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

Qeepsake vs BackThen

Qeepsake 4.9★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Qeepsake
BackThen 4.9★ · Free + IAP 60

Qeepsake is better for parents who want guided journaling and physical memory books, despite recent pricing changes, while BackThen excels at simple photo and video sharing with family, but struggles with reliability and customer support.

Full reviews: Qeepsake · BackThen

Qeepsake offers structured journaling and physical book creation, highly valued by users for capturing memories, though recent changes to its free tier and subscription model have caused frustration. BackThen focuses on easy photo and video sharing with family, but faces significant criticism regarding price increases, app reliability, and non-existent customer support.

Head to head

Features and Core Purpose edge: QeepsakeR2R6R8R9
Qeepsake Qeepsake is praised for its guided journaling via text prompts, making it easy for busy parents to capture memories and create physical memory books R2R8. Users appreciate the ability to upload photos and text entries, and the option to print yearly books R2. However, some users find the auto-generated questions repetitive, irrelevant to age, or seasonally inappropriate R6R9R10. There are also complaints about limited customization options for books, including font, cover, and page layouts R21R34R48.
BackThen BackThen is valued for its simplicity in sharing photos and videos with family members, acting as a private archive of children's lives . Users like the tagging and filtering system, and the ability to add stories and milestones . However, some users report issues with video quality R90, and a lack of control over who can comment or upload . The 'Treasure' feature is seen as random and unnecessary .
Ease of Use edge: QeepsakeR2R3R5R8
Qeepsake Qeepsake is generally considered easy to use, especially for capturing memories quickly via text messages R2R5R8. However, some users find the text messages annoying or time-consuming . Issues include photos uploading with the wrong date R3, strict character limits R9, difficulty managing multiple children's questions , and problems upgrading subscriptions R19. Some users also report the app not working with newer iOS versions or being difficult to navigate on the phone .
BackThen BackThen is praised for being easy to use for sharing photos and videos . However, users report issues with the web version being better than the app for viewing comments , and annoying persistent notifications to enable alerts or upload photos . Some older family members struggle with the app, especially if they don't have smartphones or up-to-date operating systems .
Reliability and Data Preservation edge: QeepsakeR1R4R7R12
Qeepsake Qeepsake users express significant concern about their memories being held hostage or accounts deactivated unless they pay for a membership or a PDF R1R4R7R13. There are reports of journal entries not being accurate R22, and issues with photo quality in printed books R12. Some users also mention problems with the app not sending notifications R22.
BackThen BackThen has serious reliability issues, with multiple users reporting lost photos and videos R73R79R91. The app is also described as glitchy, crashing frequently, or not uploading photos R79R82. Some users who migrated from Lifecake to BackThen reported losing all their data .
Price and Value tieR1R4R7R13
Qeepsake Qeepsake's recent shift from a free tier to a paid-only model has generated significant backlash, with users feeling their memories are held hostage R1R4R7R13. Many find the subscription fees high, especially for basic access or the cost of books R1R7R13. There are complaints about annual auto-renewal without notice R42 and credits expiring . Some users wish for monthly payment options .
BackThen BackThen users consistently complain about price increases, with the monthly fee rising significantly over time . Many feel it's too expensive for what it offers, especially compared to free alternatives like Google Photos . Users also dislike paying for premium features only to still see ads or be limited by storage .
Customer Support edge: QeepsakeR10R19R22R42
Qeepsake Qeepsake users report issues with customer service, including unresponsiveness to problems after upgrading R22, and difficulty getting help with subscription upgrades R19. Some mention receiving AI-generated responses R10. There are also complaints about rigid cancellation policies and no way to contact support R42.
BackThen BackThen receives widespread criticism for non-existent customer support, with users reporting repeated emails going unanswered R82R91R118. Some users have tried contacting founders without success R82. This lack of support is a major pain point, especially when photos are lost or the app is glitchy R82R91R118.
Pick Qeepsake if

you want a structured way to journal memories for your children, appreciate daily prompts, and intend to create physical memory books, even if it means paying for a subscription R2R8.

Pick BackThen if

your primary need is a simple, private platform to share photos and videos of your children with a wide network of family members, and you are willing to tolerate rising subscription costs and potential app reliability issues .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews related to pricing changes and customer service, which skews recent sentiment. Qeepsake's core value proposition of guided journaling and physical books is strongly supported by positive reviews, while BackThen's value is primarily in its sharing functionality, despite its technical and support shortcomings.

