iCloud Shared Albums vs Lense
A side-by-side look at iCloud Shared Albums and Lense for collecting photos and videos at your event. Prices and features below come from each app's own published pages and link to their sources, so you can compare them directly.
Or compare both with Our Event Album
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
5 GB of free iCloud storage.
- ·5 GB free iCloud storage
- ·Shared albums created on iOS 27 or later count toward the owner's storage
- ·Up to 100 participants per shared album
Free
Free event tier for up to 7 guests, as shown on https://lense.app/pricing on 2026-10-06. Includes 1 year in-app storage, full album download, optional filter effects, uploads from camera roll, live slideshow, and up to 25 captures per guest.
- ·Up to 7 guests
- ·1 year of in-app storage
- ·Full album download after the event
- ·Optional filter effects
- ·Uploads from camera roll
- ·Live slideshow
- ·Up to 25 captures per guest
25 guests
As shown on https://lense.app/pricing to a visitor in Australia on 2026-10-06. Includes storage, downloads, filters, camera-roll uploads, live slideshow, and up to 25 captures per guest.
- ·Up to 25 guests
- ·1 year of in-app storage
- ·Full album download
- ·Optional filter effects
- ·Live slideshow
- ·Up to 25 captures per guest
50 guests
As shown on https://lense.app/pricing to a visitor in Australia on 2026-10-06.
- ·Up to 50 guests
- ·1 year of in-app storage
- ·Full album download
- ·Optional filter effects
- ·Live slideshow
- ·Up to 25 captures per guest
100 guests
As shown on https://lense.app/pricing to a visitor in Australia on 2026-10-06.
- ·Up to 100 guests
- ·1 year of in-app storage
- ·Full album download
- ·Optional filter effects
- ·Live slideshow
- ·Up to 25 captures per guest
150 guests
As shown on https://lense.app/pricing to a visitor in Australia on 2026-10-06.
- ·Up to 150 guests
- ·1 year of in-app storage
- ·Full album download
- ·Optional filter effects
- ·Live slideshow
- ·Up to 25 captures per guest
200 guests
As shown on https://lense.app/pricing to a visitor in Australia on 2026-10-06.
- ·Up to 200 guests
- ·1 year of in-app storage
- ·Full album download
- ·Optional filter effects
- ·Live slideshow
- ·Up to 25 captures per guest
250 guests
As shown on https://lense.app/pricing to a visitor in Australia on 2026-10-06.
- ·Up to 250 guests
- ·1 year of in-app storage
- ·Full album download
- ·Optional filter effects
- ·Live slideshow
- ·Up to 25 captures per guest
500 guests
As shown on https://lense.app/pricing to a visitor in Australia on 2026-10-06.
- ·Up to 500 guests
- ·1 year of in-app storage
- ·Full album download
- ·Optional filter effects
- ·Live slideshow
- ·Up to 25 captures per guest
Our Event Album is $39 USD, one-time
One payment for one event album.
Feature comparison
Marks reflect each company's published pages as we checked them.
| Feature | iCloud Shared Albums | Lense |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | ||
| QR code upload Guests scan a QR code to upload photos and videos to the event gallery — no app, no account. | Not verifiedAlbums are shared by invitation or link; QR codes are not mentioned. | |
| 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. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Offline capture Guests can capture photos while offline; uploads sync once they are back online. | Not verified | |
| Print-sized QR sign/card templates Downloadable QR sign and card templates sized for printing at home or at a print shop. | Not verified | |
| No Sign-Up Required Guests contribute without creating an account or signing in. | Not verified | |
| Photographer upload | Not verified | Not verified |
| Photo booth mode | Not verified | Not verified |
| Customization | ||
| Custom branding Personalise how the gallery looks, for example with your names, colours, fonts or a theme. | Not verified | ~Hosts can choose a personal cover photo and optional effects, but no clear brand/logo customization claim was found. |
| Slideshow themes / templates Choose from templates or themes for the live slideshow and gallery design. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Custom domain / URL Use a custom URL or domain for the event gallery. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Watermarks Add a watermark or overlay to photos in the gallery. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Guest experience | ||
| Live slideshow A real-time slideshow of guest photos you can cast to a screen at the reception. | Not verified | |
| Video guestbook Guests record short video messages — a video guestbook for the couple. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Photo challenges / games Photo prompts or scavenger-hunt style games to get guests snapping. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Digital invites / RSVP Send digital invitations and collect RSVPs. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Guest messaging / well-wishes Guests leave written well-wishes or messages alongside their photos. | Not verified | 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 | |
| Audio guestbook Guests leave voice messages (often via a dial-in phone) — an audio guestbook. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Management | ||
| Download all Download all photos and videos from the event at once (e.g. a single ZIP). | Not verifiedSaving individual items is documented; a bulk export is not. | |
