Family Photo Apps

Head to head

Cluster vs FamilyAlbum (2026): the ad-free group album against the ad-funded baby album

Cluster is a private group album from a small independent company that says it will never sell ads; FamilyAlbum is the biggest free baby album, funded by ads and prints. Both compress the photos. They differ on video, on who needs an account, on the label, and on what the free tier is limited by.

Facts checked 2026-09-13 · Updated 2026-09-13 · Covers 2 apps

In short: Cluster if no ads ever, no tracking section and a simple private feed for an extended family or friend group matter, and you can live with compressed copies and 15-second videos unless you subscribe. FamilyAlbum if you want a baby album with unlimited free storage and a browser version for relatives, and accept ads and resized copies. Neither keeps the originals, and neither says the company can't open the photos.

Cluster and FamilyAlbum on 15 criteria. Each cell is the app’s own statement; the bracketed numbers link to the sources below.
CriterionClusterFamilyAlbum
PriceFree with unpublished limits; Cluster Club: Friend $4.99/mo or $49.99/yr, Family $9.99 or $99.99, Pro $19.99 or $199.99[1][2][3]Free with ads; Premium Family $5.99/mo or $59/yr[4][5]
Do relatives have to pay?No — 'Subscriptions follow the account holder'; a free tier exists[6][1]No — one plan covers the album[5]
Storage limitFree uploads capped at an unpublished number of posts; 10 MB per image on the web[2][7][8][9]Unlimited, free[5][10]
Photos kept at full quality?No — 'we partially compress them … The images saved are not original'[11][9]No — uploads and downloads are resized[12]
Video limits15 seconds, app only; longer for subscribers (length not stated)[13][6]2 min free; 10 min on Premium[14][4]
Ads?No — 'we will never sell ads or sell your data'; merchandise promotions by email[1][15][16]Yes, on the free version (third-party ads)[4]
AI or face recognition run on your photos?Not stated[17][18]Not stated[5][19]
Can the company open your photos?Yes — SSL in transit, stored in the cloud; no end-to-end claim[18][17]Yes — in transit only; staff access for support[19]
Can family look without installing an app?Yes — in a browser, signed in[20][21]Yes — browser-version invitation[22][23]
Do viewers need an account?Yes — invitees create an account to open the invite link[24]Yes — web login or app account[22]
Can family add their own photos?Yes — members post; admins can block posting per group[25][15]Partly — app members, if an admin allows[23]
Can you leave with everything?Partly — 'Get Backup of Photos/Videos' emails an archive per album, of the compressed copies[26][27][11]Partly — downloads are the resized copies[12][23]
PlatformsiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, web (no video upload on the web)[3][28][13]iOS, Android, browser version[22][14]
App Store label: data used to track youNo 'Data Used to Track You' section; email, name, phone, address, payment info and photos linked[3]Yes Identifiers used to track you[29]
How it makes moneyCluster Club subscriptions, photo books and merchandise; independent[30][3][1]Ads, Premium, prints and photobooks[4][10]

Where they differ

How the free tier is limited. FamilyAlbum’s free version has unlimited storage and stops you at two-minute videos and ads. Cluster’s free tier has no ads and is capped instead by the number of groups you administer, members per group and total uploads — numbers it doesn’t publish; over them, “you may not be able to add more groups, members or content until you upgrade”.

What the money buys. Cluster Club — Friend $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, Family $9.99 or $99.99, Pro $19.99 or $199.99 — lifts the limits and allows longer videos, and “Subscriptions follow the account holder, not the group”, so non-subscribers still see what subscribers post. FamilyAlbum Premium Family, $5.99 a month or $59 a year, removes the ads and lifts video to ten minutes for everyone in the album.

The photos. Both compress. Cluster: “The images saved are not original, but they are still considered high resolution.” FamilyAlbum: uploads resized, downloads the resized copies.

Video. Cluster caps uploads at 15 seconds, trimmed in the app, unless you subscribe, and only through the app. FamilyAlbum allows two minutes free and ten on Premium.

Relatives. Cluster relatives need an account even in the browser: “you must be logged into your account”, and public web albums are “no longer supported”. FamilyAlbum’s browser version lets an invited relative view, comment and download after logging in on the web; only app members can post, and only if an admin allows.

