Photokive vs. Legacybox: Which Digitizer Is Best for Old Family Photos?
- Rodnesha Green
- 15 minutes ago
- 13 min read
Digitizing old family photos has become essential in preserving precious memories for future generations. Whether you have an antique photo book passed down through the generations or boxes of loose prints you've been meaning to scan, converting your photographs to a digital format ensures they won’t fade away or erode with time. Two popular photo box services – Legacybox and Photokive – offer to do the heavy lifting for you when it comes to digitizing old photos.
In this comparison, we’ll introduce both brands and explore which offers the better service for compiling and preserving old family photos. By examining features like ease of use, digital storage, customization and price you’ll learn how each service works and which offers the optimal solution for how to digitize photos. Let’s dive in!
Legacybox – A Popular “All-in-One” Photo Box
Legacybox is a well-known, all-in-one digitization service that has helped many families preserve aging media of all kinds. Founded in 2013, Legacybox specializes in converting various types of analog formats into digital files. (e.g. VHS tapes, films reels, etc.). The company sends you a sturdy, crush-proof box with a pre-paid shipping label, making it easy to pack up your old family photos and send them off for conversion.
Legacybox’s breadth of services is one of its biggest draws allowing users to digitize old photographs, home movies, slides and more. For the purposes of this comparison, we'll be focusing specifically on their photo digitization services.
Here’s a overview of Legacybox’s features when it comes to photo album digitization:
Barcode Tracking: After you sign up for a kit, you’ll receive a package with everything needed – instructions, a pre-paid shipping label, "item" barcodes and a tracking system. Legacybox tracks everything by item. For photos "1 item" equals a set of 25 photos - so every "1 item" gets a barcode that is tracked throughout the process. Once you label your photos, simply fill up the box and mail it via the provided label.
Flexible Add-Ons: Regarding output formats, you can opt to receive a USB thumb drive or a DVD disc, in addition to your online download. Whether you opt for one or a combination of all three, Legacybox offers flexibility in your backup options. Prices vary dependent upon your base package.
Cloud Storage Included: Every Legacybox order includes a digital download link and temporary cloud storage for your converted files. Customers receive 30 days free cloud access . During that window you can download and share your scanned images to your own devices. Legacybox also offers ongoing, subscription-based cloud access that's $4.99 for every 30 days after that you wish to continue hosting.
High Resolution Scanning: In terms of photo handling, Legacybox’s service is fairly standardized. They will scan your prints at high resolution and return them in roughly the same order they were sent. Any organization of digital photos (like sorting into folders or naming files) is generally up to you.
A Few Caveats to Consider About Legacybox
While Legacybox offers convenience and a proven track record, there are a few things to consider that could prove to be potential drawbacks.
Long Turnaround Times: Legacybox estimates about 10–12 weeks to complete an order, but many Legacybox reviews show that customers report waiting even longer with very few updates. Slow service can be frustrating when you’re anxious about the status of your one-of-a-kind photo keepsakes. If you need fast results and regular communication this is something to keep in mind.
No Handling of Intact Photo Albums: Legacybox does not specialize in scanning intact photo albums. In fact, if you were to send in an entire album to them, they would decline to photograph it and send it right back. If you choose to digitize your photos with Legacybox and you have albums, your only option will be to remove every photo from the albums. Even with guidance, peeling pictures off albums with sticky pages or simply handling a fragile old photo album yourself is a risky and tedious task that Photokive’s process was designed to avoid (more on that soon).
A Costly Investment for Photos Only: Legacybox can be one of the pricier options if you're looking to tackle large collections. Packages start around $34.99 for 50 photos (the 2-item “Starter”) and ranges up to $624.99 for 1000 photos (the 40-item "Trunk"). This is a significant investment if you have numerous albums to scan. If you only have photos to digitize, you might end up overpaying when compared to services tailored for bulk photo processing. Cost-conscious users, or those with thousands of photos to import, might want to explore other options.
Standard Output: As mentioned above, Legacybox doesn’t group or label your digitized output beyond how they are tracked as "items". Any further organizing or cataloging of your digital items is left to you upon delivery. For some users this isn’t a problem, but those hoping for a more curated virtual gallery might find this lacking.
