Honcho vs Joy
An honest, side-by-side look at Honcho 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.
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
- ·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.
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.
Guests can capture photos while offline; uploads sync once they are back online.
Downloadable QR sign and card templates sized for printing at home or at a print shop.
Personalise the gallery with your names, colours, logo or theme.
Use a custom URL or domain for the event gallery.
Guests leave written well-wishes or messages alongside their photos.
Guests can like and comment on photos in the gallery.
Guests leave voice messages (often via a dial-in phone) — an audio guestbook.
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.
Guests can upload videos, not just photos.
AI finds every photo a specific person appears in and delivers it to them.
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.
- ✓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.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Our Event Album beats both
If you are choosing betweenHHonchoandJJoycompare 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 Joy?
Honcho starts at $39 monthly, with a limited free tier as well. Joy has a free tier.
How much does Honcho cost?
Honcho starts at $39 monthly, with a limited free tier as well.
How much does Joy cost?
Joy has a free tier.
Do Honcho or Joy make guests download an app?
Honcho asks guests to install an app, 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 Honcho 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.
More head-to-head comparisons
Keep comparingHHonchoandJJoyagainst other event photo sharing apps.
| Comparison | Page |
|---|---|
JJoyvsWWedibox | Open → |
JJoyvsWWedPicsQR | Open → |
HHonchovsCCapsule | Open → |
JJoyvsEEventoly | Open → |
JJoyvsiiCloud Shared Albums | Open → |
JJoyvsCCluster | Open → |
JJoyvsGGuestlense | Open → |
HHonchovsFFotify | Open → |
HHonchovsSScanova | Open → |
HHonchovsWWedUploader | Open → |
HHonchovsWWedding Photo Swap | Open → |
HHonchovsKKululu | Open → |
JJoyvsDDots Memories | Open → |
JJoyvsDDropbox | Open → |
JJoyvsCCapsule | Open → |
HHonchovsDDropbox | Open → |
JJoyvsSSelfBooth | Open → |
JJoyvsPPhotoCircle | Open → |
HHonchovsWWedibox | Open → |
HHonchovsRReplayMyDay | Open → |
JJoyvsCCamdeed | Open → |
JJoyvsGGoogle Photos | Open → |
HHonchovsEEventoly | Open → |
HHonchovsGGoogle Photos | Open → |
HHonchovsWWedTrove | Open → |
HHonchovsPPOV Camera | Open → |
HHonchovsGGuestlense | Open → |
JJoyvsWWedUploader | Open → |
JJoyvsWWeddingMix | Open → |
JJoyvsWWedding Photo Swap | Open → |
JJoyvsGGuesticon | Open → |
HHonchovsCCluster | Open → |
HHonchovsPPixelParty | Open → |
JJoyvsSScanova | Open → |
HHonchovsSSelfBooth | Open → |
JJoyvsWWedbox | Open → |
JJoyvsPPOV Camera | Open → |
HHonchovsiiCloud Shared Albums | Open → |
HHonchovsCCamdeed | Open → |
JJoyvsPPixelParty | Open → |
HHonchovsKKwikpic | Open → |
JJoyvsGGuestCam | Open → |
JJoyvsWWedTrove | Open → |
HHonchovsPPhotoCircle | Open → |
HHonchovsWWedbox | Open → |
JJoyvsLLense | Open → |
HHonchovsWWedPicsQR | Open → |
JJoyvsFFotify | Open → |
JJoyvsRReplayMyDay | Open → |
HHonchovsWWeddingMix | Open → |
HHonchovsLLense | Open → |
JJoyvsKKululu | Open → |
JJoyvsKKwikpic | Open → |
HHonchovsGGuesticon | Open → |
HHonchovsDDots Memories | Open → |
HHonchovsGGuestCam | Open → |
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