Ads, the label, the company. Cluster: no ads ever, no “Data Used to Track You” section on its App Store label, and “no big corporation behind this” — the company is Fotoloce, LLC, with subscriptions since 2023 and a help centre that largely dates from 2014–2017. FamilyAlbum: third-party ads on the free version, Identifiers under “Data Used to Track You”, and a business of ads, Premium and prints.

Getting out. Cluster emails an archive per album of the stored copies, and cancelling deletes nothing. FamilyAlbum members download the resized copies, and an admin can disable downloads.

Who should pick which

Cluster if no ads, no tracking section and a simple private feed for an extended family or a friend group matter, and 15-second videos and compressed copies are acceptable unless you subscribe. FamilyAlbum if you want a baby album with unlimited free storage and a browser version for relatives, and accept ads and resizing. Neither if the original files matter — see which apps compress your photos — or if the company being unable to open the photos is the point — see the privacy ranking.

Sources

  1. Cluster — Cluster support — Why is Cluster charging a subscription? (January 2023), checked 2026-09-13
    Part of respecting that privacy means we will never sell ads or sell your data. Instead, we are supporting the service and our communities by selling merchandise, like photo books, and now opening up our service to subscriptions with enhanced features. We still maintain a free tier of service.
  2. Cluster — Cluster support — How are limits calculated and enforced?, checked 2026-09-13
    Group creation limits will be enforced based on the number of groups you are currently an admin in … Upload limits will be based on how many total posts you have uploaded to any group … if one admin of a group has a Pro plan and another admin has the Family plan, the number of allowed members for the group is the larger of 100 or 1,000, so 1,000 members will be allowed within the group.
  3. Cluster — App Store listing: Cluster (privacy label, purchases), checked 2026-09-13
    Cluster Private Photo Sharing … Developer Cluster Labs, Inc. … iPhone, iPad, Apple TV … Data Linked to You: Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Contact Info (Email Address); Analytics — Identifiers (User ID); Product Personalization — Contact Info (Name); App Functionality — Financial Info (Payment Info), Contact Info (Physical Address, Email Address, Name, Phone Number), User Content (Photos or Videos), Identifiers (User ID) · Data Not Linked to You: Analytics — Usage Data (Product Interaction); Diagnostics — Crash Data, Performance Data … In-App Purchases: Cluster Friend $4.99 · Cluster Friend $49.99 · Cluster Family $9.99 · Cluster Pro $19.99 · Cluster Family $99.99 · Cluster Pro $199.99 … Cluster Club is a monthly or annual subscription to give admins more control over their groups … Cluster Club! Our first subscription offering since our first App Store launch almost a decade ago.
  4. FamilyAlbum — FamilyAlbum Premium — plans page, checked 2026-09-12
    One $2.99 USD/month · Family $5.99 USD/month, $59 USD/year · Family Pro $10.99 USD/month, $109 USD/year … No Third-Party Ads — [Premium] … Some of the best memories last longer than 2 minutes. With a FamilyAlbum Premium plan, upload videos up to 10 minutes long … Max Resolution: Premium Family Pro 1920 x 1080, Premium Family 1280 x 720.
  5. FamilyAlbum — Help: What's the difference between FamilyAlbum Premium and the free version?, checked 2026-09-12
    The free version of FamilyAlbum includes unlimited storage and uploads. (Videos must be shorter than 2 minutes in length) … When one member subscribes an album to a family plan, all members of that album get access to Premium features.
  6. Cluster — Cluster support — If I sign up for a subscription, will all the members of my groups receive the subscription benefits?, checked 2026-09-13
    Subscriptions follow the account holder, not the group, but members of the group will see some of the benefits. For instance, non-subscribers will be able to view longer videos uploaded by subscribers but those non-subscribers will not be able to post longer videos themselves unless they subscribe.
  7. Cluster — Cluster support — Why are you limiting the number of uploads for free accounts?, checked 2026-09-13
    We offered the service completely free for almost a decade, so we have a good idea of how many photos & videos people normally share — and the limits are set above that threshold.
  8. Cluster — Cluster support — I’m a long time Cluster user, but I don’t want to subscribe. Will my groups change?, checked 2026-09-13
    We currently do not plan to delete groups or memberships for those who choose not to subscribe. But, if you are above the free tier limit, you may not be able to add more groups, members or content until you upgrade your membership.
  9. Cluster — Cluster support — Is there a limit to what can be uploaded into a group album? (2017), checked 2026-09-13
    There is no limit to the number of photos or video posts that can be added. On the web, individual image uploads can only be 10MB per image, but uploads via the app are not limited at all. Video uploads are limited to 15 seconds … Video uploads are only an option through the app, and is not an upload option via the web … When uploading photos, we partially compress them to make the experience on your end better.
  10. FamilyAlbum — family-album.com home page, checked 2026-09-12
    Free Unlimited Storage … Get 11 Free Prints Every Month … Ready to Go Photobooks … Only family members you invite can see your album.
  11. Cluster — Cluster support — Are photos saved in their original high resolution format?, checked 2026-09-13
    During the upload process we partially compress them to make the experience on your end better. The images saved are not original, but they are still considered high resolution.
  12. FamilyAlbum — Help: Do you resize uploads?, checked 2026-09-12
    Currently, photos and videos uploaded to FamilyAlbum are slightly resized … Please note that the photos and videos downloaded from FamilyAlbum and placed on FamilyAlbum DVDs are the resized versions.
  13. Cluster — Cluster support — How do I add video to a group album?, checked 2026-09-13
