Head-to-head guide
Use this page to compare public provider facts before you check today's coupons, shipping rules, and affiliate disclosures.
Prices last verified: August 13, 2026. These are public-page snapshots, not live checkout quotes. Promotions, taxes, shipping, USB, cloud storage, restoration, and rush options can change.
Provider names are less important than the contents of the box. A print-only order, a slide archive, a film-negative project, and a mixed-media family box each reward a different workflow.
For transparent film, use the 35mm slide scanning service review checklist before treating a provider as the best fit.
The useful comparison is not "which brand is famous?" It is "what does this exact box cost at the stated quality level, and what media will the provider accept?"
| Provider | Checked price example | Pricing model | Standard resolution | Turnaround / review | Media support | Return / delivery notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ScanMyPhotos | Prepaid box for about 1,800 photos: 300 DPI listed at $338, shown at $169; 600 DPI listed at $500, shown at $250. | Box-based bulk print scanning; individual scans also published at 20 cents for 300 DPI and 50 cents for 600 DPI. | 300 DPI or 600 DPI for paper photos. | Standard box page says approximately 3-7 weeks without express same-day add-on. | Paper prints; separate slide and negative services. | Free-shipping box positioning; check return-shipping and add-ons at checkout. | Box |
| ScanCafe | Value kit from 34-46 cents per scan; a la carte listed at $0.48 per scan. | Value kit or a la carte. A la carte includes review with discard up to 20% at no charge, subject to the provider rules. | 600 DPI for photos; 3000 DPI for slides and negatives. | Comparison page lists 6 weeks for Value Kit and 4 weeks for A la Carte; express 2-week option listed at $0.13 per additional image. | Paper photos, 35mm slides, 35mm negatives; other media via additional options. | Indianapolis processing and $1,000 guarantee are stated on the comparison page. | Price comparison |
| Legacybox | Starter up to 2 items $69.98; Family up to 10 items $319.98; Closet up to 20 items $639.98; Trunk up to 40 items $1,249.98; Vault up to 80 items $2,499.98. | Kit-based item count. One item equals 1 tape, 1 film reel, or 1 pack of 25 photos. | Resolution is not the headline selection on the kit page; confirm output options before ordering. | Review the active kit terms at checkout; the public kit page emphasizes send-in and cloud delivery rather than a single universal turnaround. | Photos, tapes, film reels, and audio in the same kit. | Kit page says 30-day free cloud trial; confirm thumb drive, disc set, and return details. | Kit |
| Memories Renewed | Photo scanning page lists 85 cents each for photos up to 8.5 x 11 inches, $1.25 for pocket albums, $1.70 for adhesive albums, and 50 cents for scanning annotated backs. | Per-photo and per-item archival service pricing, with separate rates for albums, scrapbook pages, framed photos, and oversized material. | 600 DPI is stated as the standard resolution for photo scanning. | Queue and turnaround should be confirmed before shipping because this is a service-style provider, not a one-price bulk box. | Photos, albums, memorabilia, framed photos, and oversized pieces depending on size and handling needs. | Best for jobs where preserving order, backs, albums, or unusual sizes matters more than lowest per-photo price. | Photo scanning |
| Kodak Digitizing | Current public pages show a "get started" entry offer and product examples such as a slides-to-digital product page showing $599.99 for selected slide work. | Brand kit / product-page workflow. Use the cart to verify the exact media, box size, output, and promotion. | Not presented as a simple universal DPI table on the photo-scanning collection page; verify output quality by product. | Confirm current turnaround at checkout because the relevant page varies by product and active promotion. | Printed photos, slides, film reels, videotapes, and other home media depending on product. | Photo-scanning collection says photographs are covered by a prepaid roundtrip Kodak Digitizing Box. | Photo collection |
Comparison method
Photo scanning providers often look similar because every homepage promises easy digitizing. The differences appear in the details: what media they accept, how they price add-ons, what resolution is included, how long review workflows take, and how clearly they explain return shipping.
For print-only jobs, price per image, resolution, and packing rules matter most. ScanMyPhotos is easiest to model when you have loose paper prints because the box price and approximate photo capacity make the math visible. Memories Renewed is easier to justify when the job contains annotated backs, albums, oversized pieces, or material that needs more careful handling.
