Which family photo apps compress your photos?

Sources

1. PhotoCircle — PhotoCircle Help: What resolution are the photos and videos?, checked 2026-09-12

   Our standard resolution is 3.2 megapixels … 720p … 60 seconds per clip … Higher resolution (12 megapixels) and longer videos (up to 4 minutes at 1080p) are available with most PhotoCircle Premium Plans … PhotoCircle+ is NOT a premium plan. It does not include high resolution photos or videos.

2. iCloud Shared Albums — Apple Support: How to use Shared Albums in Photos (published 8 May 2026), checked 2026-09-12

   Shared Albums let you share photos and videos with the people you choose — and they can add their own photos, videos, and comments … Turn on Public Website. Your photos publish to a website that anyone can see in an up-to-date web browser … When shared, photos are reduced to 2048 pixels on the long edge … Videos can be up to fifteen minutes in length and are delivered at up to 720p resolution … A shared album can hold up to 5000 photos and videos … Shared Albums are kept in iCloud, but they don't count against your iCloud storage limit.

3. WhatsApp — WhatsApp Help Center: About HD photos and videos, checked 2026-09-12

   You can share special moments with friends and family in high definition by changing the quality setting … Tap and select Standard quality or HD quality … To set HD quality as the default: Settings > Storage and data > Media upload quality … You can't upgrade the quality of an existing photo you've sent, but you can send it again in HD quality.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Kin Album — Kin Album — Help (updated 12 Oct 2026), checked 2026-10-14

   An album without a subscription is on the free plan. It holds 3 GB of photos and videos, about 1,000 photos … A subscription costs $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year … Relatives never have to pay on either plan … Your albums move to the free plan. Everyone can still look and comment. You can still export everything, so you can take it all with you whenever you like. New photos and videos can still be added while the albums you own fit in the free plan’s 3 GB … Relatives who get Instant emails get a daily one until you subscribe again. Nothing is deleted for two years, and never without 90 days’ notice and a free export first … With a subscription, a video can be up to about 9 minutes. The iPhone keeps a video up to 400 MB as you recorded it, and saves a longer one smaller so it fits. On the free plan, a video can be up to about 3 minutes … If you're an album admin, you can save a copy of your whole album any time. There is no fee and no waiting period. In the iPhone app, go to Settings → Export. On kinalbum.com, go to Settings → Save a copy of your album. Your phone or your web browser unlocks the photos. Then it saves a zip of the original files right on your device … Every album you own without a subscription shares that space. Videos can be up to about 3 minutes each, and up to 130 MB … You get email updates daily, weekly or monthly … You also get Instant email updates. Any album, on either plan, can add up to 20 GB of photos and videos in a day … After that, an album without a subscription is deleted in two cases. The first is if its owner's albums without one hold more than the free plan's 3 GB. The second is if no member has opened it for two years, in the app or on the web … Gift time is 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, bought once in the Kin Album app on iPhone … The family never sees who gave or how much … A parent who starts their album from the link never sees a price … Kin Album never gets your contact list … Your encryption key is backed up automatically through iCloud Keychain … There is no import tool, and the encryption is the reason … You can post up to ten photos or videos at a time … Either one starts a 30-day countdown … You'd hear from us at least 90 days ahead … And if another company ever takes over Kin Album, it has to keep these promises … Subscriptions are the entire business. They pay for the free plan too … The share sheet is photos-only for now. Videos post from inside the app.

