Honcho vs iCloud Shared Albums
An honest, side-by-side look at Honcho and iCloud Shared Albums 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 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
Free
Free iCloud storage tier; Shared Albums have separate album limits and do not work like a wedding QR gallery.
- ·Shared Albums do not count against iCloud storage
- ·5,000 photos/videos per shared album
- ·100 subscribers per shared album
- ·Videos up to 15 minutes and delivered up to 720p
- ·Shared photos may be reduced to 2048px on the long edge
iCloud+ 50GB
- ·50 GB iCloud+ storage
- ·Shared Albums still have separate album limits
iCloud+ 200GB
- ·200 GB iCloud+ storage
- ·Shared Albums still have separate album limits
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 contribute via a web browser; there is nothing to download or install.
Photo prompts or scavenger-hunt style games to get guests snapping.
A live feed or wall of photos as guests upload them during the event.
Download all photos and videos from the event at once (e.g. a single ZIP).
Hosts can review, approve or hide uploads before they appear publicly.
Order physical prints or photo products directly from the gallery.
Maximum photos/videos guests can upload to the gallery. Blank = unlimited.
How long the gallery stays live and uploads are kept. Blank = unlimited / forever.
The gallery is private — only invited guests can view or upload.
✓ 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 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.
- ✓Free Shared Albums do not count against iCloud storage
- ✓Built into Apple Photos for iPhone/iPad/Mac users
- ✓Supports comments and likes on shared photos/videos
- ✓Apple documents clear limits: 5,000 items per album and 100 subscribers
- ✓Useful for small Apple-heavy groups that already use Photos
- xNot a wedding QR gallery and not friendly for mixed Android/Google guest lists
- xHard 5,000 photo/video limit per shared album and 100 subscriber limit
- xShared media may be downscaled; downloaded content may not contain the same information as the original
- xNo live slideshow, moderation queue, custom branding, or event upload signage workflow
- xiCloud+ storage prices are monthly subscriptions if the couple also needs more Apple storage
What people say
Real reviews, each linked to its source.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“A public App Store review complains that deleting uploaded photos required deleting each photo one by one and asks for clearer auto-publish settings. This is included as review context, not as an aggregate verdict.”
“Apple Support confirms Shared Albums do not count against iCloud storage but have limits, including 5,000 photos/videos per shared album and 100 subscribers per album.”
“Apple’s iCloud page confirms 5 GB free iCloud storage and iCloud+ paid storage plans from 50 GB upward.”
Our Event Album beats both
If you are choosing betweenHHonchoandiiCloud Shared Albumscompare 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, Honcho or iCloud Shared Albums?
iCloud Shared Albums is the cheaper of the two, starting at $0.99 against Honcho's $39. For comparison, Our Event Album is $39 one-time with no subscription.
How much does Honcho cost?
Honcho starts at $39 monthly, with a limited free tier as well.
How much does iCloud Shared Albums cost?
iCloud Shared Albums starts at $0.99 monthly, with a limited free tier as well.
Do Honcho or iCloud Shared Albums make guests download an app?
Honcho asks guests to install an app, while iCloud Shared Albums 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 Honcho and iCloud Shared Albums?
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