If you loved Groovebook because it turned the thousands of photos sitting on your phone into an actual book, you have probably discovered the bad news: Groovebook is gone. Shutterfly shut down Groovebook in April 2022, ending the service that made it ridiculously easy to turn your camera roll into small photo books.

The good news is that you don’t have to go back to having 14,000 photos trapped on your phone forever. There are several excellent Groovebook alternatives in 2026, including services that are almost as effortless as Groovebook was and others that produce significantly nicer photo books if you’re willing to put in a little more work.

The trick is figuring out what you actually liked about Groovebook. Was it the low price? The automatic books? The small size? The fact that you didn’t have to spend three hours arranging 87 photos of your kid at the beach?

That last one is important because the best Groovebook alternative isn’t necessarily the best photo-book service overall.

What Happened to Groovebook?

Groovebook was a photo-book subscription service that became famous after appearing on Shark Tank. Shutterfly acquired the company in 2014, but eventually discontinued Groovebook, with the service ending in April 2022.

Groovebook’s appeal was its simplicity. You could select photos from your phone, create a small softcover book, and have your memories printed without having to become a graphic designer first.

That concept still makes sense. In fact, with how many photos most of us take now, it arguably makes more sense.

The problem is that most photo-book companies went in the opposite direction, giving us hundreds of templates, fonts, stickers, layouts and customization options. That’s great if you enjoy designing photo books. If you just want someone to please take the photos off your phone and make them into a book, not so much.

So, what are the best Groovebook alternatives in 2026?

Best Groovebook Alternatives at a Glance

Prices and promotions change frequently, so consider the price categories a general guide rather than a promise of what you’ll pay when you check out. Current 2026 comparisons show significant variation between services in automation, book sizes, customization and pricing.

1. Chatbooks: The Closest Groovebook Alternative

Best for: People who want their photo books made with as little effort as possible

If what you really miss about Groovebook is the “I selected some pictures and a book showed up” part, start with Chatbooks.

Chatbooks focuses on making photo books without requiring you to spend your evening dragging 42 pictures around a page trying to decide whether Mom should be on the left or right.

Its subscription-style options are particularly appealing for people who want to keep making small books rather than remembering to create one giant family album once every three years.

The trade-off is that you don’t get the same level of customization you get from a service like Mixbook. That’s actually a feature if you are the person who opens a photo-book website, sees 700 templates and immediately decides that maybe digital photos aren’t so bad after all.

Why Chatbooks is a good Groovebook replacement

• Simple to use
• Designed around convenience
• Small-format books are available
• Good option for regular photo books
• Less time spent designing

The downside

If you want a large, elaborate vacation album with custom layouts, Chatbooks isn’t really what you’re looking for.

My pick for: Anyone who wants the closest thing to the easy, low-effort Groovebook experience.

2. Mixbook: Best Overall Groovebook Alternative

Best for: People who want a really nice photo book without needing professional design skills

If Groovebook’s simplicity was great but you now want something that looks more like a real keepsake, Mixbook is where I would look first.

Mixbook gives you significantly more control over your book than Groovebook ever did. You can choose layouts, backgrounds, fonts, book sizes and covers, while still having templates and tools that keep the process from becoming completely overwhelming.

Current 2026 comparisons continue to rank Mixbook highly for its combination of design tools, print quality and ease of use. Tom’s Guide named it its top photo-book service in its August 2026 testing, particularly praising its software and image quality.

The downside is obvious: you actually have to make the book.

If you are creating a family vacation album, however, that extra control can be worth it. You can make a book that tells the story of the trip rather than simply throwing a bunch of photos into chronological order.

Why I like Mixbook

• Excellent selection of templates
• Lots of customization
• Good photo quality
• Many sizes and formats
• Great for vacation albums
• Good balance between ease and creative control

The downside

It takes more effort than Groovebook did.

My pick for: The person who wants a better-looking book but doesn’t want to spend their entire weekend learning graphic design.

