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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Qeepsake vs Waldo

Qeepsake 4.9★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Qeepsake
Waldo 4.8★ · Free to download 60

Qeepsake is better for long-term memory keeping and printing physical books, while Waldo excels at real-time event photo aggregation, despite its usability issues.

Full reviews: Qeepsake · Waldo

Qeepsake offers a structured way to journal memories and create physical books, though recent changes to its free tier and book quality concerns are notable. Waldo specializes in event photo aggregation using facial recognition, but struggles with user-friendliness and inconsistent photo matching.

Head to head

Features and Core Functionality edge: QeepsakeR2R6R8R9
Qeepsake Qeepsake users appreciate its ability to capture memories through daily prompts and text messages, making journaling easy for busy parents R2R8. The app's main feature is compiling these entries into printable photo books R2R8R11R41. However, some users find the auto-generated questions repetitive, irrelevant, or AI-generated and nonsensical R6R9R10. There are also complaints about strict character limits and limited customization options for the physical books R9.
Waldo Waldo's key feature is its facial recognition technology, which automatically identifies and delivers photos of specific individuals from events like camps R68. Users love getting notifications for new photos and having them organized into albums . However, many users report that the facial recognition is inaccurate or fails to find their child's photos R61R73R76. Some also note issues with the app not finding enough photos, or tagging the wrong child .
Ease of Use edge: QeepsakeR3R5R8R17
Qeepsake Many Qeepsake users find the app easy to use, especially the text-to-journal feature for quick memory capture R5R8R17. The ability to upload photos and add captions in real-time is also praised . However, some users report difficulties with photo dating R3, managing multiple children's questions , and issues with the app not being compatible with newer iOS versions .
Waldo Waldo is often described as difficult to use, with users struggling with registration, navigation, and uploading photos . Issues include not being able to use existing photos for facial recognition , problems with sharing albums , and general unresponsiveness of buttons or features .
Reliability and Performance edge: QeepsakeR5R11R12R15
Qeepsake Qeepsake's reliability is a mixed bag. While many users have successfully used it for years to capture and print memories R5R11R17, recent reviews highlight issues like journal entries not being accurate, notifications not working, and customer service being unresponsive R22. Some users also experienced problems with photo quality in printed books R12R15.
Waldo Waldo's reliability is a major concern for users. The facial recognition frequently fails to identify children or tags the wrong ones R61R73R76. Notifications for new photos often don't work, and the app is prone to crashing . Users also report issues with event selection and account management .
Price and Value tieR1R4R7R16
Qeepsake Qeepsake's value is contentious due to recent changes. Many long-term users are upset about the transition from a free tier to a paid-only model, with memories being held hostage unless a subscription or PDF purchase is made R1R4R7R16. Subscriptions are annual, and some users dislike the lack of a monthly option . There are also complaints about high book prices, expiring credits, and additional costs for features like backdating photos or downloading content .
Waldo Waldo users often feel the app is overpriced for the value delivered, especially when the facial recognition fails or few photos are found R73. Sharing photos with family members often requires them to also pay, leading to frustration . Some users appreciate the value when it works well, especially for camp photos . Waldo has also refunded users when their experience wasn't up to standard .
Customer Support edge: QeepsakeR10R19R22R26
Qeepsake Qeepsake users report mixed experiences with customer service. Some praise it as fantastic R26, while others describe it as unresponsive or unhelpful, especially regarding technical issues or subscription problems R19R22. AI-generated responses to support emails are also a point of frustration R10.
Waldo Waldo's customer support is widely criticized for being non-existent or unhelpful. Users report no way to contact support, or that messages go unanswered . Issues like incorrect event assignments or problems with the app's functionality often go unresolved .
Pick Qeepsake if

You want an easy way to journal memories over time for your children, appreciate text prompts, and intend to print physical memory books annually R2R8R17.