Legacybox Pricing for Photo Digitization
Legacybox’s pricing is based on a tiered “item” system. Essentially, 25 photo prints count as “1 item” in your photo box (e.g. 250 photos = 10 items). Legacybox offers four kit sizes:
2-item "Starter" (up to 50 photos) - $34.99 (regularly $69.98)
10-item "Family" (up to 250 photos) - $159.99 (regularly $319.98)
20-item "Closet" (up to 500 photos) - $319.99 (regularly $639.98)
40-item "Trunk" (up to 1000 photos) - $624.99 (regularly $1249.98)
The price includes: the crush-proof shipping box, round-trip shipping, scanning service, your digitized files via download link and the return of your original items.
USB or DVD storage is available for an extra fee that's determined by your base package.
You can also choose to continue cloud storage for an ongoing fee of $4.99 for every 30 days needed beyond the initial 30 Day free period.
What Customers Have to Say - Legacybox Reviews
Legacybox has handled over a million memories for customers and the feedback is generally positive. Many users report feeling relieved and delighted to see old family photos brought back to life in digital form. Testimonials exist from customers who describe the service as “wonderful” and the digital output being of “great quality for preserving your memories”.
With that said, some independent Legacy box reviews also highlight some recurring pain points. The most often mentioned point of contention being the extended wait times that go beyond the promised window. Although, it should also be said that the company has taken steps to improve tracking and now offers a “personal concierge” support line for questions, which some customers have found helpful when preparing their box.
In summary, Legacybox offers an established solution to convert photographs to digital files. If you have a variety of media to digitize, they have the advantage of scalability and a decade of experience in mixed-media preservation - a big plus if you have diverse archiving needs.
But, when it comes to digitizing old photos specifically, their one-size-fits-all approach may be incompatible given the higher cost per photo, longer wait times and potentially having to disassemble your own albums. Legacybox will get the job done, but is it the best way to preserve your priceless photo albums?
Let’s look at how Photokive takes a different approach.
Photokive – Premium Digitizing for Priceless Family Albums
Photokive is a newer player in the photo digitization space, and it comes with a strong pedigree. Its predecessor Artkive is a longstanding keepsake company well-known for their concierge approach to turning kids’ art into keepsake books. In fact, their reputation was so stalwart in this arena, that they created a subsequent sibling service, Cards by Artkive, tailored to preserving greeting cards. Photokive is the latest dedicated solution for digitizing photos and archiving albums, building on years of proven experience in safeguarding family mementos.
The Kive Company was founded in 2012 and since then Artkive and its accompanying services have helped digitize memories for over 500,000 families.. By leveraging a robust staff of professional photographers and seasoned editors, that same expertise is now focused on helping people convert their old family photos, albums and scrapbooks into digital formats that can better withstand the test of time.
How does Photokive work? When you place your order, Photokive sends out a sturdy, crush-proof box, an instruction guide and a prepaid return shipping label. While this may sound similar to the process for Legacybox, the key difference is what you are able to send. With Photokive there’s no need to remove photos from albums or scrapbooks - you can literally send your entire album as-is. Their process involves high-resolution photography and scanning to digitize each photo without taking the album apart. If a photo must be removed (for example, a tightly stuck picture), their professionals are equipped to do so with extreme care and return prints to their original state and position order in which it was sent.
In short, Photokive takes a white-glove approach to handling your memories with care, giving you a digitization experience that's designed to be as simple and safe as possible for your visual legacy.
Here’s an overview of the Key Features of a Photokive photo box experience :
Consistent High Quality Imaging: Photokive’s technicians are actual professional photographers and editors, not just machine operators. They capture each image with high-resolution equipment and perform edits like color correction, color balancing and dust removal at no additional cost. Most photos are captured at 300 DPI or higher, producing clear digital images suitable for reprints and enlargements. Your grandma’s faded snapshots can get a gentle refresh so they virtually look their best.