    Currently the video upload feature is only available via the app (i.e. not via the web) … Video uploads have a time limit of 15 seconds, which you will be asked to trim after uploading (if the file you selected is too long).
  14. FamilyAlbum — Help: What restrictions are there on uploading photos and videos?, checked 2026-09-12
    There's no limit to the amount you can upload for free, and videos can be up to 2 minutes long. (Maximum video length is increased to 10 minutes with FamilyAlbum Premium.) … Uploading via computer is a Premium feature.
  15. Cluster — Cluster — The Private Family Album, checked 2026-09-13
    Grandparents, siblings, cousins — create a single family album where everyone can post and see every photo and video. No social media accounts needed … No algorithms, no ads, no data mining … Control who can upload photos. Set permissions so only the right people can post.
  16. Cluster — Cluster terms of use (updated August 2022), checked 2026-09-13
    You own all your content (uploaded photos, videos and comments) … We will not sell your personal data … Cluster is not a backup service and you agree that you will not rely on the Service for the purposes of Content backup or storage … While we will not share your information with third parties, we will contact you and your group members directly via email and other means with promotions for merchandise we offer to support Cluster Services … When you sign up for a monthly or annual Cluster Club subscription tier.
  17. Cluster — Cluster privacy policy, checked 2026-09-13
    We neither rent nor sell your Personal Information in personally identifiable form to anyone … We employ SSL to encrypt communications between our servers and client applications … We do not currently have any third-party advertising cookies, nor do we currently have any third-party data agreements that would share any of our customer's info … We provide a tool for downloading user data … You can also delete your account and all your data here: https://cluster.co/user/delete.
  18. Cluster — Cluster support — How are my photos kept safe?, checked 2026-09-13
    Your photos are saved in high quality and stored in redundant locations in the cloud. Your photos are only accessed over an encrypted connection, so they cannot be located by anyone who does not have access to the group itself.
  19. FamilyAlbum — FamilyAlbum User Privacy Policy, checked 2026-09-12
    Data transferred between your device and our servers is encrypted using the latest encryption technology … We don't sell your data to any third parties … Authorized employees or affiliates to provide customer support, operate our services …
  20. Cluster — Cluster support — Can I view my photos and posts on the web?, checked 2026-09-13
    All of your posts are viewable on the web, but you must be logged into your account.
  21. Cluster — Cluster support — Is what I post public?, checked 2026-09-13
    Everything you post is only accessible to members who were explicitly added to the each individual group album and/or people who joined with the invitation link. (In previous versions of the app, you could make group albums “public” which would enable people with the URL to view the group album on the web. This functionality is no longer supported).
  22. FamilyAlbum — Help: What's the difference between the app version and browser version?, checked 2026-09-12
    If you invite family to the browser version, they will be able to view and comment on your album without downloading the app … Browser-version invitations contain a unique link that the invitee can easily open to access your album.
  23. FamilyAlbum — Help: What's the difference between Album Admins and Album Members?, checked 2026-09-12
    Upload photos and videos — Album Admin ✔ · Album Member (App) △ Must be enabled by an Album Admin · Album Member (Browser) × … Download photos and videos — △ May be disabled by an Album Admin.
  24. Cluster — Cluster support — How do I join someone else's group album?, checked 2026-09-13
    If you click the link in the email it should take you directly to the desired group album. If you don't have an account with us yet you will have to create one first in order for the link to take you straight to your friend's group album.
  25. Cluster — cluster.co home page, checked 2026-09-13
    Group sharing for friends & family. The antidote to social media … Only invited users can see and post to albums … Cluster is simple to access and use through a web browser, so anyone can join and contribute … © 2026 Fotoloce, LLC.
  26. Cluster — Cluster support — How do I download ALL the photos from a group album to my device?, checked 2026-09-13
    Tap "Get Backup of Photos/Videos" and then "Create Archive" upon which you will be emailed an archive of high-resolution photos from this particular group album for you to use however you'd like.
  27. Cluster — Cluster support — If I cancel my subscription, will I lose access to my content?, checked 2026-09-13
    We currently will not delete content or remove group members from any account. If you are exceeding the free tier allocation, however, you will be prevented from adding additional members, new groups or new content.
  28. Cluster — Google Play listing: Cluster, checked 2026-09-13
    Cluster · Cluster Apps · In-app purchases · 500K+ Downloads … Featured under "Best Apps of 2013" by Google.
  29. FamilyAlbum — App Store listing: FamilyAlbum — App Privacy, checked 2026-09-12
    Data Used to Track You: Identifiers. Data Linked to You — Third-Party Advertising: Location, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics … In-App Purchases: Premium Family $5.99 · Premium Family Pro $10.99 · Premium Family (Yearly) $59.00 · Premium Family Pro (Yearly) $109.00 · Premium One $2.99.
  30. Cluster — Cluster — About Our Company, checked 2026-09-13
    Cluster, Homeroom and Tripcast are independent apps built and maintained by a tiny team of people who care about keeping them running for the long term. The company itself is called Fotoloce. There's no big corporation behind this, and no big name investors … You own everything you upload … When you buy a subscription or order a photo book, you're directly supporting a small, independent business.
More on Cluster

