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

iMemories vs Google Photos

iMemories 4.9★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner Google Photos
Google Photos 4.8★ · Free to download 75

iMemories is better for digitizing physical media and accessing those specific memories, but Google Photos is a more versatile and reliable cloud storage and organization solution for digital photos.

Full reviews: iMemories · Google Photos

iMemories excels at digitizing old physical media like VHS tapes and slides, bringing joy to users seeing long-lost memories, but its app is plagued with technical issues, hidden costs, and poor customer support. Google Photos offers robust cloud storage, organization, and sharing features, though recent updates have introduced performance issues and user interface frustrations.

Head to head

Digitization Service & Quality (Physical Media) edge: iMemoriesR2R3R14R20
iMemories iMemories users are overwhelmingly positive about the core service of digitizing old VHS tapes, 8mm films, slides, and photos, often expressing deep emotional satisfaction at reliving precious family memories R2R14R20R24. The quality of the digitized content is frequently praised for clarity and bringing memories to life . However, some users report issues with poor quality, cut videos, or missing minutes from their digitized content R3.
Google Photos Google Photos does not offer a physical media digitization service, focusing solely on digital photo and video management.
App Performance & Reliability tieR7R16R21R25
iMemories The iMemories app is widely criticized for poor performance and reliability. Users report constant crashing, videos not playing, freezing during streaming, sound without video, and general unresponsiveness R7R16R21R25. Uploading new content is also described as slow, buggy, or impossible .
Google Photos Google Photos users also report significant performance issues, including the app being slow, not loading at all, or crashing constantly, especially after recent updates . Some users experience issues with photos not uploading or downloading correctly .
Pricing & Value tieR1R4R10R13
iMemories iMemories faces strong criticism for hidden costs and deceptive pricing. Users report unexpected fees for shipping return, high costs for digital copies, and mandatory monthly or annual subscriptions to access their own digitized videos after an initial payment R1R4R10R13. Some feel it's a 'rip off' or 'scam' due to these charges R4R10R13.
Google Photos Google Photos used to offer free unlimited storage, but now requires payment for storage beyond a certain limit, leading some users to feel there's little difference from other paid cloud storage options like iCloud . Users complain about being tricked into enabling backup, forcing them to buy more space .
Ease of Use & User Interface tieR9R12R15R18
iMemories Recent updates to the iMemories app have caused significant confusion and frustration, with users struggling to find features like photo uploading or disliking the new visual layout R9R12R15R18. Some find the app and website tools difficult to use for editing .
Google Photos Google Photos users express frustration with recent UI changes, disliking the new main photo grid with random sizing and unwanted 'memories' features . Many find the app too difficult to figure out, especially for selective backups or manual uploads, feeling it's 'all or nothing' with camera roll access R61R67R70R82.
Customer Support & Communication edge: iMemoriesR1R3R19R27
iMemories iMemories receives poor marks for customer service. Users report delayed responses, no replies to emails, unanswered phone calls, and a lack of technical support for the app R1R3R19R27. Some users also report albums being deleted and an inability to access paid content after re-subscribing .
Google Photos While not as frequently mentioned as iMemories, some Google Photos users report unhelpful developer responses that don't address their specific issues . There are also complaints about Google's 'shady practices' regarding storage and privacy .
Features & Functionality edge: Google PhotosR5R21R24R25
iMemories iMemories primarily serves as a viewing platform for digitized physical media, allowing users to access their memories on various devices R5R24. However, editing tools are described as difficult to use or non-functional . The app's core function of streaming videos is often broken R21R25R27.
Google Photos Google Photos is praised for its ability to back up photos automatically, organize them into albums, and create 'memories' . However, some features are reported as broken, such as the photo-to-video feature , search functionality , and custom album ordering . Users also dislike the inability to filter between backed-up and non-backed-up photos and issues with deleting photos .
Pick iMemories if

you have a large collection of old physical media (VHS, 8mm, slides) that you want professionally digitized and are willing to navigate potential app and pricing frustrations to access those specific memories R2R20R24.

Pick Google Photos if

you need a comprehensive cloud solution for digital photo and video backup, organization, and sharing, and are comfortable with Google's ecosystem, despite recent UI changes and performance issues .

Evidence note: The reviews for iMemories are heavily skewed towards the digitization service itself, with many positive comments about the emotional value of the service, but a significant number of negative reviews regarding the app's functionality and pricing model. Google Photos reviews are more focused on the app's performance, UI, and storage policies.

Frequently asked

Does iMemories offer free access to digitized content?
No, iMemories charges monthly or annual fees to access your digitized videos after an initial payment, and some users report that if you don't pay, your videos may be deleted R4R10R13R43.
Can I selectively upload photos to Google Photos?
Many users report that Google Photos makes it difficult to selectively upload or backup specific photos, often requiring full access to your camera roll or backing up everything, leading to frustration for those who want more control R61R67R70R82.
Are there issues with iMemories app playback?
Yes, numerous iMemories users report significant issues with video playback, including constant freezing, crashing, sound playing without video, and videos not loading or working only a small percentage of the time R7R16R21R25.