Pick Waldo if

You are attending an event (like a camp) where Waldo is the official photo provider and you want the convenience of facial recognition to find photos of your child, understanding there might be some usability hurdles R68.

Evidence note: Qeepsake's recent policy changes regarding its free tier and access to past memories have significantly impacted user sentiment, leading to many negative reviews about bait-and-switch tactics and account deactivation for non-paying users. This skews recent reviews negatively compared to its lifetime rating. Waldo's reviews are heavily focused on its core facial recognition feature and its performance at events.

Frequently asked

Can I use Qeepsake for free?
No, Qeepsake has largely transitioned from a free tier to a paid-only app, with many long-term users reporting their accounts and memories are now locked behind a subscription or a one-time PDF purchase R1R4R7R16.
How accurate is Waldo's facial recognition?
Waldo's facial recognition is inconsistently accurate; while some users praise its ability to find their children in crowds R68, many others report it frequently fails to identify their child, tags the wrong child, or finds very few photos R61R73R76.
What is the quality of Qeepsake's printed books?
The quality of Qeepsake's printed books receives mixed reviews; while some users find them beautiful and treasure them R8R41, others are disappointed with poor picture quality, describing photos as faded or not as good as other platforms R12R15.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Qeepsake 5/5 · US Love this for my kids and my memories: My two girls were born within 19 months of each other and the fact that I could answer texts about each of them in real time from the time they were babies was essential. When I give them their Qeepsake books every few years, they get so excited and read every word. Now that they are older, I sometimes ask them to answer and it’s a fun family activity of refl
  2. [R6] Qeepsake 3/5 · US Very easy but need more variety of questions: It does help keeping track but repetitive questions and some don’t apply.
  3. [R8] Qeepsake 5/5 · US Highly Recommend: I couldn’t be happier with this app and service. It’s easy to use, kept us up on journaling, and the products are beautiful. We captured my son’s first year so far and didn’t hesitate to renew for the second year! I recommend it to everyone. And my family absolutely loves their weekly emails/“digests.” Many of them say it’s the highlight of their week.
  4. [R9] Qeepsake 3/5 · US Simple Interface, could use work on the auto questions: I love how easy it is to capture pictures and notes and actually appreciate the simple interface and limited personalization of formatting so I don’t get dragged into over editing. But the auto-sent questions are not programmed well as it keeps sending ones completely irrelevant to my child’s age. And the character limit is too strict. So I e
  5. [R3] Qeepsake 3/5 · US Please Improve:: I want to love this app, but a couple of years into using it and there are a handful of things that make it difficult for the customer. If uploading photos from my iPhone 15, even though the app asks me if I want the original date of the photo to be uploaded and I select "yes", it will upload with the current date. This caused me a nightmare of having to go in and hand adjust ever
  6. [R5] Qeepsake 5/5 · US Love!: I have been using for 5 years, for 3 kids and love it! I recommend to all my new mommas too!
  7. [R17] Qeepsake 5/5 · US My favorite way to save memories of my kids!!: I found this app when my oldest was 2 (he’s 8 now), and I absolutely love it!!! I print a yearly book for each of my 3 kids and it’s a great way to capture big and small memories. I love that the app is so easy to use, that I can text in memories, and that you can prompt yourself with questions each day. It’s a fantastic app and one I’ve recommended t
  8. [R11] Qeepsake 5/5 · US Great app, have used for 5 years: I buy a journal book every year and treasure having these memories of my kiddo.
  9. [R12] Qeepsake 3/5 · US Great Memory book: We like this app for keeping all our memories in one spot and being able to quickly make a book. Photo quality on pictures in the journal book are not great sadly.
  10. [R15] Qeepsake 3/5 · US Poor picture quality: My book came out nicely with the layout formatting however I’m so disappointed in the picture quality. I’m using my iPhone and my pics print normally in other platforms/apps. I’ve always used another company to make my own photo books and never had an issue. I’m just so surprised at the lack of picture quality. Otherwise the questions are fun and it’s easy to make updates in
