Racheli Cooper, Chief Editor.
⏳ Do you want to skip the read and get right to my pick? The best Photo Scanning service for most people is iMemories.
Introduction to our Guide to the Best Photo Scanning Service
What is the best photo scanning service? Read our guide and find out!
Despite having photographic technology at our fingertips, practically all of us have tons of photo albums, loose prints, negatives, or even slides gathering dust in our homes. We have noted how old photos begin to fade after a while, even when properly slotted into an album: chemical discoloration occurs and, in the worst case scenario wherein your photos are damaged for one reason or another, even fade to nothingness.
For this reason, photo scanning services offer a way by which you can preserve your memories by scanning images from prints or negatives into digital files that you can keep online or in an external drive for posterity.
But which photo scanning service would work best for you? We offer the options in today’s listicle review of the best photo scanning services.
Our List of the Best Photo Scanning Services
- iMemories – best overall photo scanning service (Editor's Pick!)
- ScanCafe – best in customer service
- Legacybox – best for those who aren't in a hurry
- DigMyPics – best technical team
Comparison Table of the Best Photo Scanning Services
Note: Prices are subject to change over time and vary based on service and quantity of media products. Please click the links to check for current pricing.
| Feature | 🏆 iMemories (Editor's Pick!) | Legacybox | ScanCafe | DigMyPics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services Offered | Photo and video digitization | Photo and video digitization | Photo and slide digitization, Video conversion | Photo, slide, and negative digitization, Video conversion |
| Price | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | Check Current Price | Check Current Price |
| Turnaround Time | Approximately 2-4 weeks | Approximately 2-4 weeks | Approximately 6-8 weeks | Approximately 4-6 weeks |
| Shipping | Prepaid shipping kit provided | Prepaid shipping kit provided | Prepaid shipping kit provided | Customer responsible for shipping |
| Online Access | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Editing and Enhancements | Basic editing and color correction | Basic editing and color correction | Basic editing and color correction | Basic editing and color correction |
| Additional Services | Cloud storage, DVD creation, photo books | Cloud storage, DVD creation, photo books | Restoration services, custom editing | Restoration services, custom editing, photo printing |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6/5 | 3.9/5 | 4.5/5 | 3.6/5 |
1. iMemories (Editor's Choice!)
Best Overall Digitization Service
Key Features
- Submission Box
- Varying capacity depending on media format;
- Security barcodes for safe submission; and
- Pre-printed shipping label
- Output Formats
- Link access to cloud with app-based streaming;
- Secured thumb drive; and
- Burning to standard DVD.
Quality digitization paired with its own streaming service? Those are the two factors that sold us onto iMemories. That and the fact that you can get your converted materials back in as early as two weeks. iMemories lets you load up to 1,500 photo prints, 10,000 photographic negatives, and even 150 film reels in a single order – possibly the largest number offered by any photo scanning service – and you can get your output in three ways.
Should you choose to have your files saved to their cloud account, it’s best that you download and install their app to your phone so you can stream your memories and watch them at leisure. Take note, however, that this will entail an additional cost.
Pricing
Click here to check current pricing details of this best photo scanning service.
Money-back guarantee
No cancellations are allowed. They also do not entertain refund or return requests on currently processed services.
Where to get service
Make sure you get only legitimate servicing from iMemories through their official website.
2. ScanCafe
Best in Terms of Customer Service
Key Features
- Submission Box (can be yours or the company’s Value Kit);
- Service options include standard file digitization as well as multimedia remastering and photo restoration;
- Output Formats
- Link access to cloud with unlimited download;
- Secured thumb drive; and
- Burning to standard DVD.
If you’re looking for a service that pretty much holds your hand from start to finish, then we would recommend ScanCafe. Our best bet in terms of customer service and service quality, this company gives you the option of buying a package deal or sending your own box with any number of photos or tapes you want converted. We appreciate the company’s per item pricing model, as well as their guarantee that they can properly convert 80% or more of your submitted materials.
Pricing
Click here to check current pricing details of this best photo scanning service.
Money-back guarantee
This best photo digitizing service allows refunds within 30 days, but this policy does not apply on completed works.
Where to get service
To ensure you get the best service, contact ScanCafe only through their official website.
3. Legacybox
Best for Those Who Aren’t in a Hurry
Key Features
- Submission Box
- Varying capacity from two to 40 analog materials for digital conversion;
- How-to guide;
- Security barcodes for safe submission; and
- Pre-printed shipping label
- Output Formats
- Link access to cloud with unlimited downloads and a 90-day secure backup;
- Secured thumb drive; and
- Burning to standard DVD.
What is the best way to digitise old photos? Legacybox is exactly that: a service that invites you to put all your treasured memories – photos, negatives, and even old-school video formats like VHS, Betamax, and Super 8 – into their submission box, so you can preserve your visual legacy. However, we do have some beef with Legacybox, and that involves just how long it takes before you get your finished material. On average, they take around ten to twelve weeks – and that’s quite a long time, especially when its competitors claim to deliver within two weeks or a month at the most. Still, it’s a reliable service that does a good job of digitizing your file.