8. Kin Album — Kin Album — Security (updated 6 Oct 2026), checked 2026-10-14

   Photos and videos are end-to-end encrypted for everyone who uses Kin Album, in the app or on the website. They are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded … Our servers store ciphertext and wrapped keys. We cannot decrypt your photos or videos … Captions, comments, and names are stored readably … While anyone in an album gets photos in their emails, a preview-size copy of every photo posted to that album, by every member, is made outside the encryption and stored with us, beside the encrypted originals, so the emails can show the photos. Each preview copy is deleted about 30 days after its photo was posted … An invitation emailed from the iPhone app carries, in its link, a secret made for that invitation, which unlocks a copy of the album key we store for it … So until the invitation ends, we could in principle recover the album key. The link stops working 14 days after it is sent … Push notifications never contain a photo, a caption, or the text of a comment … a photo or video you choose to attach when you use Contact us in the iPhone app goes to our support team as it is — it isn’t end-to-end encrypted

9. Google Photos — Google Photos Help: Choose the upload size for photos & videos, checked 2026-09-12

   If a photo is larger than 16 MP, it'll be resized to 16 MP … Videos higher than 1080p will be resized to high-definition 1080p … Photos that you will upload in Storage saver may be compressed into a different image format, like a .jpg.

10. Amazon Photos — Amazon Help: How much storage do I have available?, checked 2026-09-12

    Photos: free and unlimited at full resolution for Amazon Prime members. Non-Prime customers get 5 GB shared across photos and videos. Videos: count toward your storage limit for everyone, including Prime members … If you cancel Prime … You keep 5 GB of free storage.

11. BackThen — BackThen FAQ — Can I try BackThen for free?, checked 2026-09-13

    Start saving your little one's story today with our free starter pack - 1GB of memories (typically up to three months) safely stored, organized, and privately shared … Save photos and HD videos of any length, always preserved in their original quality … When invited to a timeline, BackThen is always free. They continue enjoying it all at no cost when a parent becomes VIP.

12. BackThen — BackThen FAQ — How much does a BackThen VIP subscription cost?, checked 2026-09-13

    A monthly subscription at £4.99 / $6.49 / €5.99 via your app store provider, or an annual subscription at £49.99 / $64.99 / €59.99 through our website at backthen.com … Up to 200GB family storage … Ad-free timelines forever … Full resolution preservation … never trading your data, showing advertisements within your timelines, reducing the quality of your photos or videos, or restricting the length of videos you can upload … BackThen VIP officially includes up to 200GB storage, but we currently allow unlimited uploads at no extra cost.

13. BackThen — BackThen FAQ — Can I download items without subscribing?, checked 2026-09-13

    Absolutely - the export tool is a VIP-only feature, but you can still get your original content back individually … tap the Download option and you'll get your originally uploaded file back.

14. 23snaps — App Store listing: 23snaps: Private Family Album — description and App Privacy, checked 2026-09-12

    Safe and Private by Design: Share photos, videos, and milestones with only approved loved ones … No annoying ads or distractions … Unlimited storage for all your HD photos and videos … Post longer videos (up to 3 minutes) … Multi-Device Access: Use the app on mobile, tablet and computer … In-App Purchases: Premium $5.49 · Premium Plus $7.99 · Premium 12 Month Gift $65.99 · Premium 1 Month Gift $9.19 … Data Used to Track You: Usage Data. Data Linked to You — Developer's Advertising or Marketing: Purchases, Location, Contact Info, Identifiers, Usage Data.

15. 23snaps — 23snaps Help: Posting Photos, checked 2026-09-12

    Covers posting photos individually or in groups and notification preferences; says nothing about resolution or compression.

16. Tinybeans — Help: What's included in the Tinybeans+ subscription?, checked 2026-09-12

    Unlimited monthly uploads · 200GB storage for your journal (50,000+ photos/videos) · High-quality videos up to 5 minutes · Ad-free experience on your journal.

17. Keepr Circle — Keepr Circle Help: Photo and video quality, checked 2026-09-13

    Keepr stores photos optimised for browsing — up to 1920 pixels on the long edge — and video at 720p, on every plan. On plans of 500 GB and above, the untouched original file your camera produced is kept alongside the browsable copy, for photos rather than videos … Videos are converted to 720p, on every plan … Video originals aren't kept on any plan.

18. Keepr Circle — Keepr Circle Help: Print-ready originals (last reviewed 17 Aug 2026), checked 2026-09-13

    On Keepr plans of 500 GB and above, the untouched original file your camera produced can be stored alongside the browsable copy … You choose which photos keep an original … Photos, not videos … Video is stored at 720p on every plan and the original video file isn't retained.

