Guestreel vs Joy, checked 12 Nov 2026
Joy is a free wedding website with photo sharing in its app. Guestreel is a photo and video album for any event, in the browser. Here is where they differ.
| Guestreel | Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| App for guests | Better: None, browser | Joy app |
| Original quality | Better: Every plan | Not listed |
| Approve photos first | Better: Every plan | Not listed |
| Live slideshow | Better: Every plan | Not listed |
| Price | Free to $69 | Better: Free |
| RSVP and registry | Not included | Better: Included |
| Guestbook | A book you print | Well-wishes |
A tick marks the better of the two. Joy figures from withjoy.com, where its app is free.
Free to start, no credit card neededRated 4.4 by real hosts
110 photos and videosAt a typical Guestreel event
One paymentNo subscription, ever
No app neededAnd no account
Original qualityOn every plan, free too
The short answer
Joy plans the whole wedding and lets guests add photos in its app. Guestreel does one thing: every guest’s photos and videos in one album, with no app.
Checked 12 November 2026 by the Guestreel team
Joy’s website and app are free. Here is what its guest photo sharing lists, next to each Guestreel plan.
| Guestreel | Joy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Premium | Unlimited | Free | |
| Price, once per event | $0 | $39 | $69 | $0 |
| Photos and videos | 10 | 200 | Unlimited | Not listed |
| Guests who can share | 3 | 100 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Uploads open after | 1 day | 14 days | 30 days | Not listed |
| Photos kept for | 7 days | 30 days | 1 year | Not listed |
| Photo quality | Original | Original | Original | Not listed |
| Approve photos first | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Guestbook | Printable | Printable | Printable | Well-wishes |
| Live slideshow | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
“Not listed” means Joy’s site doesn’t list it. Joy’s website, planning tools, registry and app are free; guests download the Joy app to add photos.
Price it for your event
Joy’s photo sharing comes free with its website. Set your numbers to see what Guestreel would cost alongside it.
Guestreel
$39
Premium
Up to 200 uploads from 100 guests, open 14 days.
Joy
$0
Free
Photos through the Joy app, with your wedding website.
One payment per event on both. Guestreel prices show in your currency at checkout.
Digital guestbook
On JoyGuests can leave well-wishes in Joy’s virtual guestbook, alongside its photo sharing.
On GuestreelGuests write a note and add a photo if they like. Print the whole guestbook, or keep it as a PDF.
Watching you walk down that aisle was one of the proudest moments of my life.
Mom
From all of us at table nine. Save us a slice of cake!
The Millers
Keep your Joy website, and share your Guestreel link or QR code for the photos.
1Create your event
Create the album in a minute, free and without a card.
2Print your QR code
Print a QR sign from 30 designs for the tables and the bar.
3Share the link
Share the link on your wedding website or in your invites.
Features built just for guests’ photos, videos and notes.
Live Picture Wall
Open it on any TV, projector or laptop. Photos appear as guests add them, with your QR code in the corner so more people join.
Full resolution, iPhone HEIC photos and videos included. Download it all in one click.
Print one for every table, or start from a Canva template.
Add a password, approve photos first, hide any photo or note.
Uploads retry when the connection drops, so no photo gets lost.
Rated 4.4 by real hosts. Read every review
It worked really well and came in handy for our guests. Whenever something wasn’t working, the support team was very quick to help and fix the issue.
The guests found it easy to upload, and view everyone else's photo's & video's too. We got to see lots of fun stuff that we would have missed if not for Guestreel.
I used this for my latest event that i hosted with my friends, 50+ invited and everyone thought it was a great time to use and very simple aswell.
Questions
Yes. Joy says its wedding website, planning tools, registry and app are free; it earns money from registry purchases and optional upgrades. Guestreel is free to start, then $39 or $69 once per event.
Joy is a wedding planning platform with a website, RSVP, a registry and a mobile app. In the app, guests can upload photos to a shared album and leave well-wishes.
Joy says guests download the app and enter the event name to use its guest features. On Guestreel, guests scan a QR code and upload from the browser, with no app and no account.
Yes. Keep Joy for your website and RSVP, and share your Guestreel link or QR code with your invitations, on your website or on signs at the venue.
Joy’s site doesn’t list photo quality. Guestreel keeps every photo and video at full resolution, including iPhone HEIC, on every plan.
Guestreel includes the live Picture Wall on every plan, for any TV or projector. Joy’s site doesn’t list a slideshow.
With Guestreel, yes, on every plan: uploads wait until you approve them. Joy’s site doesn’t list approval of uploads.
Yes, a virtual guestbook where guests leave well-wishes. On Guestreel, each guest’s note with its photo goes into a guestbook you can print or save as a PDF.
Yes. Guestreel works for birthdays, parties, reunions, work events and more, with the same album and QR code.
How we checkedFrom withjoy.com, 12 November 2026.
Tell usSet up the album free in five minutes and share it next to your Joy website.Set up the album free in five minutes and share it next to your Joy website.
Free to start · No credit card · No app for guests
Joy is a trademark of its owner. Guestreel is not affiliated with Joy. We compare from public pages and update this page when they change.
