App facts
Kin Album
End-to-end encrypted, one price for everyone, no ads, no AI — and no free tier
End-to-end encrypted photos, one flat price for everyone, no ads, no AI. No free tier, no Android app, and relatives who view rather than post.
Just the safety question? Is the Kin Album app safe and private? →
Where Kin Album ranks
Its place on each "best for…" page — the same fifteen criteria, weighted for one situation at a time. Green is the top third of that page's ranking, red the bottom third.
Kin Album is made by Cobblestone, LLC, the company that owns this site. It appears here because it belongs in the comparison, and it is held to exactly the criteria applied to the other thirteen apps — the methodology and the disclosure explain how. Its facts come from its own home page, security page and help page, quoted below.
Every criterion
- Price
- $9.99/mo for everyone; no free tier$9.99 a month, one subscription for everyone invited. No free tier and no free trial.[1]
- Do relatives have to pay?
- No — "Relatives never pay."[1]
- Storage limit
- No limit published; 400 MB per videoNo storage limit is published; the only stated cap is 400 MB per video.[1]
- Photos kept at full quality?
- Yes — originalsYes. Export "builds a zip of the original files right on the device"; what's stored is the encrypted original.[2][3]
- Video limits
- 400 MB per video (~6 min at iPhone default)Up to 400 MB per video ("about six minutes at the iPhone default"); videos post from inside the app, not the share sheet.[1][2]
- Ads?
- No — "Kin Album shows no ads"; subscriptions are the only revenue.[1]
- AI or face recognition run on your photos?
- No — can't; photos encrypted before uploadNo — "runs no AI on your photos". Photos are encrypted before upload, so the servers can't process them. Captions and comments are readable.[1][3]
- Can the company open your photos?
- No — end to end; company holds no keyNo. End-to-end encrypted: "Our servers store ciphertext and wrapped keys. We cannot decrypt your pictures." Disclosed exceptions: captions, comments and names are readable, and an optional email preview image is prepared outside the encryption.[3]
- Can family look without installing an app?
- Yes — any browser, or by emailYes. The album opens in any browser, and an "email recipient" gets the photos by email with no account at all.[1]
- Do viewers need an account?
- Partly Members sign in; email recipients don'tMembers sign in — the album's key is sealed to their account. Email recipients need no account but can't comment.[1]
- Can family add their own photos?
- Partly — a second parent as adminPartly. Anyone made an admin can post — "make someone else an admin and their photos land in the same album"; other relatives view, comment and react but don't post.[1]
- Can you leave with everything?
- Yes — originals, on the phoneYes. Export any time, no fee — the phone decrypts and zips the originals. Stop paying and the album pauses; nothing is deleted.[2][1]
- Platforms
- iPhone app (not in the App Store yet when checked) + any browser; no Android appAn iPhone app — "Albums are created in the iPhone app" — which kinalbum.com says "isn't in the App Store yet", plus any browser; no Android app. Android relatives view in a browser or receive photos by email.[1]
- App Store label: data used to track you
- Label not yet published when checkedThe App Store privacy label is read from the listing, and Kin Album's listing had not been published when these facts were checked. The site states no ads and nothing tracking you; the label will be quoted here as soon as it exists.[1]
- How it makes money
- Subscription only.[1]
What stands out
The encryption is the property no other album here has. Photos and videos are encrypted on the phone; the servers hold ciphertext and wrapped keys, so the company cannot decrypt the pictures — “We cannot decrypt your pictures”, in its security page’s words. Kin Album’s security page also lists the exceptions plainly — captions, comments and names are readable, push notifications carry a first name and a generic phrase, and if you opt a relative into email photo updates a small preview image is prepared outside the encryption. Those exceptions are exactly the kind of detail a privacy-minded reader should want stated, and they are.
One price, no free tier, no trial. $9.99 a month covers everyone invited. Against the free tiers of FamilyAlbum, Tinybeans, iCloud and Google, that is the obvious objection, and Kin Album doesn’t soften it.
No Android app. Android relatives view in a browser as members or receive photos by email.
Video: 400 MB per file. About six minutes at the iPhone default, less at 4K. FamilyAlbum Premium allows 10 minutes; Tinybeans+ 5.
Relatives mostly don’t post. A second parent can be invited as an admin and post; other relatives view, comment and react.
Who it suits
Parents who want the strongest privacy guarantee on this list — the company holding no key — and will pay a flat fee for it. Families who need a free tier, an Android app, or relatives who upload their own photos should compare FamilyAlbum Premium.
Where next
Is the Kin Album app safe and private? → Your own mix: set the sliders → Kin Album app vs FamilyAlbum Premium → Kin Album app vs Tinybeans+ →
Sources
- Kin Album — kinalbum.com home page, checked 2026-09-13
Kin Album is a private family photo album for the people you invite and no one else. Every photo is encrypted on your phone before it uploads, so even Kin Album can't look … $9.99 a month · one subscription covers everyone you invite … Relatives never pay, and there are no storage tiers — nothing to be downgraded out of. No free tier, no trial … Videos up to 400 MB each, about six minutes at the iPhone default … The album opens in any browser. Or add her as an email recipient and the photos arrive in her inbox, with no account at all … Kin Album shows no ads, runs no AI on your photos, and cannot open them … You are not the only one who can post — make someone else an admin and their photos land in the same album … Albums are created in the iPhone app — invited family joins right here, no app needed. The app isn't in the App Store yet.
- Kin Album — Kin Album — Help, checked 2026-09-13
Settings → Export, any time, no fee and no waiting period. Your iPhone decrypts your album and builds a zip of the original files right on the device … What happens if I stop paying? Posting stops. Nothing is deleted, and everyone can still look, comment and export — so you can take it all with you whenever you like … The share sheet is photos-only for now; videos post from inside the app.
- Kin Album — Kin Album — Security (updated 10 Aug 2026), checked 2026-09-12
Photos and videos are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded … Our servers store ciphertext and wrapped keys. We cannot decrypt your pictures … A few narrow things are readable server-side so the product can work, and we say so plainly: captions, comments, and names are stored readably; if you opt a relative into email photo updates, a small preview image is prepared for that email outside the encryption.
Questions people ask
Can Kin Album see your photos?
Kin Album says no. Its security page states that photos and videos are encrypted on the iPhone before upload, that ‘Our servers store ciphertext and wrapped keys’, and ‘We cannot decrypt your pictures’. It also lists what sits outside the encryption: captions, comments and names, plus a small preview image if you turn on email photo updates for a relative.
How much does Kin Album cost?
$9.99 a month, one subscription for everyone you invite. There is no free tier and no free trial. Relatives never pay.
Do relatives need an account for Kin Album?
Members sign in — the album’s key is sealed to their account — and can view in the app or in any browser. An ‘email recipient’ gets the photos by email with no account at all, but can’t comment or react.
Is Kin Album available on Android?
There is no Android app. Relatives on Android can view as members in a browser or receive photos by email.