Waldo is a shared album app whose standout is face recognition that sends each person the photos they are in; guests add photos from a QR code or text link without an account, and its printable QR signs and big-screen slideshow come with Waldo Gold, a one-time $49.99 purchase per event. Albumer is free, with optional paid plans from $9.99 a year, and includes printable QR signs in 8 themes, cast to TV, photo games, Walgreens prints and a home screen widget, so a wedding with QR signs and photos on the TV costs $0 on Albumer and $49.99 on Waldo. Every guest gets the free Albumer app, so the album keeps going after the event, and albums do not expire.
Albumer and Waldo at a glance
| Albumer | Waldo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Shared album app for iPhone and Android | Shared albums for events and families, with AI photo delivery |
| Where it works | iPhone and Android apps | Web, iPhone and Android |
| How guests add photos | Scan the QR code or tap an invite, then install the free app | QR code or text link, no account needed to contribute |
| Free plan | Free: $0, 5 GB per account, videos up to 3 minutes, with ads | Basic event album, free, 10 GB of storage |
| Paid plan | Optional paid plans, billed yearly: Basic $9.99 a year with 50 GB, or Premium $29.99 a year with 200 GB. Both: videos up to 35 minutes, no ads | Waldo Gold: $49.99 one time per event, 50 GB of event storage for a year |
| Printable QR signs | Included: poster, table cards and tent cards in 8 themes | Included with Waldo Gold |
| Photos on a TV | Cast to TV, included | Live slideshow with Waldo Gold |
| Photos of you, found for you | Not offered | Facial recognition delivery with Waldo Gold |
| How long photos stay | Albums do not expire | Waldo Gold includes 50 GB of event storage for a year |
| Ads | Free with ads | No ads (per its App Store listing) |
| A wedding with QR signs and photos on the TV | $0 | $49.99 one time (Waldo Gold) |
How Waldo works
Waldo makes a private album for an event or for everyday family sharing. Guests add photos and videos from a QR code or a text link, without making an account, and Waldo's AI finds the photos each person is in and sends them over. For weddings, Waldo Gold adds printable QR signs, a custom text code for joining, a live slideshow, photo moderation and 50 GB of storage for a year. Waldo also offers a video guestbook and photostreams that share new family photos with grandparents.
How Albumer works
In Albumer, tap Events, then New event, and your event QR code appears. Print it as a poster, table cards or tent cards, or invite your whole guest list at once by email. Guests scan the code, install the free app and join as members who can see the album and add to it. Every photo and video stays at the size it was taken, whatever phone took it.
Everyone gets the app, so the album keeps working
With Albumer, guests scan your QR code and install the free app for iPhone or Android. There is no browser upload, so let guests know on your sign that it's a quick free download. The upside: every guest has the album on their own phone. Photos from the after-party, the brunch and the honeymoon land in the same album, nobody has to find a link again, and albums do not expire.
Pick Waldo if
- You want each guest to get the photos they are in, found by face recognition.
- You want guests to add photos without installing an app.
- You'd like a video guestbook, or an ad-free app.
Pick Albumer if
- You want printable QR signs and cast to TV for $0, with nothing to pay per event.
- You want albums that do not expire, for the wedding and everything after it.
- You want a home screen widget, digital frame sharing and Walgreens prints from the same album.
- You want photo games and an app in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Albumer Free, Basic and Premium
| Albumer Free | Albumer Basic (optional) | Albumer Premium (optional) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $9.99 a year | $29.99 a year (same on iPhone and Android) |
| Storage | 5 GB per account | 50 GB (about 25,000 photos) | 200 GB (about 100,000 photos) |
| Videos | Up to 3 minutes each | Up to 35 minutes each | Up to 35 minutes each |
| Ads | With ads | No ads | No ads |
| Per-event fees | None | None | None |
Every guest gets their own free account, so a wedding costs the couple nothing: nothing to pay per event, no guest cap you have to pay to lift, and albums don't expire. Basic and Premium are optional, for the account holder who wants more storage, longer videos and no ads.
More you can do with Albumer
- Cast to TV. Open join.albumer.com/tv on any TV with a web browser, type the code into Albumer, and the album plays. New photos show up as guests add them.
- Printable QR signs. A wall poster, table cards or tent cards, in eight themes: Elegant, Party, Spooky, Classic, Floral, Rustic, Retro and Festive.
- Photo frames. Send an album to a digital frame that has its own email address, like Aura or Skylight.
- Home screen widget. The newest photos from an album you pick, right on your phone's home screen.
- Walgreens prints. Pick photos, choose sizes and order prints in the app, then pick them up at your Walgreens.
- Folders. One for the ceremony, one for dinner, one for the dance floor.
- Photo games. A photo scavenger hunt, Color Dash, Caption This, Photo Tic-Tac-Toe, photo puzzles and memory games.
- English, Spanish and Portuguese.
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Is Albumer free?
Yes. Albumer Free costs $0: 5 GB of storage per account, videos up to 3 minutes each, with ads. Every guest gets their own free account, so there is nothing to pay per event and no guest cap to pay to lift. Paid plans are optional and billed once a year: Albumer Basic is $9.99 a year with 50 GB of storage (about 25,000 photos), and Albumer Premium is $29.99 a year with 200 GB (about 100,000 photos). Both have videos up to 35 minutes each and no ads.
Do guests need to download Albumer?
Yes. Guests scan your QR code, install the free app for iPhone or Android, and join the album. Because everyone has the app, the album keeps working after the event.
Do guests need an app or account for Waldo?
No. Waldo says guests can upload from a QR code or text link with no account, and its wedding page says no app download is required.
What does Waldo Gold include?
On Waldo's pricing page (checked October 28, 2026), Waldo Gold is a one-time $49.99 purchase that adds AI photo tagging and delivery, printable QR signs, a custom text code for joining, a live slideshow, contributor photo moderation, guest list tools and 50 GB of event storage for a year.
Does Albumer have face recognition?
No. Everyone in an Albumer album sees the whole album. You can sort photos into folders, and anyone can save the album to their phone.
Is Albumer cheaper than Waldo?
For a wedding with printable QR signs and photos on the TV, Albumer costs $0 and Waldo Gold is $49.99, one time, according to Waldo's pricing page. Albumer's paid plans, if you want one, are $9.99 or $29.99 a year, not per event.
Waldo details come from waldophotos.com (home, pricing and weddings pages) and the Waldo App Store listing, checked October 28, 2026. Prices and features can change, so check their site before you decide.