19. Keepr Circle — Keepr Circle — FamilyAlbum vs Tinybeans comparison page (last checked 25 Jul 2026), checked 2026-09-12

    What Keepr does differently: Original quality, always — No compression on any plan. The photo you upload is the photo you get back — ready for large prints or archiving … No upload limits … Zero ads, ever … No app install needed … 5 GB free to start.

20. TinyNest — tinynestapp.com home page and FAQ, checked 2026-09-12

    Invite-only & private: Only people you invite can see your photos. No public profiles, no strangers, no ads … Unlimited storage: Never worry about running out of space … Is TinyNest free to use? TinyNest is free to download with unlimited photo storage … We also offer a Pro plan … They can join by downloading TinyNest and tapping the invite link. No account setup headaches … Your photos are never shared publicly, never used for ads, and never seen by anyone outside your family circle … Every person you invite has a "Can screenshot" permission that you can turn off … Every screenshot is logged too … TinyNest is available on both iOS (iPhone & iPad) and Android … Pro unlocks unlimited videos, unlimited memory generation, and many more features.

21. TinyNest — App Store listing: TinyNest - Family Album App — description and App Privacy, checked 2026-09-12

    Tiny Nest AI LLC … Share unlimited photos and videos with only the people you choose … No noisy feeds, no strangers, no ads, just a private family album … Screenshot Detection & Prevention … In-App Purchases: Family Unlimited Access $12.99 · Family Unlimited Access $79.99 · Gift Lifetime Access $199.99 … Data Used to Track You: Identifiers. Data Linked to You — App Functionality: Financial Info (Payment Info), Location (Precise Location), Identifiers (User ID).

22. Qeepsake — Qeepsake help — How do I save photos to Qeepsake?, checked 2026-09-13

    There are three ways to save photos to your Qeepsake journal: Text a photo to Qeepsake … Share photos from your phone’s camera roll into the mobile app … Note that Qeepsake supports the following image file types: PNG (image.png) JPEG (image.jpg or image.jpeg).

23. PhotoCircle — PhotoCircle Help: What is a PhotoCircle+ subscription?, checked 2026-09-12

    The price is $1.29 per month or $9.99 per year … An ad-free experience for the subscriber only · Longer videos (up to 4 minutes) · Search (based on Circle name and photo captions) · Larger upload limit (up to 200 photos at a time) · Option to download all media in a Circle at once · Slideshow (available on web).

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. Kin Album — kinalbum.com home page, checked 2026-10-14

    Kin Album is a private family photo album for the people you invite and no one else. Photos and videos are end-to-end encrypted, so Kin Album can't look at them … Free for 3 GB, about 1,000 photos, shared by every album you own · unlimited for $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year · relatives never have to pay … You are not the only one who can post — make someone else an admin and their photos land in the same album … There are no ads in Kin Album. It is paid for by subscriptions, and that is the whole business … No AI on your photos. Ever. … Stop paying and the album moves to the free plan; nothing is deleted for two years, and never without 90 days’ notice and a free export … Family can look in the app on an iPhone or iPad, or in any browser on a computer. Or just email them the photos, with no app and no account at all … If you invite her as a member, she signs in once. If you add her as an email recipient, the photos just arrive in her email. She needs no account … Albums are created in the iPhone app. Invited family on a computer or an Android phone join right here. On an iPhone or iPad, their invite link gets them the app. The app isn't in the App Store yet.

28. Google Photos — Google Account Help: How to download your Google data, checked 2026-09-12

    You can export and download your data for the Google products you use, for example: Email, Documents, Calendar, Photos, YouTube videos.

29. BackThen — BackThen FAQ — How do I export all my memories?, checked 2026-09-13

    BackThen will begin the process of packaging up all of Alice's moments, and will email you when this is complete, which can take up to 24 hours, depending on the size of the timeline. You can request an export for each timeline every 30 days. The email will include links to download ZIP files of all the memories you've selected … the export tool is a premium feature for VIPs. You can still download memories individually as a free user.