For slides and negatives, film handling and review control matter more than the headline price. ScanCafe's public comparison page is useful here because it separates value-kit and a la carte pricing, states 600 DPI for paper photos, and states 3000 DPI for slides and negatives. That is the kind of fact density you need before shipping transparent film.
For mixed boxes, kit simplicity can be worth paying for even when a photo-only service would be cheaper for prints alone. Legacybox and Kodak Digitizing make more sense when the box includes tapes, film reels, audio, slides, and photos together. If the box contains only 1,000 standard paper prints, calculate the kit price per 25-photo item before assuming convenience wins.
A provider with a strong coupon can still be the wrong fit if it does not handle your media type well. Make the media inventory first, then compare providers against the same quantity, resolution, media mix, and delivery method.
You have hundreds or thousands of loose, sturdy paper prints and want a predictable bulk box. The pricing becomes attractive around large batches because one box can hold about 1,800 photos. The fit weakens when the job includes albums, delicate originals, or a mix of tapes and film reels. See the deeper ScanMyPhotos review.
You have slides or negatives and want more control over which scans you keep. A la carte review is valuable when the archive contains duplicates or uncertain frames, while the value kit is better when cost predictability matters. Start with the slide, negative, and ScanCafe review checklists.
Your box includes VHS, camcorder tapes, film reels, audio, and photos together. For paper photos, remember that 25 photos count as one item, so a 1,000-photo print job can consume 40 kit items before any tapes or reels are added. Compare that math in the ScanMyPhotos vs Legacybox guide.
Service review paths
The table above is for fast screening. Once a brand is close to checkout, use the deeper public-information review pages to check item math, cloud delivery, media limits, and the cases where a different workflow is safer.
Best for checking 25-photo item math, kit tiers, cloud output choices, and whether a mixed-media box justifies the cost.
Best for checking bulk loose-print fit, 300/600 DPI choices, box capacity, and print-only checkout risks.
Best for checking review control, film-heavy orders, and when slides or negatives need a slower workflow.
Best for checking cloud sharing, app viewing, and mixed-media projects where family access is part of the value.
ScanMyPhotos is not the cleanest one-box answer for a mixed archive with tapes, reels, audio, and photos together. It is strongest when the job is mostly standard prints.
ScanCafe is not the fastest default choice when the goal is simply to empty a shoebox of prints at the lowest possible price. Its review workflow is useful, but review adds a decision step; the deeper ScanCafe review explains that trade-off.
Legacybox is not a pure per-photo bargain for print-only jobs unless the active promotion and item math work in your favor. It shines when convenience across media types matters, while iMemories is a separate mixed-media route when cloud viewing and app sharing are part of the value.
Memories Renewed is not a coupon-box service. It is easier to justify when order, annotation, album handling, oversized material, or fragile originals are part of the value.
Kodak Digitizing is not a page you should quote from blindly. The brand is strong, but the exact product, output, and promotion need cart-level confirmation.
A 1,000-photo order is where the provider models separate sharply. With ScanMyPhotos, the public box capacity is about 1,800 photos, so a 1,000-photo loose-print job can still fit inside the same 300 DPI or 600 DPI box if the photos meet the rules. That makes the public $169 and $250 examples easy to understand, though the buyer still has to check checkout add-ons.
With ScanCafe, the same 1,000 photos can be modeled from the A la Carte $0.48 per-scan price, or from the Value Kit range if the order qualifies. The important distinction is review control: review may be valuable when a box contains duplicates or weak frames, but it is an extra workflow step compared with a simple bulk-print box.
With Legacybox, the math changes completely because 25 photos count as one item. A 1,000-photo order becomes 40 photo packs, which maps to the 40-item Trunk tier before any videotapes, reels, or audio are added. With Memories Renewed, the public 85-cent loose-photo rate puts 1,000 standard photos around $850 before backs, albums, oversized material, and special handling. Those numbers are not interchangeable. They describe different workflows.
The practical rule is simple: do not ask "which provider is cheapest?" until the job has been normalized. Ask whether the originals are loose or in albums, whether backs matter, whether the files need 300 DPI or 600 DPI, whether slides and negatives are included, and whether the buyer wants review control. Only then does the price table become useful.