Cluster vs PhotoCircle
An honest, side-by-side look at Cluster and PhotoCircle for collecting photos and videos at your event. Every figure below comes from each app's own pricing and our verified feature checks, so you can compare cost, features and real reviews without the marketing spin.
Skip the comparison. Our Event Album beats both.
Give guests one simple QR code, unlimited uploads, and a polished live album without subscriptions or app downloads.
- ✓Unique QR code for your event
- ✓Printable sign templates (PDF)
- ✓Unlimited photo & video uploads
- ✓Custom welcome page
Pricing at a glance
Published plans are shown separately from add-ons. Verified competitor prices use your selected currency, otherwise their listed currency.
Free
Free app with in-app purchases; exact current paid package pricing and limits were not published in the visible App Store source.
- ·Private groups for invited people
- ·Photo and video sharing
- ·Comments/discussion around shared photos
- ·Free app with in-app purchases
- ·Exact paid limits not publicly enumerated in visible sources
Friends & Family
Free/personal app experience. FAQ says no imposed overall limit for people, photos, or videos, but default per-upload and video-length limits still apply.
- ·Private invite-only Circles
- ·No imposed overall people/photo/video limit in FAQ
- ·Default 40-photo upload batch limit
- ·Default 60-second video clips
- ·Standard media quality: 3 MP photos / 720p videos
Organization Premium Plans
Public plans page describes premium plan categories and paid-seat rules, but does not show self-serve prices in the visible source.
- ·Workspace portal
- ·Branding
- ·Roles and permissions
- ·Search
- ·Longer video clips
- ·Moderation on supported plans
- ·File upload
- ·Watermarking
- ·Canva integration on supported plans
PhotoCircle+
- ·Ad-free for subscriber only
- ·Videos up to 4 minutes
- ·Search by Circle name and captions
- ·Upload up to 200 photos at a time
- ·Download all media in a Circle at once
- ·Web slideshow
Our Event Album is $39 USD, one-time
No subscription, no per-guest fee, and no add-on sorting needed for the core album experience.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the verified feature catalog, not the stored page copy.
Guests scan a QR code to upload photos and videos to the event gallery — no app, no account.
Guests leave written well-wishes or messages alongside their photos.
Maximum photos/videos guests can upload to the gallery. Blank = unlimited.
How long the gallery stays live and uploads are kept. Blank = unlimited / forever.
Longest single video a guest can upload. Blank = no limit.
✓ supportedx not supported~ partial? unconfirmed
The matrix is easier when the essentials are included
- ✓Unique QR code for your event
- ✓Printable sign templates (PDF)
- ✓Unlimited photo & video uploads
- ✓Custom welcome page
Pros and cons
- ✓Strong App Store rating and a long-running private sharing product
- ✓Private groups are the core use case, not an afterthought
- ✓Supports photo and video sharing for families and friend groups
- ✓Comments/discussion around shared photos are part of the product positioning
- ✓Useful when a small group already wants an app-based private album
- xNot a wedding QR gallery and not built around event-day guest upload signage
- xFree app includes in-app purchases, but exact current paid limits are not clearly published
- xNo live wedding slideshow, event moderation queue, or bulk export workflow was verified
- xGuests may need to install or use the Cluster app experience
- xPoor fit for large, mixed-tech wedding guest lists
- ✓Free Friends & Family version with no imposed overall photo, video, or member limit in the FAQ
- ✓iOS, Android, and web access
- ✓Private invite-only Circles for photos, videos, comments, and reactions
- ✓PhotoCircle+ adds download-all, web slideshow, search, longer videos, and larger batch uploads
- ✓Organization premium plans add branding, roles, moderation, file upload, watermarking, and Canva integration
- xGuests generally need the PhotoCircle app/account flow rather than a simple wedding QR upload page
- xFree/default media is compressed to 3 MP photos and 720p videos
- xDefault video length is 60 seconds and default batch upload limit is 40 photos
- xPublic organization pricing is not shown on the visible plans page
- xNot wedding-specific: no built-in printable wedding QR signs, RSVP, or event guestbook positioning found
What people say
Real reviews, each linked to its source.
“Apple App Store currently lists Cluster at 4.8 out of 5 from about 22K ratings.”
“A visible App Store reviewer said Cluster was a decent private family sharing experience, while noting mobile photo book ordering and crash frustrations.”
“Apple App Store currently lists PhotoCircle at 4.9 from about 113K ratings. The listing positions it as a private photo and video sharing app for invite-only albums.”
“Google Play currently lists PhotoCircle at 4.8 from roughly 15K reviews and describes private invite-only albums across iOS, Android, and web.”
“A recent visible App Store review says PhotoCircle was simple and handy for cataloging, approvals, and sharing within categories, while wanting easier move/copy between categories.”
“A visible Google Play complaint calls out ads, small upload/video limits, and manual sorting friction; PhotoCircle replied that default video is 60 seconds and uploads are 40 media items per batch, extended for paid accounts.”
Our Event Album beats both
If you are choosing betweenCClusterandPPhotoCirclecompare them with the simpler option: one QR code, no guest app, unlimited uploads, and one flat price.
- ✓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
Frequently asked questions
Which costs more, Cluster or PhotoCircle?
Cluster has a free tier. PhotoCircle starts at $1.29 monthly, with a limited free tier as well.
How much does Cluster cost?
Cluster has a free tier.
How much does PhotoCircle cost?
PhotoCircle starts at $1.29 monthly, with a limited free tier as well.
Do Cluster or PhotoCircle make guests download an app?
Cluster asks guests to install an app, while PhotoCircle asks guests to install an app. Our Event Album is web-only: guests scan a QR code and upload, no app required.
Is there a better alternative to Cluster and PhotoCircle?
Our Event Album is the alternative most couples choose over both: QR-code photo and video uploads with no guest app, a live slideshow, unlimited uploads, and a one-time $39 with no subscription.
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Our Event Album beats both. Start your album in 5 minutes.
One QR code. No guest apps. One flat price, no subscriptions.
Get Your Album