3. Shutterfly: Best for Variety and Deals

Best for: People who want lots of choices and don’t mind shopping the sales

There is a little irony in recommending Shutterfly as a Groovebook alternative since Shutterfly is the company that eventually shut Groovebook down.

But Shutterfly remains one of the biggest names in photo books, and it offers an enormous range of formats, sizes, templates and personalization options.

It is particularly worth checking when you’re looking for a deal because Shutterfly frequently runs promotions. Its current photo-book lineup includes multiple sizes, cover styles and page-count options.

If you have a giant pile of vacation photos and want to make a big hardcover album rather than a tiny monthly book, Shutterfly gives you plenty of options.

Why choose Shutterfly?

• Huge variety of formats
• Lots of templates
• Frequent sales
• Good for large family albums
• Plenty of customization

The downside

The sheer number of choices can make the process feel more complicated than it needs to be.

My pick for: Deal hunters and anyone who wants lots of size and format options.

4. Snapfish: Best Budget-Friendly Option

Best for: People who want an affordable photo book without a lot of fuss

Snapfish is another good option if your primary goal is getting your photos printed without spending a fortune.

It offers photo books in a variety of formats and has plenty of templates to get you started. Like Shutterfly, it also runs promotions, so the price you see one day may not be the price you see the next.

Snapfish makes the most sense for someone who doesn’t necessarily need a premium coffee-table book. If your goal is simply to take the photos from your phone and turn them into something you can actually flip through, it can do the job.

Why choose Snapfish?

• Affordable
• Easy to use
• Plenty of templates
• Good for everyday photo books
• Frequent promotions

The downside

It doesn’t have quite the same premium feel as some of the more expensive services.

My pick for: Families who want to make photo books without spending a lot.

5. Artifact Uprising: Best Premium Alternative

Best for: Beautiful keepsake books and meaningful gifts

If Groovebook was the fast-food version of photo books, Artifact Uprising is more like the beautifully plated meal where you take a picture before you eat it.

Artifact Uprising focuses heavily on design and materials. Its books have a minimalist aesthetic, premium paper and a more sophisticated finished look.

That also means they cost more.

This isn’t the service I would choose to print a little book every month. But if you’re making a wedding album, graduation book, anniversary gift or a beautiful record of a major family trip, it is worth considering.

Why choose Artifact Uprising?

• Beautiful materials
• Premium look and feel
• Excellent for gifts
• Minimalist designs
• Great for milestone memories

The downside

It’s considerably more expensive than the inexpensive little books Groovebook was known for.

My pick for: Special memories that deserve to live somewhere other than your phone.

6. Blurb: Best for Travel Books and Big Projects

Best for: Travelers who want to turn their photos into a serious book

Blurb is probably more than most former Groovebook users need, but it deserves a spot on this list because travelers can do some really interesting things with it.

Rather than simply making a traditional photo album, you can create a more sophisticated travel book, family history, cookbook, portfolio or other publication.

Blurb offers professional-oriented book creation tools and a much greater degree of control than the simple photo-book apps.

That flexibility comes with a learning curve.

Why choose Blurb?

• Lots of creative control
• Excellent for travel books
• Professional-looking results
• Multiple book formats
• Good for larger projects

The downside

It isn’t the easiest option if your goal is simply, “Please turn these 200 pictures into a book before I forget why I took them.”

My pick for: Travel writers, photographers and anyone creating a book rather than simply a photo album.

7. My Social Book: Best for Social Media Photos

Best for: People whose memories live on Facebook or Instagram

If a significant portion of your photos are on social media rather than sitting neatly in your camera roll, My Social Book is worth a look.

The service is designed around turning social-media content into printed books. That makes it particularly interesting for people who want to preserve years of Facebook or Instagram memories rather than manually download every photograph.

Some current comparisons describe My Social Book as one of the more automated options because it can pull content from platforms such as Facebook and Instagram and create a book from it.

Why choose My Social Book?

