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 Partiful
Partiful makes beautiful invites and tracks RSVPs effortlessly. But guest photo uploads require the Partiful app and a sign-in — a barrier that kills participation. PartyLab gives every guest a QR code that works the moment they scan it, with no account and no download.
Feature by feature
| Feature | PartyLab | Partiful |
|---|---|---|
| Guests need to create an account | No | Yes |
| Guests need to download an app | No | Yes |
| One QR code for all guests to upload | Yes | No |
| Collects candid photos from all guests | Yes | Yes |
| Original photo quality preserved | Yes | No |
| Live gallery during the event | Yes | No |
| Built-in slideshow for venue TVs / screens | Yes | No |
| Digital guestbook captions | Yes | Yes |
| Photo reactions & likes | Yes | Yes |
| ZIP download of all photos | Yes | No |
| One-time pricing — no subscription | Yes | No |
| Works on every device with no install | Yes | No |
Where Partiful falls short for photo collection
📲
Partiful requires guests to sign in with their phone number
To upload photos on Partiful, every guest must create an account by verifying their phone number. For a birthday party where your group includes people of different ages, phones, and comfort levels with apps, this step-up barrier is a real participation killer. The guest who would have taken 30 photos decides it’s not worth the verification step. PartyLab works the moment they scan the QR code with their camera: browser opens, name entered, photos uploading — in under 10 seconds with no account, no app, no phone number required.
🎉
Partiful is a party planning tool — not a live photo collection platform
Partiful’s strength is its beautiful invite design, RSVP tracking, and guest messaging. Its photo feature lets guests post photos after the event through the app, but there is no live gallery updating in real time during the party, no fullscreen slideshow you can run on a TV or projector, and no QR code at the bar or on the tables that works without requiring guests to install the app first. PartyLab is built specifically for the in-event photo collection moment: photos appear live within seconds, and the slideshow can turn any screen into a real-time photo wall.
💰
Partiful’s photo features require an ongoing subscription
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.
Hosts who switched or combined both
“I’ve used Partiful for every party invite for the last two years — it’s perfect for that. But the photo thing never worked because half my friends didn’t want to sign in. PartyLab was the missing piece: I put the QR code on the bar and by midnight we had 400 photos from 60 people. Nobody had to install anything.”
Jordan K.
Host, 30th birthday party
“Partiful for the invite, PartyLab for the night — that’s my setup now. Partiful does RSVPs beautifully. But for actually getting photos from every single guest, you need the QR code. My mom, my college friends, my coworkers — they all uploaded with no questions asked.”
Simone R.
Host, engagement party
“I tried to use Partiful photos at my sister’s baby shower and nobody uploaded because they didn’t want to make a Partiful account. Next time I used PartyLab and it was completely different. The QR code goes on the table, people scan it like they’re looking at a menu, and photos just appear. No friction at all.”
Maya T.
Host, baby shower and birthday celebrations
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.
Frequently asked questions
Does Partiful collect photos from guests without accounts?
Partiful requires guests to sign in with their phone number to upload photos to the event album. Guests who don’t want to create an account cannot contribute photos through Partiful’s photo feature. PartyLab requires no account or sign-in from any guest — scan the QR code with any phone camera and photos upload instantly in the browser.
Should I use Partiful and PartyLab together?
Yes — they work brilliantly together. Use Partiful to send your invites, track RSVPs, and message your guests before the event. Use PartyLab on the night itself to collect every guest’s candid photos via QR code. Many hosts share the PartyLab link directly in their Partiful event page so guests can find it easily.
Does PartyLab have a live gallery that updates in real time?
Yes. Every photo uploaded through PartyLab appears in the live gallery within seconds. You can run the slideshow on a TV or projector at your venue — guests watch their photos appear on the big screen in real time, which makes the experience part of the party itself. Partiful does not have a real-time live gallery feature.
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.
Use Partiful for invites. Use PartyLab for the photos.
One-time event packages from $44.99 USD.