11 Best photo printing apps for iOS in 2020
Imagine it’s Christmas time and you want to send an invitation to all your friends.
Back in the days when the internet was not a thing, our fathers used to go to the printing shops (usually Darkroom) to print the photos from the reel cameras. The photos were mainly family photos, portraits, events, or landscapes.
Thanks to the invention of the internet, now we can do all these things from our bedroom.
The ease of printing shot through the roof after the launch of photo printing websites like Shutterfly, Walgreens, etc.
But it has further increased after Apple and Google launched the App Store and Play Store. Now, you don’t need to go to the photo printing websites. You can just download their app, upload the photos, and print them.
So, I decided to create a list of 12 best photo printing apps for iOS in 2020.
What are photo printing apps?
The photo printing apps are generally a mobile app launched by photo printing companies. Let’s say that you love Shutterfly the most and you use them to order 2–3 photos every year. You need to go to their website, upload the photos, and order them.
With an app, you can do the same thing but at a faster speed. A well-optimized app is faster than a website and easier to use.
With photo printing apps, you can order one or more photos to get printed and get delivered to your home.
Why is it better to have a photo printing app?
The answer to this question is debatable. I like to have an app of my favorite companies so that I can use their service on the go rather than going on to their site.
Generally, an app lets you do all the things that a website does.
Note: If you want to make some adjustments in the photo like removing a person, swapping the face with a smiling face, adding a person, swapping the background, or anything else, just let me know. I can do it for you at a very minimal cost. You can hire me to edit your photo.
Also, there are so many offers (like free 4×6″ prints) that are available on the apps that you don’t find on the website.
How did we rank the best photo printing apps for iOS?
We have mapped below things
- App Store reviews
- Service reviews
- App Store downloads
- Pricing
- Delivery time
And then gave a certain point to all the five things. Then we took a weighted average of the points. Then we ranked the best photo printing apps for iOS.
Best photo printing apps for iOS in 2020
Here you go.
1. Walgreens
App Store download and reviews: 2,600K and 4.8 ⭐
Lowest pricing for an 8×10: $10.99
PROS
- Fast delivery
- Basic online image editing like cropping
- Grabs photos from social networks for printing
- Online album sharing
CONS
- Print quality doesn’t measure up to the competition.
- More expensive than other photo printing sites
Walgreens offers same-day printing but you have to visit the store for that. There’s a very high chance that you are within a 1–2 mile radius of one of their stores as there are thousands of Walgreens photo stores in the US.
The one thing I liked the most is that it can import photos from my Facebook account. I have a very beautiful photo of my mother and me that was uploaded back in 2011. I didn’t have a digital copy of that photo anymore. It’s good that the Walgreens fetched that photo for printing.
2. FreePrints
App Store download and reviews: 459.9K and 4.8 ⭐
Lowest pricing for a 4×6: 0 but shipping starts at $1.99
PROS
- Fast delivery
- 85 free 4×6 photos every month
- Well optimized app
CONS
- Free printing is only for 4×6 on a glossy paper. So, if you want to print a different size or on a matte paper, you have to pay. This is actually not a CONS but because the app is named as “FreePrints”, customers would perceive that all the prints are free
FreePrints offer 85 free prints of a 4×6 on a glossy paper every month. This means that you can print around 1,000 photos every month for free. However, you need to check the shipping price because shipping is not free.
You can also print 85 4×6 photos a month. So, if you want to order 86, you need to wait till the Midnight PST on the 1st of every calendar month.
3. Shutterfly
App Store download and reviews: 254K and 4.7 ⭐
Lowest pricing for an 8×10: 0 but shipping starts at $3.49
PROS
- High quality
- Unlimited photo storage
- Well optimized app
CONS
- Price is higher than its competitors
Shutterfly is currently running a campaign where you get unlimited 4 x 6 prints if you order through their app. However, shipping fees are there.
One thing I like about Shutterfly that you have a huge array of formats to print. I have seen some unusual but interesting formats on Shutterfly that I had not seen anywhere.
4. Print Studio
App Store download and reviews: 18.6K and 4.9 ⭐
Lowest pricing for an 8×10: $8
PROS
- One of the best quality printing
CONS
- Price is higher than its competitors
The app is super optimized and it’s extremely easy to order prints. The delivery time is also good.
I have seen some cases where print quality is not good. For example, if I order an 8 x 10 and 11 x 14, I can see there’s a difference in the quality.