• Designed for social-media content
• More automated than traditional photo-book services
• Good for preserving older social posts
• Useful for family-history projects

The downside

It isn’t the best choice if you’re looking for complete control over every page.

My pick for: Anyone who has years of family memories living on social media.

So Which Groovebook Alternative Is Best?

Honestly, it depends on why you liked Groovebook in the first place.

If you want the closest Groovebook experience:

Chatbooks

This is where I’d start if your priority is convenience. You don’t need a fancy album. You just want your pictures printed without turning it into a major project.

If you want the best overall photo book:

Mixbook

This is my choice if you’re willing to spend a little more time creating the book. You get much more control and a more polished finished product.

If you want the biggest selection:

Shutterfly

There are a ton of options, and the frequent promotions can make it a good value if you’re willing to shop around.

If price matters most:

Snapfish

It’s a good option for everyday family photo books when you don’t need a luxury product.

If you want something beautiful:

Artifact Uprising

This is the one I’d choose for a special trip, wedding, graduation or gift.

If you’re creating a travel book:

Blurb

This is the choice for people who want to make something more substantial than a traditional photo album.

If your photos are mostly on social media:

My Social Book

It can save you the enormous headache of manually collecting years of Facebook and Instagram photos.

What I Would Choose Instead of Groovebook

If I were replacing Groovebook today, I’d narrow the choices down to Chatbooks and Mixbook.

Chatbooks is the better replacement if what you loved about Groovebook was the simplicity. You don’t need to spend hours designing anything, and the smaller books make it easy to keep up with everyday family photos.

Mixbook is the better choice if what you really wanted was a physical record of your family’s adventures. You can create a vacation album, graduation book or yearly family book that actually feels like something you’ll want to keep.

And that’s probably the biggest difference between Groovebook and today’s options.

Groovebook was really about getting your photos off your phone. The best modern photo-book services give you the opportunity to turn those photos into something you’ll actually want to keep.

Don’t Let Your Family Photos Die on Your Camera Roll

I am particularly guilty of taking approximately 47 photos of the same vacation moment and then never looking at any of them again.

The nice thing about photo books is that they force you to do something with those memories. You don’t need to print every photo or create a 200-page masterpiece. Pick your favorites, make a book and actually put it somewhere you can see it.

Because someday your kids are going to want to see those pictures.

And “They’re all on my old phone somewhere” is not exactly the family legacy we’re going for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Groovebook still available in 2026?

No. Groovebook was discontinued by Shutterfly in 2022. The service ended in April 2022.

What is the closest alternative to Groovebook?

Chatbooks is probably the closest option if what you liked about Groovebook was its simple, low-effort approach to creating small photo books.

What is better than Groovebook?

For a more customizable and polished photo book, Mixbook is a strong alternative. It gives you considerably more control over layouts, book sizes and designs.

Can I still access my old Groovebook photos?

If you have photos that were stored only through Groovebook, access may no longer be available through the discontinued service. However, check your phone’s camera roll, cloud photo storage, and any backups you made before the service ended.

Are Groovebook alternatives expensive?

They don’t have to be. Services such as Chatbooks and Snapfish can be relatively affordable, while premium services such as Artifact Uprising cost considerably more. Photo-book companies also frequently run promotions, so it is worth checking current pricing before ordering.

Is Chatbooks or Mixbook better?

Chatbooks is better for convenience. Mixbook is better for customization and creating a more polished photo book. If you want something that requires almost no effort, choose Chatbooks. If you enjoy creating a vacation or family album, choose Mixbook.

Bottom Line

Groovebook may be gone, but the idea behind it is still a good one. We take more photos than ever, and most of them never make it off our phones.

If you want the closest replacement, Chatbooks is my first choice. If you want a more traditional photo book with better customization, Mixbook is the one I’d choose. And if you’re creating something truly special, Artifact Uprising is worth the splurge.

The important thing is to pick a service you will actually use. The world’s most beautiful photo book isn’t doing anybody any good if all 3,000 pictures from your last vacation are still sitting in your camera roll.