Starter
$44.99USD / event
- Up to 100 guests
- 2,000 photo and video uploads
- 25 GB storage
- Up to 250 MB per file
- 3 months upload and download access
Comparison
PartyLab vs GroupMe
GroupMe is a group messaging app. PartyLab is a purpose-built event gallery where every guest uploads original-quality photos with a single QR scan — no GroupMe account or app required.
Feature by feature
| Feature | PartyLab | GroupMe |
|---|---|---|
| Guests need to create an account | No | Yes |
| Guests need to download an app | No | Yes |
| One link / QR for all guests | Yes | No |
| Photos collected centrally for the host | Yes | No |
| Original photo quality preserved | Yes | No |
| Private event gallery | Yes | No |
| Live shared gallery during the event | Yes | No |
| Built-in party slideshow for TVs | Yes | No |
| Digital guestbook captions | Yes | No |
| Photo reactions & likes | Yes | No |
| ZIP download of all photos | Yes | No |
| One-time pricing — no subscription | Yes | Yes |
The GroupMe problem at events
📱
Every guest needs a GroupMe account
GroupMe requires every guest to sign up and create an account before they can join a group or contribute photos. For casual events, birthday parties, or gatherings where guests span different age groups and levels of tech comfort, this account barrier stops many guests from sharing at all. PartyLab works in any mobile browser — guests scan the QR code and upload directly, no account or download required.
🗜️
Photos are compressed to a fraction of their original size
GroupMe compresses all photos shared in group chats. The party photos your guests spent the evening capturing arrive as low-resolution previews rather than the originals — fine for quick messaging, completely inadequate for printing a memory book or remembering your event in detail. PartyLab stores every upload at 100% original quality, exactly as it came off your guests’ phones.
🔍
No gallery view — photos scroll away in the chat
Photos shared in GroupMe live in the chat feed mixed in with messages, likes, and GIFs. There is no gallery, no slideshow, and no way to view all photos at once. After 80 guests contribute, finding a specific photo means scrolling through the entire message history. PartyLab shows every photo in a beautiful grid with a fullscreen lightbox, live slideshow, and one-click ZIP export for the host.
Hosts who made the switch
★★★★★
“We used a GroupMe for our sports team end-of-season party and half the parents never joined the group. PartyLab’s QR code was a game changer — every parent could upload their photos instantly.”
Tom W.
Youth sports team organizer
★★★★★
“GroupMe was compressing all our fraternity formal photos. Switching to PartyLab meant we got the full-quality photos from 150 guests all in one gallery — exactly what we needed for the memory book.”
Jake L.
Fraternity event chair
★★★★★
“Our school reunion GroupMe was chaos — hundreds of messages and photos scrolling everywhere. PartyLab gave us a clean gallery everyone could browse and download from.”
Rachel B.
Class reunion organizer
One-time packages for your event
Create an event draft, then choose Starter, Plus, or Max before sharing with guests. Guest uploads require a paid package.
Plus
$89.99USD / event
- Up to 500 guests
- 10,000 photo and video uploads
- 100 GB storage
- Up to 500 MB per file
- 1 year upload and download access
Max
$179.99USD / event
- No guest cap
- 50,000 photo and video uploads
- 1 TB storage
- Up to 1 GB per file
- 1 year upload and download access
Every paid event package includes photo and video uploads, a QR code and event link, a live gallery, a live slideshow, photo captions, reactions, original-quality ZIP export, and guest email CSV export.
Common questions
Can’t my guests just share photos in a GroupMe gallery?+
GroupMe does have a gallery view accessible via the group settings, but photos are still compressed and guests must have a GroupMe account to access it. The gallery is also static — no slideshow, no live updates, and no one-click ZIP export. PartyLab is purpose-built for event photo collection with a live gallery, TV slideshow, and host export tools.
GroupMe is popular at my university — won’t everyone already have it?+
Many students do use GroupMe, but events often have guests from outside your regular circle — parents, friends of friends, or alumni who may have deleted the app. PartyLab works for every guest without any sign-up, making it the more inclusive option for events beyond your immediate social group.
How much does PartyLab cost per event?+
PartyLab offers Starter at $44.99 USD, Plus at $89.99 USD, Max at $179.99 USD per event. Each package is a one-time payment. There is no free upload tier or recurring event subscription. Starter: up to 100 guests, 2,000 uploads, and 25 GB storage. Plus: up to 500 guests, 10,000 uploads, and 100 GB storage. Max: no guest cap, 50,000 uploads, and 1 TB storage. Starter includes 3 months of upload and download access. Plus includes 1 year of upload and download access. Max includes 1 year of upload and download access. Download your files before access ends; downloaded copies are yours to keep.
What about GroupMe’s Microsoft Teams integration?+
GroupMe’s Microsoft ownership makes it a natural choice for workplace teams already in the Microsoft ecosystem. However, PartyLab is purpose-built for social events — the QR code upload flow, live gallery, slideshow, and digital guestbook are features that GroupMe’s chat-centric design simply doesn’t offer.
Every guest’s photos. One shared gallery.
Create an event draft, then choose Starter, Plus, or Max before sharing with guests. Guest uploads require a paid package.
Create your eventPackages from $44.99 USD · Purchase before guest uploads · One payment per event