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] iMemories 5/5 · US Fills My Heart With Joy!: I submitted about 15 VHS tapes to be digitized. Watching them and seeing my children when they were babies, special moments like holidays, birthdays and baptisms is truly special will. But being able to hear my mom’s voice again and see her face and those of other family members that have passed away truly fills my heart with joy. Thank you!!!
  2. [R3] iMemories 3/5 · US Missing minutes from my Fathers last video.: I told the company by email, minutes were missing from a video when they added digitized video to my app, I downloaded here. I confirmed missing minutes to them by email, twice. No reply second time. No one answers their telephone. Payment is required upfront of service. I did not receive an actual receipt. The app is expensive and it offers no
  3. [R14] iMemories 5/5 · US Wasn’t ready !: Immediately family was in tears so many special memories all at once! Can’t wait to send more in!
  4. [R20] iMemories 5/5 · US Video tapes: I sent in 8 video tapes I cannot express how absolutely happy I am these tapes were from 1993 and up my kids can watch and show their kids how they looked when they were babies when they played sports and just goofing around Thank you so much I will be sending more
  5. [R7] iMemories 2/5 · US Won’t stay open: Shuts down constantly in the middle of playing videos
  6. [R16] iMemories 1/5 · US yikes: $60 a year to have black screen videos that dont play
  7. [R21] iMemories 2/5 · US Streaming video just doesn’t work: Do I spent a few hundred dollars getting old videos digitized. The entire process was great. However, when trying to stream through the app, the video constantly freezes and continues to play sound but the video is frozen. Give stars for the process but one star for the app. A streaming video service that won’t stream is pretty useless.
  8. [R25] iMemories 2/5 · US Ehh: When the videos play, they’re great. The quality is good. However I would say the videos only work about 20% of the time. Sometimes it takes me an hour to watch a 10 minute video. They rarely load, and sometimes stop in the middle. No matter how long I let them buffer, they just won’t work. Sometimes the sound works without the video, and other times the video works without the sound. I have
  9. [R1] iMemories 1/5 · US Hidden costs does not allow full download of material: Customer service delayed response hidden cost does not download effectively.
  10. [R4] iMemories 1/5 · US Beware: They make it seem like you have unlimited access to your movies in their cloud and then they send you a sudden warning at 30 days requiring you pay to access your films in the cloud. A rip off. Download your movies as soon as you get them and be done with their cloud service.
  11. [R10] iMemories 2/5 · US Rip off: This was way more expensive than other options. They got me with the free shipping, just to charge $18 to ship the tape back. Paid $25 for a 12 minute digital copy, then you have to pay monthly or annual to have access to rewatch your videos? Scam.
  12. [R13] iMemories 1/5 · US Total fraud: Went thru walgreens. Didn’t want dvds, wanted to download onto pc. Haven’t had a dvd player in 15 years. Paid $175 No email communication. Got on site, said 1 week to dl otherwise call for permission to download. I kid you not. I call. On hold for 45 minutes, whole time #1 in queue, w the time remaining 2:15 & 3:15 for the whole time. Refusing to pay for cloud, says if i dont
  13. [R9] iMemories 3/5 · US Bad app upgrade: I can’t figure out how to upload photos since the new app update. So confused! Used to LOVE this service.
  14. [R12] iMemories 3/5 · US What happened with this update?: Please fix ASAP!
  15. [R15] iMemories 3/5 · US Terrible update!: Love the app but can’t figure out how to upload to my albums now that I updated the app. Please fix!!
  16. [R18] iMemories 3/5 · US New Update isn’t liked: Loved this app until 6 days ago when I got the update. The new look is not appreciated and now I’m lost as to how to upload new photos to save. I liked the previous template MUCH BETTER. Please change back or send out instructions on how to navigate the new template. 👎
  17. [R19] iMemories 1/5 · US No technical support: The app stopped working on my son's iPad. Deleting and reinstalling did not help. So I called iMemories customer support and was told that they provide no support for their app. So we are stuck.
  18. [R27] iMemories 1/5 · US Terrible playback: This service is great in concept but the playback is terrible. Pauses and freezes while audio still playing in the background. Not a WiFi issue, strong signal provided. Unreliable and no easy way to get real tech support or report issues other than email which has gone unanswered. Hard to enjoy a family night reliving old memories as intended with the bugs. Sure would like to se
  19. [R5] iMemories 5/5 · US The best: The best way to keep my family memories in my hands
  20. [R24] iMemories 5/5 · US Simply the best: Oh my goodness I finally got to getting my 8 mm tapes and DVDs transferred! Family memories that I haven’t seen in a very long time. They were digitized and iMemories did a beautiful beautiful job! It’s put all my digitized family tapes in one place and able to view them and on my laptop, phone on the app on my TV ! Beautifully done ….highly recommend. And the turnaround
  21. [R43] iMemories 1/5 · US Don’t do it: I paid a ridiculous amount of money to have my videos put on my phone and now they want eight dollars a month for me to view/ access my own videos?
  22. [R61] Google Photos 1/5 · US Too hard: Way too difficult to figure out. It seems like it will back up every single photo in your phone or nothing at all. I wanted to backup only specific photos, not every one. But it’s all or nothing. Junk
  23. [R67] Google Photos 1/5 · US Busted: Cannot access my Google Photos without allowing it access to my camera roll?? That is new and stupid.
  24. [R70] Google Photos 1/5 · US Nosy and not worth it: Wanted to upload my photos to a shared album on this app from a work team bonding event. It was a really fun day and I wanted to contribute. If I could select certain photos from my library I would’ve done just that and have a neutral to positive experience on this app. But no, I spent many minutes of my life poking around the app, not knowing why the selected photos I chose
  25. [R82] Google Photos 1/5 · US Terrible UX: Which ever PM/Designer decided this should be a UX and it should be this hard to manually upload a photo to google photos should find a new career. This app is borderline unusable if you don’t want to use automatic backup… I want to manually upload a photo from my iphone, no, I don’t want to scroll through my entire google 10k+ google photo collection most of which are not on my iphon

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