Google Photos shared albums are free with every Google Account, which includes up to 15 GB of storage, and anyone with the album link can view the photos and add to the album, with apps for Android and iPhone and a website at photos.google.com. Albumer is a free photo sharing app for iPhone and Android built for groups and events: everyone you invite adds their own photos and videos at full size, and the same album can go on printed QR signs, a TV slideshow that updates live, a digital frame, a home screen widget and Walgreens prints.
Albumer and Google Photos shared albums at a glance
| Albumer | Google Photos shared albums | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Photo sharing app for groups and events | Part of Google Photos, Google's photo backup and library app |
| Where it works | The same app on iPhone and Android | Google Photos app for Android and iPhone, plus photos.google.com on a computer |
| How people join | Invite by email, text, QR code or phone contacts, then they install the free app | Share with people who have a Google Account, or send a link. Anyone with the link can view the photos and add to the album |
| Who adds photos | Everyone you invite adds their own photos and videos | Viewers can add their own photos, videos and comments. The owner can turn off Collaborate |
| Photo quality | Photos keep the size you took them at (an optional setting trades quality for more photos) | Depends on backup quality: Original quality keeps the resolution you took them at, Storage saver resizes photos over 16 MP to 16 MP |
| Free storage | 5 GB per account, with ads | Up to 15 GB per Google Account, shared across Google Photos, Drive and Gmail |
| More storage | Basic $9.99 a year (up to 50 GB) or Premium $29.99 a year (up to 200 GB), no ads | Google One plans, from $1.99 a month for 100 GB |
| Phone backup | Copy photos and videos from your phone into the Albumer Gallery, and save a whole album back to your phone any time | Automatic backup of your phone's photos and videos |
| QR code | Printable wall poster, table cards and tent cards in 8 themes | Each shared album link can be shared as a QR code |
| Photos on a TV | Live slideshow on any TV with a web browser. New photos appear as they arrive | Cast a photo or album to a TV with Chromecast |
| A 150-guest wedding | $0, nothing to pay per event | $0, free with a Google Account |
What Google Photos does well
Google Photos is a strong everyday photo library. It can back up your phone's photos and videos automatically, every Google Account comes with up to 15 GB of storage, and Google One adds more from $1.99 a month. Shared albums are built right in: share an album with people in your contacts, or create a link, and anyone with the link can view the photos and add their own. Album links can also be shared as a QR code, the owner can turn off Collaborate or reset the link at any time, and you can cast an album to a TV with Chromecast. If your group already lives in Google Photos, a shared album is a quick, free way to pool pictures.
How Albumer works
Albumer is a free photo sharing app for iPhone and Android, made for the times many people take photos together: weddings, parties, birthdays, holidays and road trips. Make an album, then invite people by email, text, QR code or straight from your phone contacts. Everyone you invite adds their own photos and videos, and Albumer never shrinks them: they keep the dimensions they were taken at, whatever phone took them, unless you pick the setting that fits more photos at a lower quality. Nobody sees your album unless you invite them. The same album can then play on a TV, fill a digital frame, scroll on a home screen widget, become a photo game or turn into Walgreens prints.
Everyone gets the app, so the album keeps working
With Albumer, people install the free app for iPhone or Android to add photos. There is no browser upload, so let people know on your sign or invite that it's a quick free download. The upside: the album is on everyone's phone, it works the same on iPhone and Android, new photos show up for everyone as they land, and albums do not expire as long as the account that holds the photos stays within its storage limit.
When to use which
Pick Google Photos shared albums if
- You want automatic backup of your whole camera roll, with shared albums on top.
- Your group already uses Google Photos and has Google storage to spare.
- You want people to open the album from a link you send.
Pick Albumer if
- You want an album for an event or a group where everyone adds their own photos at full size, on iPhone and Android alike.
- You want printed QR signs for the tables, and a TV slideshow that fills up live as guests add photos.
- You want the album on a digital frame like Aura or Skylight, on a home screen widget, or in Walgreens prints.
- You want photo games, journal pages and an audio guestbook alongside the pictures, in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
They also work well together: keep Google Photos as your backup, and use Albumer for the albums you share with a crowd.