30. BackThen — BackThen FAQ — July 2025 Price Increase, checked 2026-09-13

    Starting from July 3rd, 2025, our monthly VIP subscription will increase as follows … From $4.99 to $6.49 (US) … The BackThen VIP subscription has remained unchanged since launch in April 2020 … If you choose to cancel, you’ll no longer be able to add new content or export your memories after the last day of your subscription. Friends and family will no longer be able to access your child’s story … After 60 days, your account will be closed, and all information, photos & videos deleted … the free version of BackThen with up to 1GB of free storage to try BackThen before you subscribe continues to offer the same features as before.

31. BackThen — BackThen FAQ — How do I cancel my VIP subscription/membership?, checked 2026-09-13

    You'll continue to enjoy VIP benefits until the end of your current billing period … If your storage exceeds the free 1GB allowance, you won't be able to add new memories unless you rejoin VIP … All your existing memories remain safe and accessible up to 60 days after.

32. 23snaps — 23snaps Help: Export Your Content, checked 2026-09-13

    You can export the photos and videos you've posted to 23snaps at any time … When the export is ready, you will receive an email containing a link to download your data … Also note that the download link will only be valid for 24 hours.

33. Tinybeans — Help: How can I export (or download) all of my memories?, checked 2026-09-12

    As a Tinybeans+ subscriber, you can request a mass export of your journal's photos and videos at any time via the website … The export will come to your email as links to download a month at a time.

34. Tinybeans — Help: Who can export memories from a Tinybeans journal?, checked 2026-09-12

    A journal's contents can only be exported by the journal owner and followers they have granted Full Access … Free users who have passed the free storage limit and had their memories archived can export at no cost via the More tab of the app.

35. Keepr Circle — keeprcircle.com home page, checked 2026-09-12

    Private by default · No ads · No ad tracking · Never used to train AI … They open the photos straight away. They can make a free account later if they want to add their own … No download needed to view … Per-circle controls for who views, adds and downloads … Comments, reactions and full-length videos, on every plan … 5 GB personal, plus 10 GB shared for up to three people. No credit card … Take everything with you: Download your photos whenever you want, and delete the account in one click … Encrypted in transit and at rest · One-click account deletion with a 30-day grace period … Keepr is paid for by subscriptions, which is the whole of it … No app for your family. One for you, if you want it.

36. TinyNest — TinyNest Privacy Policy (last updated 15 Jan 2025), checked 2026-09-12

    we secure its transmission using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology … Amazon S3 for storing some of your data (like your photos or files) … We do not sell your personal information to third parties … We will keep your information for as long as your account is active … backup copies might remain.

37. Qeepsake — Qeepsake help — Can I export my Qeepsake data?, checked 2026-09-13

    Your personal data that has been added to Qeepsake can be exported via our website. Login to your account at qeepsake.com, and find Account Settings in the main menu … You'll see the option to export at the bottom of the screen.

38. Qeepsake — Qeepsake help — I cancelled my membership. Can I still access my account?, checked 2026-09-13

    Once you’ve cancelled your paid membership, you’ll be moved to our free tier, Qeepsake Lite … Receive up to one prompt a week … Upload up to five photos per month, through the mobile app … Qeepsake has recently begun deactivating inactive free accounts as we move to a paid-only system … we will hold recently deactivated accounts for 1 year to allow for account restoration.

39. PhotoCircle — App Store listing: PhotoCircle — description and App Privacy, checked 2026-09-12

    Privacy First: Only invited members can access your albums and contribute content. Video Clips: Share video clips up to 1 minute long … Data Used to Track You: Contact Info, Identifiers, Usage Data … In-App Purchases: PhotoCircle Pro Monthly $1.29 · PhotoCircle Pro Yearly $9.99.

