Fotify vs Joy
An honest, side-by-side look at Fotify and Joy 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.
Plans
Free Event
Free test event. Visible pricing card lists 20 digital invites, 50 photos, unlimited guests, 7-day upload/gallery access, no bulk download, basic moderation, stories, no full-HD images, and Fotify branding. Fotify JSON-LD and embedded public pricing catalog instead say the free event manages up to 20 guests, so guest capacity is treated as conflicting public data rather than a settled claim.
- Live Photo Carousel
- Max Digital Invites: 20
- Max Photos: 50
- Max Guests: conflicting public data (visible card says unlimited; schema/catalog say 20)
- Photo Upload Window: 7 days
- Gallery Access: 7 days
- Bulk Download: no
- Photo Moderation: Basic
- TikTok Style Photo Stories
- Full HD Quality Images: no
- Fotify branding remains
Photo Gallery
- Unlimited photos
- Unlimited guests on visible card
- Photo Upload Window: 30 days
- Gallery Access: 90 days
- Bulk upload and bulk download
- AI-powered moderation
- Public album sharing
- DJ song requests
- Full HD quality images
- No Fotify branding
Premium Event
- Unlimited digital invites
- Unlimited photos
- Unlimited guests
- Photo Upload Window: 90 days
- Gallery Access: 365 days
- RSVP management
- Multiple moderators
- Branding options
- Custom frame overlays
- Bouncer control
- Video uploads
Add-ons
Optional extras, separated from real plans so the base price stays clear.
Match & Connect
Optional Match & Connect add-on shown on pricing page for guest networking/matching.
- Swipe-based guest matching
- Privacy-first social reveals
- Real-time match notifications
Plans
Free
- 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
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.
| Feature | |  |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | |
| Slideshow themes / templates Choose from templates or themes for the live slideshow and gallery design. | Not verified | |
| Custom domain / URL Use a custom URL or domain for the event gallery. | ~Embedded public pricing catalog includes a Premium custom-domain flag; not emphasized on visible pricing card. | ~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. | ~Public embedded pricing catalog includes Premium voice/audio guestbook metadata, but visible cards emphasize video uploads rather than a video guestbook. | |
| Photo challenges / games Photo prompts or scavenger-hunt style games to get guests snapping. | ||
| Digital invites / RSVP Send digital invitations and collect RSVPs. | on Free (Free) | |
| 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. | ~Embedded public pricing catalog lists Premium hasAudioGuestbook/allowsVoiceMessages, but the visible pricing card does not highlight it. | |
| 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. | |
| Photo prints / products Order physical prints or photo products directly from the gallery. | Not verified | |
| 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 | ||
| Password protection Protect the gallery with a password or access code. | Not verified | |
| 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. | |
✓ 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
- ✓No guest app download or account creation required
- ✓Free Event tier for testing small events
- ✓Live photo wall/carousel and real-time uploads
- ✓AI-powered plus manual photo moderation
- ✓Digital invitations, RSVP tracking, guest check-in, and guest management on higher tiers
- xFree Event is heavily limited: 20 digital invites, 50 photos, 7-day upload window, 7-day gallery access, no bulk download, no full-HD images, and Fotify branding
- xVideo uploads are only listed on Premium Event, not the free or Photo Gallery plans
- xIt is broader and more complex than a simple wedding photo gallery if you only need QR uploads and downloads
- xSome public data conflicts on free guest capacity, so free-tier scale should be described conservatively
- xReview content is first-party/on-site; no independent aggregate rating was verified
- ✓Wedding website, guest list, RSVP, registry, digital invites, and mobile apps in one platform
- ✓Shared Albums can be opened by link or QR code, with no Joy account needed for guest uploads
- ✓Up to 1,000 guest-shared photos included free per event according to the help center
- ✓Strong App Store footprint: 4.8/5 from 8.3K ratings on the checked listing
- xNot a dedicated event photo-sharing product; photo collection is one part of a larger wedding platform
- xCurrent shared album help says anyone with the share link can see photos in that album
- xExact pricing for optional upgrades and higher storage tiers is not published on the pricing page checked
- xNo current source found for live slideshow, face recognition, NFC, audio guestbook, or photo challenges
What people say
Real reviews, each linked to its source.
Fotify
6 reviews
Joy
4 reviews
Our Event Album beats both
If you are choosing between Fotify and Joy, compare 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, Fotify or Joy?
Fotify starts at $29.99 one-time, with a limited free tier as well. Joy has a free tier.
How much does Fotify cost?
Fotify starts at $29.99 one-time, with a limited free tier as well.
How much does Joy cost?
Joy has a free tier.
Do Fotify or Joy make guests download an app?
Fotify runs in a web browser, so guests just scan a QR code, while Joy runs in a web browser, so guests just scan a QR code. Our Event Album is web-only: guests scan a QR code and upload, no app required.
Is there a better alternative to Fotify and Joy?
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.
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 - From $39