Albumer Free, Basic and Premium
| Albumer Free | Albumer Basic (optional) | Albumer Premium (optional) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $9.99 a year | $29.99 a year |
| Storage | 5 GB per account | Up to 50 GB (about 25,000 photos) | Up to 200 GB (about 100,000 photos) |
| Videos | Clips up to 3 minutes each | Up to 5 GB each (about 35 minutes of HD) | Up to 5 GB each (about 35 minutes of HD) |
| Ads | With ads | No ads | No ads |
| Per-event fees | None | None | None |
Prices are US prices, and Basic and Premium storage sizes depend on your country. Every guest gets their own free account, so an event costs the host nothing: nothing to pay per event, no guest cap you have to pay to lift, and albums don't expire as long as the account that holds the photos stays within its storage limit. Basic and Premium are optional, for the account holder who wants more storage, longer videos and no ads. Subscriptions renew until you cancel.
More you can do with Albumer
- Cast to TV. Open join.albumer.com/tv on any TV with a web browser, type the code it shows into Albumer, and the album plays. New photos appear as they arrive, with no refresh needed.
- Printable QR signs. A wall poster, table cards or tent cards, in eight themes: Elegant, Party, Spooky, Classic, Floral, Rustic, Retro and Festive. Guests point a camera at the code and land in your album.
- Photo frames. Send an album to a digital frame that has its own email address, like Aura or Skylight. Whatever the people in that album add turns up on the frame.
- Home screen widget. Pick an album, and the widget scrolls through everyone's photos from it, updating every 20 to 30 minutes.
- Photo games. Send a photo as a jigsaw puzzle or a memory matching game, or play a photo scavenger hunt, Color Dash, Caption This or Photo Tic-Tac-Toe with a group.
- Journal pages and an audio guestbook. Write down what happened, comment and react on photos, and let people record a message out loud.
- Walgreens prints. Pick photos, choose sizes, order from the Walgreens nearest you inside the app, and pay at the store when you pick them up.
- Folders and duplicate detection. Organize an album into folders, and the same picture never lands twice.
- English, Spanish and Portuguese.
More comparisons
- Albumer vs POV
- Albumer vs Waldo
- Albumer vs Kululu
- Best free wedding photo sharing apps (2026)
- Albumer vs iCloud Shared Albums
Frequently asked questions
Are Google Photos shared albums free?
Yes. Google Photos comes with every Google Account, and all Google Accounts include up to 15 GB of storage, shared across Google Photos, Drive and Gmail. Google One plans add more, starting at $1.99 a month for 100 GB on Google's plans page (checked November 14, 2026).
Who can add photos to a Google Photos shared album?
According to Google Photos Help, when you share a link to an album, anyone with the link can view the photos and add to the album. The owner can turn off Collaborate to stop others adding photos, and can reset the link at any time.
Does Google Photos keep shared photos at full size?
It depends on backup quality. Google says Original quality stores photos and videos at the resolution you took them, while Storage saver resizes photos larger than 16 MP to 16 MP and videos above 1080p to 1080p. Albumer keeps photos at the size they were taken unless you choose a lower-quality setting.
Can I show a shared album on a TV?
Yes, with both. Google Photos can cast a photo or album to a TV with Chromecast. Albumer plays an album on any TV with a web browser: open join.albumer.com/tv, type the code into the app, and new photos appear as people add them.
Do guests need to download Albumer?
Yes. To add photos, people install the free Albumer app for iPhone or Android and join the album from an invite or the QR code. There is no browser upload. Because everyone has the app, the album keeps working long after the event.
Is Albumer free?
Yes. Albumer Free costs $0, with 5 GB of storage per account, 3 minute video clips and ads, and every guest gets their own free account. Paid plans are optional and billed once a year: Albumer Basic is $9.99 a year for up to 50 GB and Albumer Premium is $29.99 a year for up to 200 GB (US prices, storage depends on your country). Both have videos up to 5 GB each and no ads.
Google Photos details come from Google Photos Help (support.google.com/photos: Share photos and videos, How shared album controls give your photos more privacy, Choose the backup quality of your photos and videos, Show photos on a TV with Chromecast) and Google One plans (one.google.com/about/plans), checked November 14, 2026. Prices and features can change, so check Google's pages before you decide.
