Joy Review: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Photo Sharing

Name: Our Event Album
Brand: Our Event Album
SKU: OEA-ALBUM-2024
Price: 39.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (1000 reviews)

4.8/5 · 8300 reviews

Apple App Store

Joy is a free wedding planning platform that also includes Shared Albums for guest photos. The current evidence supports a more nuanced review than the old app-required copy: guests can upload through a shared link or QR code without creating a Joy account, but Joy is still broader planning software rather than a dedicated photo-wall product.

Checked as of 2026-06-09 — every claim links to its source.

Get Our Event Album — From $39

withjoy.com

Our Event Album vs Joy — at a glance

12 features for $39 one-time — one flat price, no subscriptions — including 2 Joy doesn’t offer.

Our Event Album

Our pick

$39one-time · everything included

✓Unique QR code for your event
✓Printable sign templates (PDF)
✓Unlimited photo & video uploads
✓Custom welcome page
✓6 months of secure hosting
✓Download all photos anytime

Get yours — $39

Joy

★ 4.8/5

Pricing varies

✗No live slideshow
✗No real-time photo feed / wall

See full Joy pricing ↓

Joy pricing

Joy's plans, exactly as published. Where we have verified localized prices, the cards use your selected site currency.

Free

Free free · per wedding event

·$0/mo core wedding planning product
·Wedding website, guest list, online RSVP, registry, mobile app, digital invites, multiple editor accounts, support
·Pricing page lists unlimited photo storage
·Shared Albums help article says each event includes up to 1,000 photos free of charge
·Guests can contribute to shared albums by link or QR code without creating a Joy account
·Optional upgrades exist, but current pricing page does not publish amounts

Source ↗

The alternative

Our Event Album — $39 one-time, everything included

One flat price, no subscriptions or per-guest fees — shown in your currency (USD).

Get yours — $39

Feature comparison

Our Event Album

Joy

Capture

QR code upload

Guests scan a QR code to upload photos and videos to the event gallery — no app, no account.

No app required

Guests contribute via a web browser; there is nothing to download or install.

NFC support

Guests tap an NFC tag or card with their phone to open the upload page.

Offline capture

Guests can capture photos while offline; uploads sync once they are back online.

Printed QR signs / cards

Provides printable QR signs, table cards or stickers to display at the event.

~Help suggests using the QR code on table signs/coasters/thank-you cards; Joy does not appear to sell printed QR signs from the checked sources.

No Sign-Up Required

Guests contribute without creating an account or signing in.

Photographer upload

~Anyone with the shared album link can upload; no dedicated photographer-upload workflow found.

Photo booth mode

Customization

Custom branding

Personalise the gallery with your names, colours, logo or theme.

~Pricing page mentions optional upgrades such as custom domain names and premium designs; exact paid scope/prices are not published there.

Custom domain / URL

Use a custom URL or domain for the event gallery.

~Pricing page says custom domain names are optional upgrades but does not publish price or availability details.

Watermarks

Add a watermark or overlay to photos in the gallery.

Guest experience

Live slideshow

A real-time slideshow of guest photos you can cast to a screen at the reception.

Video guestbook

Guests record short video messages — a video guestbook for the couple.

Photo challenges / games

Photo prompts or scavenger-hunt style games to get guests snapping.

Digital invites / RSVP

Send digital invitations and collect RSVPs.

Guest messaging / well-wishes

Guests leave written well-wishes or messages alongside their photos.

~Joy supports broader guest communication in the app/planning product, but this is not a dedicated guestbook/well-wishes feature for photo collection.

Real-time photo feed / wall

A live feed or wall of photos as guests upload them during the event.

Comments & likes

Guests can like and comment on photos in the gallery.

~App Store review mentions guests posting pics and communicating; current shared-album help does not clearly document gallery comments/likes.

Audio guestbook

Guests leave voice messages (often via a dial-in phone) — an audio guestbook.

Management

Download all

Download all photos and videos from the event at once (e.g. a single ZIP).

~Guests can download photos; no current source found for a host one-click ZIP download of every file.

Moderation / approval

Hosts can review, approve or hide uploads before they appear publicly.

~Hosts can set album visibility and allow uploads; no source found for pre-publication approval/moderation workflow.

Event albums / photo books

Create a designed event album or printed photo book.

Media

Video support

Guests can upload videos, not just photos.

~FAQ describes Joy Collections for photos and videos, but the storage limit and upload UI copy emphasize photos.

Face recognition

AI groups photos by face so guests can find shots of themselves.

Filters / in-app editing

In-app filters or basic photo editing before uploading.

AI culling / curation

AI automatically selects or curates the best shots.

MagicFind™ AI Photo-Finding

AI finds every photo a specific person appears in and delivers it to them.

Auto categorization

Other

Multi-language

The guest-facing interface is available in multiple languages.

Privacy

Private gallery

The gallery is private — only invited guests can view or upload.

~Shared albums must be set to Public with Guest Uploads enabled; anyone with the share link can view photos, so this is link-private rather than a locked private gallery.

✓ supported✗ not supported~ with a caveat? unconfirmed— not verified

What people say about Joy

Real reviews, each linked to its source.

App Store · 3 reviewsView source ↗

iindiareefPerfect!“A 2018 App Store reviewer said Joy was easy to use for wedding guest planning, private RSVP, guest schedules, posting pics, and communication, while noting it did not have as many planning tools as some alternatives.”SSarah & Ty’s MILSharing everyone’s event photos - and a great way to keep your guests informed!“A 2024 App Store reviewer said Joy helped them see candid guest photos before professional photos arrived and also worked as a central place for RSVP, registry, food allergy, and event information.”lluanabearGreat at first, ended with disappointment“A 2017 App Store reviewer liked the website design at first but reported RSVP issues where guests disappeared, which created planning problems close to the wedding. Joy replied that the UI issue had been resolved.”

Google Play · 1 reviewView source ↗

KKarenAndroid app loading issue“A 2025 Google Play reviewer reported the Android app would not load reliably and said the website was easier for them. Joy replied that a glitch had been fixed and recommended updating the app.”

Frequently asked questions

How much does Joy cost?

Joy’s current pricing page says the core wedding planning product is free to use at $0/mo. It also mentions optional upgrades such as custom domain names, text messaging, and premium designs, but the checked pricing page does not publish those upgrade prices.

Can guests upload wedding photos to Joy without an app?

Yes for the Shared Albums flow. Joy’s help center says couples can share an album link or QR code, and guests can upload without creating a Joy account. Joy still offers iOS and Android apps for the broader wedding planning experience.

Does Joy have a photo upload limit?

The clearest current limit is in Joy’s Shared Albums help article: every Joy event includes up to 1,000 photos free of charge. The pricing page also says unlimited photo storage, so this review frames the free shared-album limit conservatively instead of promising unlimited guest uploads.

Does Joy support video uploads?

Joy’s Shared Albums FAQ describes Joy Collections as a place for wedding photos and videos, but the storage section and upload UI copy emphasize photos and do not publish a video length limit. We mark video support as partial until plan limits are clearer.

Is Joy best used as a photo-sharing app?

Joy is best understood as a free wedding planning platform that includes shared albums. It is a good fit if you already use Joy for RSVP, guest list, registry, and invitations; dedicated photo-sharing tools may be simpler if all you need is QR upload, live display, and full-gallery export.