| Moderation / approval Hosts can review, approve or hide uploads before they appear publicly. | ~The owner can delete anyone's photos; from iOS 27 the owner can approve participants (people, not uploads). | |
| Photo prints / products Order physical prints or photo products directly from the gallery. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Event albums / photo books Create a designed event album or printed photo book. | Not verified | ~A shared digital album; no designed photo book. |
| Media | ||
| Video support Guests can upload videos, not just photos. | ~Paid "Video capturing" add-on (A$14.99; clips up to 1 minute). | |
| Face recognition AI groups photos by face so guests can find shots of themselves. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Filters / in-app editing In-app filters or basic photo editing before uploading. | Not verified | |
| AI culling / curation AI automatically selects or curates the best shots. | Not verified | Not verified |
| MagicFind™ AI Photo-Finding AI finds every photo a specific person appears in and delivers it to them. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Auto categorization | Not verified | 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 |
| Guest limit Maximum number of guests/contributors. Blank = unlimited. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Max video length Longest single video a guest can upload. Blank = no limit. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Other | ||
| Multi-language The guest-facing interface is available in multiple languages. | Not verified | |
| Privacy | ||
| Password protection Protect the gallery with a password or access code. | Not verified | Not verified |
| Private gallery The gallery is not public: only people given access, for example through the event's QR code or private link, can view or upload. | ~Shared Albums use subscribers/invites, but they are not a password-protected public wedding gallery. | |
✓ supportedx not offered, per the company~ partial? unconfirmedNot verified not verified in the sources we checked
What Our Event Album includes
- ✓Unique QR code for your event
- ✓Printable sign templates (PDF)
- ✓Unlimited photo & video uploads
- ✓Custom welcome page
Pros and cons
- ✓People can join and contribute on the web, even without an Apple Account (albums created on iOS 27 or later)
- ✓Built into Apple Photos for iPhone/iPad/Mac users
- ✓Supports comments and likes on shared photos/videos
- ✓New albums store originals at full resolution
- ✓Useful for groups that already use Apple Photos
- xUp to 100 participants per album, including the owner
- xNew albums count toward the owner's iCloud storage
- xAlbums created on iOS 26 or earlier are limited to 5,000 items and downscale shared media
- xInvitations are by link; Apple doesn't mention QR codes or event signs
- xiCloud+ storage is a monthly subscription
- ✓Guests can scan a QR code or link without downloading an app
- ✓Video capture is available as a paid add-on
- ✓Disposable-camera style delayed reveal and optional filter effects
- ✓Live photo wall/slideshow included with every event
- ✓Offline capture after joining; uploads sync when the connection returns
- xUp to 25 captures per guest by default; unlimited captures is a paid add-on
- xVideo capturing is a paid add-on
- xNo sourced face recognition, NFC, video guestbook, comments/likes, or photo challenges found
What people say
Real reviews, each linked to its source.
“Used Lense for my friend’s bachelorette weekend and it was a hit! It was so nice being able to see all of the photos as they were uploaded and not worry about sending them to everyone in batches via text messages.”
“App was super easy to use to set up the event and the QR code was perfect to allow others to access the camera. Really appreciated that they don't have to download the app to be able to use it.”
“We added a Lense QR code last minute to a 'thank you' note at our wedding and have no regrets in doing so!”
“We used the app at our wedding for 100 guest and it was great. We got pictures from different point of views.”
Or consider Our Event Album
If you are choosing betweeniCloud Shared AlbumsandLenseyou can also compare Our Event Album: 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 during your hosting period
Frequently asked questions
Which costs more, iCloud Shared Albums or Lense?
iCloud Shared Albums starts at $0.99 and Lense at A$7.99. For comparison, Our Event Album is $39 one-time with no subscription.
How much does iCloud Shared Albums cost?
iCloud Shared Albums starts at $0.99 monthly, with a limited free tier as well.
How much does Lense cost?
Lense starts at A$7.99 one-time, with a limited free tier as well.
Do iCloud Shared Albums or Lense make guests download an app?
ICloud Shared Albums says guests can upload from a web browser, and Lense says guests can upload from a web browser. Our Event Album is web-only: guests scan a QR code and upload, no app required.
What else could I consider besides iCloud Shared Albums and Lense?
Our Event Album is another option: 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 comparingiCloud Shared AlbumsandLenseagainst other event photo sharing apps.
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Set up your own album today
One QR code. No guest apps. One flat price, no subscriptions.
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