it: Visit Shutterfly.com to start your free account.
Smitten Films is a small company that’s changing the meaning of photo storage. While other photo storage sites store your images in a small corner of the cloud, Smitten Films takes your favorite, most meaningful images and video clips and curates them into a video montage set to music of your choice. You’ll be involved every step of the way in this collaborative process to ensure the final product is one that’ll have everyone reaching for the tissues. Whether you’d just like to capture the passage of time or want a touching tribute to remember baby’s first year or other special event, Smitten Films can bring your images to life.
Get it: Visit SmittenFilms.com for more information and pricing.
The newborn period is fleeting, no matter how hard you try to savor each moment. But at least there’s an easy way to at least capture the memories to look back on. Little Dumpling Films is here to document baby’s earliest days with their one-of-a-kind newborn films. They’ll come to the place where baby is born to capture special footage of the first 48 hours, or anytime during the first six weeks for an unforgettable glimpse into those first coos and gurgles. Or you can opt to have Little Dumpling use your own favorite photos and video clips of baby’s first year to compile a video montage. Either way, this innovative service is one of the best photo storage ideas we’ve seen, especially if you’re looking for something you can treasure for years.
Get it: Visit LittleDumplingFilms.com for more information and pricing.
If we’re being honest, the vast majority of our online photo storage is used up with blurry outtakes that we just didn’t have time to delete from our phones before uploading. Right? So if what you’re seeking is less photo storage and more online photo journal, then Qeepsake is the answer for you. It’s an online journal and photo repository that allows you to upload photos, answer daily questions customized just for your baby’s age and stage, and store memories to go with each photo. Another selling point is the ability to bring your online photo storage to life with one of their premium-quality photo books, which showcases the photos you’ve uploaded along with the memories you’ve written to go along with each.
Get it: Annual memberships start at $48; visit Qeepsake.com for more information.
If you’re looking for service that’ll not only store your pictures but also let you edit them, Photobucket is one of the best online photo storage options for you. The site offers a number of different membership levels, but you can store up to 250 photos for free. Need more space? Paid plans start at $6 a month for up to 25 gigabytes of storage space, all the way up to $12 a month for unlimited photo storage. It’s a great option for professional photographers and photo-happy mamas alike.
Get it: Visit Photobucket.com for more information.
If you’re looking for the best unlimited, free photo storage outside of Shutterfly, you can’t beat Flickr. The site offers a whopping 1 terabyte of space or 1,000 photos (whichever comes first) at no charge. Flickr functions as a hybrid online photo storage and social media site, with all photos defaulting to public view when you upload them—so if you’d prefer to keep your photos private, make sure to change your settings (which is easily done). Other users can like or comment on your photos, which are smartly displayed in a photostream format. Like many photo storage sites, Flickr offers a wide selection of photo prints and books to choose from.
Get it: Visit Flickr.com to start your free account.
Published January 2020
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