  11. [R1] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Scammers: This app was great for the first part of using it. Then they got money hungry I guess and deactivated my account and kept all of my journal entries locked until I paid to buy a book of the journal entries or a membership when it originally had been free, when I finally caved and paid $30 for a book, they send me a notification that says my book is printing and will send me a notification
  12. [R4] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Shady Business Practices - Avoid This App: I’ve been using this app for many years now on their free tier. I’ve recently received notice that my account is being deactivated unless I sign up for a paid membership. I get that business needs change, but you started the free option, not me and now my memories are being held hostage unless I purchase a membership OR pay for a PDF of everything I’ve
  13. [R7] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Used to be worth it…: They just changed to a paid only app. I have almost 6 years of memories on my account and I have to either pay for an annual membership or pay to have my memories sent on a one time pdf. There’s no other option but to delete the account. I can’t even view what was saved. This is shameful. Unless you can pay $10/$15, some literally can’t, doesn’t matter how long you’ve used th
  14. [R16] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Another Broken App: Am I shocked that a working and free app is changing to a paid model for just the basics of not only the one entry per week service, but also the *privilege* of accessing the app at all? No. I’m not. Opened it today to find that I can’t even look at any of my entries, there is now a pop up wall that gives three options - shell out for the Qeepsake Lite, go to the store where I
  15. [R10] Qeepsake 1/5 · US AI generated questions: I’ve been using Qeepsake for a while so I saw the change when they started using AI to generate questions that are seasonally inappropriate and just don’t make sense at all. “What imaginative stories does child create about pumpkins?” “What autumn sensory experience seems to fascinate child the most?” Ok first of all, it’s spring… also what kind of questions are those? I em
  16. [R19] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Upgrades impossible: I signed up for the essential annual plan and five months later decided I wanted the premium plan because I ran out of uploads. Apple will not allow me to upgrade my sub subscription until the initial annual subscription expires. Qeepsake cannot help until Apple cancels my plan, which I cannot do without customer service.
  17. [R22] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Endless Issues, Customer Service MIA: I loved Qeepsake when I used the free version a few years ago. Now I upgraded to premium and am having several issues. Journal entries aren’t accurate one day to the next. I’m not getting text or app notifications with daily questions even after changing the settings and re-installing the app. I’ve messaged customer service, but they don’t respond. Did they re
  18. [R26] Qeepsake 5/5 · US The best baby book!: We made a Qeepsake book for each kid. The app is great - easy to use and with intuitive features. The customer service is also fantastic! Highly recommend!
  19. [R61] Waldo 1/5 · US What happened??: This app used to work great until this year. Something changed with their AI technology and nothing is matching up and not getting any notifications anymore! They will not acknowledge that anything has changed and just keep instructing me to manually tag. That is not what I am paying g for!
  20. [R68] Waldo 5/5 · US Great App: I love this app! My kids’ summer camp used it for their photos and it was awesome. I loved every time the little notifications came through saying it found another pic of my camper having a blast. The facial recognition is very accurate.
  21. [R73] Waldo 1/5 · US 0 stars: Where’s the 0 star option? My son’s summer camp pushed this but it never identified pictures of him. It doesn’t work, didn’t delete when I selected “delete” and I’m waiting for my $70 back. Please reimburse now so the camp doesn’t have to cut their contract with you.
  22. [R76] Waldo 1/5 · US Wrong images: We received images of another child along with ours yesterday and today they took away pictures of our child. Now we are just left with pictures of another child unfortunately. Really disappointed.
  23. [R41] Qeepsake 5/5 · US Love it!: Such a great way to save photos and memories for your kids! I have 3 printed books now and they are all beautiful. The app is sleek and easy to use, the prompts are helpful, the journal is my favorite feature. I’m so glad my kids will have lots of pictures and fun stories to look back on from childhood!

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store