No Need to Pull Apart Albums: One of Photokive's best features is how easy they make it to submit your albums and images. Unlike Legacybox, you can gather up all your family albums, and place them in the box AS IS! Thanks to Photokive's white-glove service, there is no need to take albums apart and peel off any photos affixed inside them. This is a huge relief for anyone with older magnetic-style albums or delicate scrapbooks where removing pictures could cause damage. The Photokive team will carefully handle each page and print, then return all items back to you as issued.
Personal Updates & Support: When you use Photokive, you’re assigned a Photokive concierge who will communicate with you throughout the process. Families often feel anxiety sending off these irreplaceable items; Photokive mitigates this by keeping you in the loop with regular updates as your albums are being received and processed. If you have questions, you can talk to a real person who understands how important these tangible memories are. This level of personal care is a stark contrast to the generic status trackers of big-box services.
Faster Turnaround: Photokive’s standard processing time is 6–8 weeks from the time they receive your box. This is a bit quicker than Legacybox’s typical timeline of 8–12 weeks (or more). On top of this, if you need your images sooner for a project or special event, expedited service is available for an additional fee. Either way, you’re likely to have your digital images in hand faster with less uncertainty.
Easy Digital Access: Once your photos are digitized, Photokive uploads them to your secure online account where you can download all the images at full quality. Included in your service is 90 days of FREE cloud storage to ensure you have ample time to save or share your custom gallery. Photokive also offers an inexpensive yearly plan if you want to keep hosting your images for an extended period of time.
Digital Gallery Organization: Additionally, Photokive will help organize your digital photos in a way that makes sense to you. Labels are provided in your kit that allows you to group and add descriptions for how to organize your photos. They can be labeled by album name, date, or theme. For example, if you sent in three photo albums from different eras and labeled them “Album1_GrandparentsWedding”, “1975” and "Summer Vacations at the Cabin", then Photokive's team will arrange your photos under those label designations. This thoughtful touch takes the guesswork out of sorting your digitized images – a huge bonus for those who prefer an organized archive.
Turn Your Digitized Photos Into Memory Book Gifts: Photokive offers the option to turn your digital portfolio into a high-quality memory book. Because of Artkive’s roots in making gallery-quality books from children's artwork, Photokive can similarly transform your newly digitized photos into a contemporary keepsake photo book as an add-on service. Each custom hardcover book can include up to 350 photos (one image per page). Turn your old family photos into a sleek coffee-table conversation piece, or gift them to relatives who would like a piece of family history in their home.
"WOW!" Factor: The Memory Protection Guarantee: One of Photokive’s most heartwarming features is the Photokive Guarantee for natural disasters. The Kive Company's founders are based in California and were directly affected by the 2025 California wildfires and witnessed many loved ones and close friends lose everything. In response, they forged the following company-wide pledge: If a natural disaster ever destroys your home and photo keepsakes, Photokive will reprint all your digitized albums into new photo books at no cost. This means even in a worst-case scenario, your family’s memories are not just digitally safe in the cloud – they can be tangibly restored to you. Knowing your memories are protected “no matter what happens” is an added level of compassionate assurance that provides immense peace of mind.
A Few Things to Consider with Photokive
No service is perfect, try as they may. So, here are a few considerations to keep in mind with Photokive:
Scope Limited to Photos: Photokive is a specialty photo service. If you have a mixture of media you wish to archive (e.g. videos, slides, film negatives, etc.) Photokive will only cover photo prints and albums. You’d have to use a different service for other media types. This is not so much a “negative” as a conscious business focus, but it could be less convenient if you hoped to digitize everything in one go.
Cost for Premium Add-Ons: While Photokive’s digitization pricing per photo is quite competitive, some of the premium options cost extra – notably the printed photo books ($99 per book) and a return USB thumb drive ($19.99 add-on). If you decide to have multiple physical photo books made of your digitized pictures, that could increase the total expenditure. However, these are optional. You still receive all images digitally without having to pay beyond the base package price and that will always include the first 90 days of free cloud storage and downloads.
Turnaround Time: Photokive’s personalized process doest take a bit of time, due to the concierge service they offer. With each print being carefully photographed, scanned and edited by a professional team, the time spent is going into the care of your heirloom items and the quality of the digital output. While 6-8 weeks is still considerably less time than what Legacybox offers, if you're looking for a quicker solution to meet a time constraint or last minute need, Photokive may not be the best solution.