40. iCloud Shared Albums — Apple Support: Shared Album limits, checked 2026-09-12

    Maximum shared albums an owner can share: 200 · Maximum subscribers per shared album: 100 · Maximum combined number of photos and videos … in any one shared album: 5000 · Maximum number of comments per photo or video: 200.

41. WhatsApp — App Store listing: WhatsApp Messenger — description and App Privacy, checked 2026-09-12

    Stay close to friends and family through end-to-end encrypted group chats and calls. Share messages, photos, videos and documents across mobile, tablet, and desktop … And no one, not even WhatsApp, can read or listen … In-App Purchases: No ads (1 account) $4.00 · No ads (4 accounts) $21.99 … Data Linked to You — Third-Party Advertising: Location, User ID, Product Interaction, Advertising Data.

42. 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.

43. 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.

44. 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.

45. 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.

46. 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.

47. Google Photos — Google One — Plans & pricing, checked 2026-09-12

    All Google accounts come with up to 15 GB of storage … Basic (100 GB) $1.99/mo … Google AI Plus (2 TB) $9.99/mo … Share storage with up to 5 others.

48. BackThen — BackThen FAQ — I’m close to my storage limit, what do I do?, checked 2026-09-13

    When you're approaching your 1GB free storage limit, we'll send you various notifications … joining BackThen VIP allows up to 200GB* of secure storage … BackThen VIP officially includes up to 200GB storage, but we currently allow unlimited uploads at no extra cost. Future tiers will include a 2TB option and will be reasonably priced.

49. BackThen — BackThen terms of service (section 13, storage), checked 2026-09-13

    If you are using one of our Free Service Package, Content will be stored for a period of 120 days from the date of last logged in access to the Service, and will be deleted promptly after the expiration of such period … If you are using more storage than permitted by your storage allowance, for example as a result of your storage subscription plan expiring, we will delete your oldest content to reduce your storage use within your allowance. Once content is deleted, it cannot be recovered.

50. 23snaps — 23snaps Help: About 23snaps, checked 2026-09-12

    The app is completely free of charge to use … you can upload an unlimited amount of photos and videos to your 23snaps account … 23snaps is completely ad-free … all content remains private and is only visible to the people you choose to connect with.

51. Tinybeans — Help: What happens when I reach the 5GB storage limit on the free plan?, checked 2026-09-12

    You'll still have access to everything you've uploaded, but you won't be able to add new photos or videos unless you upgrade. Your most recent memories will remain visible, and older ones will be safely archived.

52. Tinybeans — Help: Do you have a storage limit?, checked 2026-09-12

    Tinybeans allows for 5GB of storage for free journals without a paid subscription … Our Tinybeans+ subscription unlocks expanded storage of 200GB.

53. Keepr Circle — Keepr Circle — Pricing, checked 2026-09-12

    Start free. Your whole family joins free — you only pay for the storage you share. Free Vault 5 GB storage · Photo Vault $4.99/month 100 GB storage · Pro Vault $7.99/month 250 GB storage · Life Archive $12.99/month 500 GB storage, print-ready file archival · Annual: 2 months free … New uploads simply pause until you free up some space or choose a larger plan … Private by design · Encrypted in transit and at rest · No ads, no AI training on your photos.

54. Qeepsake — Qeepsake — Features, checked 2026-09-13

    Capture your family’s experiences, emotions, and memories by responding to curated text prompts sent on your schedule … Premium Members can add Family Contributors, who will receive their own questions and can text their own entries … Keep family and friends in the loop by adding them as recipients to weekly recap emails … Premium Members can upload 100 photos per month, while Essential Members can upload 50 photos per month.

55. Qeepsake — Qeepsake — Pricing, checked 2026-09-13

    Essential $4.99 / month Billed monthly … Premium $9.99 / month Billed monthly … Essential $47.88 / year $3.99 / month - billed yearly 7 DAYS FREE … Premium $95.88 / year $7.99 / month - billed yearly … Unlimited protected storage … Maximum monthly photo uploads 50 100 … Maximum spontaneous entries 200 500 … Add Family Contributors … In-app video entries.