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Photo sharing apps · 2026 shortlist

Best Photo Sharing Apps: 3 Options Compared

A good photo sharing app depends on who is adding the pictures. A family album, a group trip and a party with 100 guests need different things. These are our 3 picks by use case.

Compare the three
Adults and children posing together at an outdoor family gathering
For events, choose an album guests can see and contribute to.
Our short answer

The best fit depends on what you want to keep.

Choose Gathmo for a shared event album without guest accounts. Choose Google Photos for friends already using Google. Choose FamilyAlbum for sharing a child’s photos and videos with relatives.

Side by side

Three options, in one glance.

Checked 28 September 2026
01For parties and events
Gathmo
Guests view and add their own contributions
Browser access without guest accounts
Free: 60 total items, 5 GB, 30 days
Original-file ZIP export requires payment

Gathmo

Free · paid from €29

Best for: bringing guest photos, video and voice into one album.

Guests scan a QR code, browse permitted contributions and add their own media. Free video and voice clips run up to 30 seconds each. Essential costs €29 per event for 50 GB, 90 days and original ZIP downloads. It fits a shared occasion; the free album is not permanent family storage.

Gathmo plans
02For an existing group
Google Photos
Collaborative photo and video albums
Share by link; owner controls collaboration
Contributors need to sign in
Free storage is shared with Gmail and Drive

Google Photos

Free within account storage

Best for: trips and everyday sharing with friends who use Google.

Create a shared album and enable collaboration so friends can add pictures. Viewing through a link and contributing have different requirements. Each free Google account includes 15 GB shared across services, so check remaining space. This is a good fit when everyone already has an account.

Google Photos sharing controls
03For children’s family photos
FamilyAlbum
Free unlimited photo and video storage
Albums organised by month; family comments
Built around children’s growth
Computer uploads require Premium

FamilyAlbum

Free · optional Premium

Best for: keeping relatives involved in a child’s everyday life.

Invite relatives to follow the family album and respond to photos. FamilyAlbum suits an ongoing record of childhood, with automatic monthly organisation. Its free storage is attractive for that purpose. For a one-off event, compare the guest joining process with a browser-based event album before choosing.

FamilyAlbum features

First-hand check · 29 September 2026

What happened in our Gathmo guest test

We made a Free test event and used two separate browser sessions on one Mac. Each uploaded a PNG. Without signing in, the second guest viewed, liked and commented on the first guest’s image. After a refresh, both uploads appeared in the shared album. Original-file ZIP export showed a paid-plan gate.

Gathmo confirmation screen after the first guest uploaded a test image
Guest A uploaded a PNG without signing in.
Album photo showing a like and a comment from the second guest
Guest B saw A’s image, then liked and commented on it.
Gathmo test album with two different guest contributions visible after a refresh
After a refresh, both uploads appeared in the same album.

This was one browser test of Gathmo’s Free plan. We did not test a phone camera scanning the QR code, paid exports or the other apps in this list. The second upload appeared after a refresh; automatic updating of an open album was not established.

See Gathmo plans Compare wedding photo sharing apps Compare event photo sharing apps