5. Snapfish
App Store download and reviews: 29.9K and 4.7 ⭐
Lowest pricing for an 8×10: $2.99
PROS
- Quality of the photos is good
- 100 free prints a month if you order through the app. But the shipping fee is there.
CONS
- I have read so many times that the shipping takes time.
The app is not very much optimized and is not that user-friendly. If you’re not a tech-oriented guy then you may have some difficulty in customizing your prints, entering the coupons, etc.
But all these things are shadowed by the extremely good print quality.
6. Moonpig
App Store download and reviews: 18K and 4.8 ⭐
Lowest pricing for a 51×72″: $4.49
PROS
- Prints only cards
- Same day dispatch
- You can design the cards.
CONS
- Can only print cards
Generally, the layout of the card you see on the app before the printing sometimes differs from the layout of the printed card.
It’s a bit hard to navigate through the app. You have to make some unnecessary clicks. Also, the app crashes sometimes.
7. Mpix
App Store download and reviews: 15K and 4.8 ⭐
Lowest pricing for an 8×10: $2.99
PROS
- Nice print quality
- The app is very user friendly
CONS
- No TIFF or PNG support
- Expensive than competitors
While ordering, I noticed that the shipping is quite high but it was fast.
Sometimes, the layout that you see on the app is different than what comes printed. For example, I ordered an 8×10 of a photo that has two people. I aligned the photo in such a way that both people are exactly at the center. But, when the printed photo arrived, I noticed that they are not at the center. They are just millimeters off but the difference is noticeable.
8. 1 Hour Photo: Fast Printing
App Store download and reviews: 14.6K and 4.8 ⭐
Lowest pricing for an 8×10: $3.99
PROS
- Extremely fast delivery
CONS
- No online delivery. You have to visit a registered shop to collect the printed photo.
As soon as you open the app, it’ll ask the location of the shop to print the photo. When you order the printing, you have to collect it from the same shop that you chose in the first step.
I don’t find this useful unless I need a photo in the next 2 hours (which has never happened to me).
9. Printastic
App Store download and reviews: 631 and 4.8 ⭐
Lowest pricing for a photobook: $16
PROS
- Amazing customer service
- Print quality is good
CONS
- More leaned towards creating a book and banners. It’s basically for small businesses.
I have never used Printastic but my friend who has a small shop does use it.
He says that he orders all of his banners through Printastic and the customer service is amazing.
10. Casetify
App Store download and reviews: 13.2K and 4.8 ⭐
Lowest pricing for an iPhone 11 case: $40
PROS
- Amazing customer service
- Print quality is good
CONS
- More leaned towards creating a book and banners. It’s basically for small businesses.
The name itself speaks that it’s not a photo printing site but I included it here. This is because it’s still a printing app. You can order custom print cases for your phone, Apple Watch bands, Airpods, laptops, etc.
I noticed that some customers say that the case scratches after 1–2 months. Though there are some of the customers who disagree with this argument. I believe it’s because the quality is good but not that tough. If you use it roughly, it’ll scratch.
11. Nations Photo Lab
App Store download and reviews: 529 and 4.8 ⭐
Lowest pricing for an 8×10: $2.36
PROS
- A fantastic print quality
- you get free 10 5×7″ prints if you order through the app. The shipping fee is there.
CONS
- Delivery takes time.
The delivery takes time between 1–2 weeks. Other leaders like Shutterfly and Wallgreens get your photo delivered in 2–3 days.
I guess this is because they’re old players and they have resellers across the USA. The reseller network of Nations Photo Lab is not that big (at least I guess).
Note: If you want to make some adjustments in the photo like removing a person, swapping the face with a smiling face, adding a person, swapping the background, or anything else, just let me know. I can do it for you at a very minimal cost. You can hire me to edit your photo.
Conclusion
You can come into any one of these categories.
- You want the photo to be delivered immediately. In this case, go for 1 Hour Photo: Fast Printing. But you have to visit the store to collect your print. It has tie-ups with Walmart, Walgreens, CVS pharmacy, etc. So, one of them should within a mile from your house.
- You want the best quality but the cost doesn’t matter much. Go for Print Studio. It’s expensive than its competitors but the quality is really good.
- You want the best quality but cost matters more. Go for Shutterfly. It costs only $3.49 for an 8×10″.
Originally published at https://tricky-photoshop.com on May 31, 2020.