Frequently asked

What are the main pricing complaints for Qeepsake?
Qeepsake users frequently complain about the app's shift from a free tier to a paid-only model, with memories being held hostage unless a membership or PDF is purchased R1R4R7R13. Many find the annual subscription fees high, and there are issues with annual auto-renewal without notice R42 and credits expiring .
Does BackThen have good customer support?
No, BackThen receives widespread criticism for non-existent customer support, with multiple users reporting repeated emails going unanswered when they experience issues like lost photos or app glitches R82R91R118.
Can I customize the photo books in Qeepsake?
Qeepsake offers limited customization options for its photo books, with users reporting only one font, plain covers, and restricted page layouts R21R34R48. Some users are disappointed by the inability to edit layouts or group multiple photos on a single page R34R46.
Are there issues with photo and video quality on BackThen?
Yes, some BackThen users report that the quality of uploaded videos is barely HD, which they consider outdated R90. There are also significant complaints about photos and videos disappearing or failing to upload reliably R73R79R91.

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. [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
  8. [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
  9. [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
  10. [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.
  11. [R13] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Good until it’s not: I started this with my first born in 2022 and was pleased with the ease of adding daily pictures and memories. But with the addition of new kids and the pricy upgrades I tried to do minimal charges. Now I am confronted with a notification that my account will be deleted and I will lose all my progress if I do not buy or upgrade. I can’t even adjust the book entries if I decide
  12. [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
  13. [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.
  14. [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
  15. [R42] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Scandalous Cancelation Policy: Watch out, they autorenew your subscription annually and don’t send reminder emails of any kind. I haven’t used the product or heard from them in a full year, but they have a rigid terms of service and no way to contact customer support. Shameful.
  16. [R82] BackThen 1/5 · US Zero support: Loved the app until it became glitchy and stopped uploading. Wrote repeated emails to support with zero response. Tried to fix it myself but accidentally deleted something. Ten emails later zero response. I also tried emailing the founders. Don’t think anyone is home. I will be migrating to an app that actually has support
  17. [R91] BackThen 1/5 · US Photos disappear and no customer service: I’ve been using this app since it was switched from Life Cake. I really liked the app for a long time, and would have rated it 5 stars. I noticed some of my pictures disappeared off of the app. I emailed customer service 3 times in the past month, and have received no response! There’s no phone number, and other no way to get help for issues. I put a lot o
  18. [R118] BackThen 1/5 · GB Unable to transfer: It’s been over a week since I sent an email to BackThen support and haven’t heard back since. I’ve sent two chaser emails since then. I tried logging in using my old details and it says to make an account. When I try and make an account it tells me they’re the details of a migrating user, so it’s impossible for my to login. To top it off I get regular updates about photos t
  19. [R21] Qeepsake 3/5 · US Good concept, needs more customization options: I just ordered my daughters 1 year book, only because I spent so much time and money on it and didn’t want to start over on another platform. I like the app and the concept of adding entries anytime. There really needs to be more customizable options for the book though. There’s one font. A very plain cover. A swirl line on your pages or plain white.
  20. [R34] Qeepsake 2/5 · US Not as expected: This is nice to use as a journal function but I’m disappointed overall. I thought the book would be more customizable but instead you’re limited to only 1-2 entries/photos per page. To group photos together you’d have to delete the old ones and go back in. The subscription fee is high for the high price of books also. Overall disappointed and won’t be renewing. I love the aspect o
  21. [R46] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Not so easy to use great idea: Difficult to add, can’t customize pages. Book only allows 299 pages which is less than 1 photo a day. When you’re over to remove pages is one at a time. Frustrating they can’t put more than one on a page to make all the photos work.
  22. [R48] Qeepsake 1/5 · US Amazing idea- TERRIBLE execution: It is absolutely infuriating how little customization is allowed. It should be so easy to change the page layout, entries per page, font, theme, etc.
  23. [R73] BackThen 1/5 · US Done: I have been using Back Then for almost 13 years now at $4.99/month. I have lost photos and videos from the app. They do what they want. That is $780. Now they want to increase the monthly rate on me by 35%! It was great while it lasted but im officially giving deuces to back then. Not woth the price when they do whatever they want with your photos and videos. Some get saved some do not.
  24. [R79] BackThen 1/5 · US Crappy Unreliable App: Don’t use this app. If you want to trust an app that’ll actually upload your photos and not lose them, DO NOT USE THIS APP. I uploaded so many photos only to get noticed 2 days later that the photos never uploaded and it won’t show me which photos they are so I lost 200 plus photos of my son.
  25. [R90] BackThen 3/5 · GB Good but should be better: 2 issues. I pay for storage but the quality of video uploaded is barely HD which is very behind the times. Increased resolution should be an option. Also, more info on content storage is a must, i have no info as to storage or the security of it. Please improve the video quality upload.

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