Google Photos vs Honcho
An honest, side-by-side look at Google Photos and Honcho 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 Tier
Free Google Account storage is shared across Google Photos, Google Drive, and Gmail.
- 15 GB free Google Account storage shared across Photos, Drive, and Gmail
- Shared albums/conversations for photos and videos
- Not a no-app QR upload gallery
- Storage can be exhausted quickly by full wedding media
Add-ons
Optional extras, separated from real plans so the base price stays clear.
Google One Plans
Paid Google One storage plans add storage for Photos, Drive, and Gmail; exact prices and available tiers vary by region and account context, so no single converted price is claimed here.
- Paid Google One storage adds capacity for Photos, Drive, and Gmail
- Prices and tiers vary by region and account context
- Use account-local Google One pricing for exact TCO
Plans
Free Trial
The quickest way to try Honcho, absolutely risk-free. Public pricing page describes it as a 7-day free trial with no credit card required.
- 3 albums
- 50 photos per album
- 20 face searches per album
- Online store with 15% sales commission
- Photo editor
- Wireless printing
- Live slideshow
- Custom profile in gallery
- Form to collect responses in gallery
Indie
- 10 GB of storage
- Unlimited albums
- Unlimited photos per album
- Unlimited face searches
- Online store with 10% sales commission
- Photo editor
- Wireless printing
- Live slideshow
- Custom profile in gallery
- Custom domain
Pro
- 100 GB of storage
- Unlimited albums
- Unlimited photos per album
- Unlimited face searches
- Online store with 5% sales commission
- Photo editor
- Wireless printing
- Live slideshow
- Custom profile in gallery
- Custom domain
- Form to collect responses in gallery
- Remove Honcho branding in gallery
Studio
- 1,000 GB of storage
- Unlimited albums
- Unlimited photos per album
- Unlimited face searches
- Online store with 3% sales commission
- Photo editor
- Wireless printing
- Live slideshow
- Custom profile in gallery
- Custom domain
- Form to collect responses in gallery
- Remove Honcho branding in gallery
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. | ~Honcho supports QR-code gallery sharing, but the public evidence is about finding/sharing photographer photos, not guest uploads. | |
| No app required Guests contribute via a web browser; there is nothing to download or install. | ~Shared albums can be accessed in Google Photos/browser contexts, but guests commonly need Google account/app access; it is not a no-account wedding gallery. | ~Attendees can access galleries through QR/links, while the photographer upload workflow uses the Honcho app. |
| NFC support Guests tap an NFC tag or card with their phone to open the upload page. | Not verified | |
| Photographer upload | Not verified | |
| Customization | ||
| Custom branding Personalise the gallery with your names, colours, logo or theme. | Not verified | |
| Custom domain / URL Use a custom URL or domain for the event gallery. | Not verified | |
| 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. | Not verified | |
| Photo challenges / games Photo prompts or scavenger-hunt style games to get guests snapping. | Not verified | |
| Real-time photo feed / wall A live feed or wall of photos as guests upload them during the event. | Not verified | |
| Comments & likes Guests can like and comment on photos in the gallery. | Not verified | |
| Management | ||
| Download all Download all photos and videos from the event at once (e.g. a single ZIP). | ~Google Photos supports saving/downloading shared media, but it is not a wedding-specific one-click event export workflow. | ~Honcho supports selling digital downloads; a one-click download-all wedding archive was not found. |
| Moderation / approval Hosts can review, approve or hide uploads before they appear publicly. | ||
| 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. | Not verified | |
| Media | ||
| Video support Guests can upload videos, not just photos. | ||
| Face recognition AI groups photos by face so guests can find shots of themselves. | Not verified | |
| Filters / in-app editing In-app filters or basic photo editing before uploading. | Not verified | |
| Metrics | ||
| Uploads limit Maximum photos/videos guests can upload to the gallery. Blank = unlimited. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Storage / active duration How long the gallery stays live and uploads are kept. Blank = unlimited / forever. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Privacy | ||
| Private gallery The gallery is private — only invited guests can view or upload. | ~Shared albums can be shared with selected people or links, but this is not a password-protected wedding gallery model. | Not verified |
✓ 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
- ✓Free 15 GB Google Account storage is useful for small collections
- ✓Shared albums are familiar to many guests with Google accounts
- ✓Supports photos and videos across app and browser contexts
- ✓Paid Google One storage can expand capacity when needed
- ✓Good general archive if the couple already uses Google Photos
- xNot a wedding QR upload gallery and not built for event signage
- xGuests may need Google account/app access depending on the sharing flow
- xNo live reception slideshow, moderation queue, branding, or wedding guestbook workflow was verified
- xStorage is shared with Gmail and Drive, so large wedding media can exhaust the free tier
- xPaid Google One pricing varies by region/account, so exact TCO needs checking in-account
- ✓Strong live photo delivery workflow for professional photographers and event teams.
- ✓AI face recognition, QR-code gallery sharing, live slideshow, online store, and wireless printing are published features.
- ✓Free trial is available with clear limits: 3 albums, 50 photos per album, and 20 face searches per album.
- xPricing is a monthly subscription, not a one-time wedding album purchase.
- xBuilt around photographer camera-to-cloud delivery rather than guest photo and video uploads.
- xPaid plans still take online-store commission, from 10% on Indie down to 3% on Studio.
- xNo public evidence found for wedding-style video guestbook, guest video uploads, or no-sign-up guest collection.
What people say
Real reviews, each linked to its source.
Google Photos
2 reviews
Honcho
4 reviews
Zahn TrotterManaging Director of Smoke Photo + Video“Honcho has been the most exciting addition to our offering this year. Being able to make photos available instantly has been a huge hit with our clients. The built-in stats clearly show the uptake—and at awards events, it’s massive. People get their photos straight away, and they love it.”José GonçalvesOwner of Fotos do Zé“After years of searching, I finally found the perfect way to share my marathon photos. I’m especially loving the notifications feature that lets participants know when new photos of them are found with face recognition.”Santiago PalaciosCo-founder of Bodega Producciones“Using Honcho has been a game-changer for us. It allowed us to introduce face recognition into our workflow and has been especially valuable during large sporting events, where it's nearly impossible for participants to browse through hundreds of photos. With Honcho, they can quickly find their pictures with a simple selfie.”Our Event Album beats both
If you are choosing between Google Photos and Honcho, 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, Google Photos or Honcho?
Google Photos has a free tier, plus paid plans. Honcho starts at $39 monthly, with a limited free tier as well.
How much does Google Photos cost?
Google Photos has a free tier, plus paid plans.
How much does Honcho cost?
Honcho starts at $39 monthly, with a limited free tier as well.
Do Google Photos or Honcho make guests download an app?
Google Photos asks guests to install an app, while Honcho 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 Google Photos and Honcho?
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