Cluster: every criterion → Is Cluster safe? →

More on FamilyAlbum

FamilyAlbum: every criterion → Is FamilyAlbum safe? → Kin Album app vs FamilyAlbum Premium → FamilyAlbum vs Tinybeans → FamilyAlbum free vs Premium → BackThen vs FamilyAlbum → FamilyAlbum alternatives →

Across all fourteen apps

Does Grandma need an app? · What 'end-to-end encrypted' means for family photos · Video limits in family photo apps · Which family photo apps compress your photos?

Questions people ask

Is Cluster or FamilyAlbum cheaper?

Both have a free tier. FamilyAlbum’s is unlimited storage with third-party ads; Cluster’s has no ads but is capped by numbers of groups, members and uploads it doesn’t publish. Paid: Cluster Club starts at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year (Friend), with Family at $9.99 or $99.99; FamilyAlbum Premium Family is $5.99 a month or $59 a year.

Does either keep the original photos?

No. Cluster says ‘we partially compress them … The images saved are not original, but they are still considered high resolution.’ FamilyAlbum says uploads are ‘slightly resized’ and downloads are the resized copies.

Which has the longer video limit?

FamilyAlbum: 2 minutes free, 10 on Premium. Cluster: 15 seconds, trimmed in the app, unless you subscribe, and the subscriber limit isn’t stated.

Does either show ads?

FamilyAlbum’s free version does; ‘No Third-Party Ads’ is a Premium feature. Cluster says ‘we will never sell ads or sell your data’, though its terms allow emails promoting its own merchandise.

Every question on the site, on one page →