Pricing
Click here to check current pricing details of this high quality photo scanning service.
Money-back guarantee
This best photo scanning service UK allows refunds within 30 days of an order's completion. Again, refunds are not allowed on completed works.
Where to get service
To ensure you get your money's worth from this best online photo scanning service, contact Legacybox only through their official website.
4. DigMyPics
Best Technical Team
Key Features
- Photo Keeper service with the following features:
- Video conversion from several tape formats;
- Film conversion from 8mm to 16mm;
- Multiple format photo conversion; and
- Audio conversion.
DigMyPics prides itself on being staffed with some of the best imaging technology specialists in the United States – that’s a rather bold claim, but one with a great deal of truth. It is also one of the cheapest photo scanning services out there. However, being so tech-centric also means the service does complicate things for its customers in terms of its submission process as well as its pricing model. Admittedly, though, we do like how it delivers as the best photo scanner to digital files. They deliver the finished product almost as soon as they receive it from their clients.
Pricing
Click here to check current pricing details of this best photo scanning/ best slide scanning service.
Money-back guarantee
No cancellations are allowed. Returns and refunds are subject to the company's discretion.
Where to get service
Protect yourself as a consumer; reach out to the best photo scanning company only through their official website.
What Exactly is a Photo Scanning Service
A photo scanning service is also known as a photo transfer or even a photo conversion service. Companies that specialize in such services digitally scan photographic prints in order to convert them into files that can be stored online through a file sharing service or the cloud or copied onto an external hard drive or flash drive. The service extends to the scanning of film negatives, as well as celluloid slides.
Photo scanning services are meant to preserve image archives from natural deterioration over time or even environmental damage in the form of contaminants and physical factors.
In some cases, these companies also offer the conversion of video tapes, laser discs, and even audio recordings into playable files that one can enjoy sharing with family and friends. Indeed, some of the best services even offer the option of streaming converted files through an app on your phone.
How Did We Choose the Best Photo Scanning Services?
The main criteria we used in our review of the best photo scanning services is as follows:
- Ease in terms of submission – how quickly can you get your material over to them? Do they require a specific box or number of items for conversion? The best services take out the guesswork and offer the best possible solutions in terms of sending over raw material;
- Quality of output – what’s the point of having your pictures scanned if they end up looking worse than they did when you sent them? Our top picks are services that do a good job of preserving your most precious memories by way of state of the art technology;
- Secure submission – Our best bets were gauged based on how well they kept customers’ original materials safe during transport, conversion, and return without compromising quality or losing even a single item; and
- Value for money in terms of service delivery and product quality.
Conclusion and Recommendations to our Guide on the Best Photo Scanning Services
The services listed in today’s review of the best photo scanning service were all vetted by our team of experts to see which of these delivers in terms of service and product quality.
While iMemories wins our vote as the best photo scanning service, we would suggest that you take a cue from our list when you shop for a photo scanning service that meets your personal requirements.
Please note that, in the interest of getting legitimate services, we recommend that you reach out to the best photo scanning services through their official websites. You may also get great discounts for multiple purchases. Beware of purchasing from marketplace sites claiming to be resellers so to avoid issues with refunds and returns in the future!
FAQ
Which of these services allows you to send the most materials?
That would definitely be iMemories. This particular service lets you load up to 1,500 photo prints, 10,000 photographic negatives, and even 150 film reels (dependent on format) into their proprietary submission box.
Do any of the services listed here offer the possibility of saving my files to the cloud?
Our top three services – iMemories, Legacybox, and ScanCafe – all offer customers the option of loading their digitized materials to the cloud for downloading at a later date. In the case of iMemories, it also ups the ante by enabling users to stream their digitized materials – especially old home movies – through an app. Take note, however, that availing of this service entails an annual subscription fee aside from the cost of digitization.
If you've read all the way through this best photo scanning service reviews, we are grateful. We have reviewed all these products in detail, feel free to check them out;
Saundra Norton is a freelance tech writer and Gadget Reviewer at Pixoneye.com, the leading destination for customer ratings and reviews of consumer products. With over 9 years of experience in the tech industry, Saundra is a skilled writer and reviewer who is passionate about exploring new gadgets and emerging technologies. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, where she earned a degree in Computer Science and developed a deep understanding of the digital landscape.
As a freelance tech writer and Gadget Reviewer, Saundra is responsible for researching and reviewing the latest consumer products to provide readers with insightful and helpful content. She is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest trends in tech and is passionate about helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Saundra is also an avid traveler and coffee connoisseur, with a dream of visiting the Arctic someday. Join our community today and discover the best consumer products with Pixoneye.com.
Leave a Reply