Pricing for Photokive Photo Digitization
Photokive offers straightforward package pricing based on the number of photos you need digitized, whether they are loose prints or in albums. While Photokive already has competitive rates when compared to Legacybox, they are also offering 50% off for first-time customers.
Photokive offers 4 Digitizer Packages:
Snapshot (up to 100 photos) – $59 for first-timers (regularly $118.00)
Portfolio (up to 250 photos) – $139.99 for first-timers (regularly $279.98)
Gallery (up to 500 photos) – $259.99 for first-timers (regularly $519.98)
Archive (up to 1,000 photos) – $489.99 for first-timers (regularly $979.98)
Included in the price is: a crush-proof shipping kit, a pre-paid return label, digitization and editing of all photos, online gallery setup with optional folder organization, 90 days of cloud storage, and the return of your original albums & photos.
Additional USB storage can be purchased for $19.99
Extended cloud service for your digital gallery can be purchased via Photokive's annual cloud storage plan for $18.
"A Strong Start!" - A Summary of Photokive Reviews
Because Photokive is a newer service, dedicated Photokive reviews from customers are just beginning to emerge. Nevertheless, early feedback similarly echoes that of many existing Artkive reviews. Photokive users loved the fact that they didn’t have to take apart their fragile albums – one of the biggest points of anxiety for folks with vintage photo books. There’s also resounding appreciation for the image quality! Given that Photokive captures images at a high resolution (300 DPI or above), there are less reports of inconsistent image quality when compared to Legacybox.
Concerning informal comments on social media, the Photokive concierge service garners plenty of kudos for being responsive and timely with keeping the customer in the loop with many feeling it offers a more personal touch. People who have used Photokive often mention that it feels like a collaborative project given the inclusive communication, organization and premiere-level digitization. Additionally, the option to get a printed photo book of your revived memories to share or display as a coffee-table book has been a hit with new Photokive users!
In short, Photokive debuts as a top-tier solution for digitizing photo albums, leveraging Artkive’s years of experience in memory preservation. They offer a concierge-style service that takes the burden off your shoulders and places it in the care of experts. For families looking to preserve old family photo albums, scrapbooks, or shoeboxes full of individual prints, Photokive provides peace of mind and superb results.
Photokive vs. Legacybox — Which Is the Best Photo Digitizer For You?
Both Legacybox and Photokive ultimately share the same goal: to help you digitize old family photos so that your family's precious moments are not lost to time. However, the experience and output of these two services differ based on what each company prioritizes.
As mentioned, Legacybox is an established and convenient one-stop solution if you have a variety of media to convert. The priority at Legacybox is to offer a broad-service solution to their customer base, and its reliability is backed by years of operation as a digitizer of many customers' mixed media keepsakes. But, when it comes to cost and output, their services fall short for users who simply want to focus on preserving their photographic mementos.
When it comes to photo album digitization, Photokive has a clear edge in terms of specialized care, customization, and overall value. There’s no need to dismantle your photo books or stress over how to do it – Photokive handles it all expertly. Their album-centric approach means you’ll appreciate how Photokive not only preserves your images, but the integrity of the album experience itself. And when you get your digital files back, you can trust they’ll be organized, of high-quality, and ready to share, with no extra hurdles or surprise fees.
From a cost perspective, Photokive ends up being more effective for album preservation when you factor in what their white-glove service includes: hands-on treatment of each photo, high-resolution, color-corrected images and a proactive customer care experience throughout.
Legacybox is by no means a bad option – it’s a reputable service that many people are happy with, particularly if they have tapes and films to digitize along with photos. But if your primary goal is to convert photographs to digital – especially old photo albums full of prints – Photokive is tailored for that task in a way Legacybox isn’t.
In the end, the best service for digitizing photo albums is the one that gives you peace of mind and the results you’re looking for. Whether you choose Photokive or Legacybox, taking the step to digitize your old photos is immensely worthwhile. It ensures that decades from now, your family’s stories – the birthdays, weddings, vacations, and everyday moments captured in print – will still be there, vividly viewable and easily organized in your digital archives.
And if you feel Photokive is the solution for you - click the link below to get started!
