If you have home movies on old formats like videotapes or film reels, then digitizing them is a great way to preserve them before they begin to deteriorate. Plus, digital video files are easier to share over email and social media, enhance with editing software, or enjoy on almost any digital device like a smartphone, tablet, or hard drive.
Since Capture started over 20 years ago, the digitization industry has grown a lot. That means you have plenty of options for the best company to digitize home movies and each one offers unique services and benefits, which is why we compiled the most important information about the 9 best conversion services.
Keep reading to compare the pros, cons, pricing, and reviews for Capture, Legacybox, ScanDigital, iMemories, and more. That way, you can make the best choice for your family memories.
9 Best Companies to Digitize Your Home Movies
- Capture.com
- Legacybox
- ScanDigital
- iMemories
- Southtree
- Costco Photo Center
- YesVideo
- ScanCafe
- Walmart Photo
Company 1: Capture.com
Since 1999, Capture has been one of the most popular options for digitizing home movies. We can digitize a wide range of home movie formats including Betamax, VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS-C, MiniDV, Video 8, Hi-8, Digital 8, DV, DVCAM, and DVC videotape formats as well as 8 mm, 16mm, and Super 8 film.
In addition, we spent a fortune to protect your valuable memories with a state-of-the-art tracking and security system that tracks your home videos every step of the way, through every hand, and right back to your doorstep. Combined with our satisfaction guarantee, we offer complete peace of mind for your precious memories.
Capture Pros
- Fastest turnaround time of less than 30 days including shipping
- Multi-million-dollar comprehensive tracking and security system
- Most videotape and film formats accepted
- Professional results with over 12 million satisfied customers
- Minor repairs included like case replacement and cleaning for videotapes and splicing and scratch reduction for film
- DVD and USB formats available
Capture Cons
- No home movie editing or enhancement services offered
-
No Blu-Ray or mobile app options
Capture Pricing and Services
Capture prices their home movie transfer services based on the length of content on your videotapes or film reels. Here are the home movie transfer prices as well as other services just in case you have media other than home movies that you want to digitize.
- Videotape pricing: $29.99 for the first two hours of each tape and $29.99 for each additional two hours of content.
- Film transfer pricing: $29.99 for the first 100 feet of film and only $0.25 for each additional foot.
- USB Flash-Drive: $14.99 for your entire order.
- DVD: $6.99 per DVD that holds approximately 2 hours of video, 1,600 feet of film, or 500 images.
- Photos: $29.99 for the first 50 prints, slides, or negatives and only $0.50 for each additional image.
- Touchless Photo Album Scanning: $29.99 for the first 35 photos of each album and $0.70 for each additional photo scanned.
Capture Customer Reviews and Ratings
Capture boasts tons of great reviews and ratings that point out the premium quality and expertise we offer. In addition, reviews often point out the friendly customer service, care, and security of their memories. That’s why we’ve developed partnerships with major companies like Sam’s Club, CVS, Walmart, and Google Photos throughout the years.
While positive reviews far outnumber negative ones, any company around as long as Capture will have some negative feedback. Some of the complaints include charges for content customers didn’t want to convert or confusion over pricing or services offered.
We’ve used this feedback to improve our services, but please let us know if your videotapes or film reels contain any content you don’t want to digitize so we can avoid accidentally overcharging you.
Company 2: Legacybox
Legacybox was founded over a decade ago in 2009 and can transfer a wide variety of analog media types into digital files including VHS tapes, VHS-C, Hi8, Video 8, MiniDV, Betamax, MicroMV, PAL, and Digital 8 videotapes and 8mm 16mm and Super 8 film reels.
This service is one of the most popular options for digitizing home movies because of the convenient service format they offer. They use kits that include a specific number of items including kit sizes of 2 items, 10 items, 20 items, and 40 items. That means that you can simply place your videotapes or film reels in each kit and they will digitize them and return them to you in 10 to 12 weeks.
Legacybox Pros
- Convenient kits that you simply mail to their facility
- Over 14 years of experience providing professional results
- Optional $1,000 added-safety protection plan for an additional cost
Legacybox Cons
- Slow turnaround time of 10 to 12 weeks
- Expensive pricing structure starting at $65.98 for two items ( cloud storage costs an additional $19.99)
Pricing and Services Offered
Legacybox’s kit pricing structure is simple and convenient, but it also means you end up paying a little more for their service. This is especially true when you consider the added charges of cloud storage of physical format versions of your media. Below are the pricing structures for all home movie media types as well as their other services like photo scanning and audio cassette transfer.
- Up to 2 Items: $65.98
- Up to 10 items: $299.98
- Up to 20 items: $599.98
- Up to 40 items: $1,179.98
- Legacybox Cloud Storage: $19.99 one-time download or $19.99 per year
- USB Thumb Drive: $19.99
- DVD Set: $19.99
Customer Reviews and Ratings
In general, reviews and ratings are Legacybox are positive, which is why they boast over 1 million satisfied customers. People often highlight the quality of digitization, convenience, and excellent customer service.
However, there are some glaring negative reviews as well including the fact that Legacybox takes a long time to complete the digital conversion. In fact, some users claim they’ve waited much longer than 12 weeks and still haven’t received their original videotapes or movie film. While you can protect yourself against potentially lost media, the added protection costs extra.
Company 3: ScanDigital
ScanDigital was founded in 2007 and prides itself on friendly customer service and peace of mind. They offer barcoded tracking, professional grade equipment, and e-mail updates throughout the entire process. They also offer a satisfaction guarantee so if you’re not happy with the results, they will reprocess your order for free. Like Capture, they offer minor videotape repairs and film cleaning and splicing.
Their services will accept standard VHS, VHS-C, High8, Video 8, Digital 8, Betamax, Betacam, and U-Matic tapes and possibly more, but you have to call to confirm. They also convert 8mm, Super 8, 16 mm, and 35 mm film. Plus, they have a quick turnaround time for most orders of 3 to 4 weeks.
ScanDigital Pros
- Turnaround time of 3 to 4 weeks
- Satisfaction guarantee
- Barcode tracking and status updates
- Professional results using digital download links and USB or hard drive add-ons
ScanDigital Cons
- Limited videotape formats accepted
- Expensive roundtrip shipping
Pricing and Services Offered
ScanDigital offers videotape, film reel, and photo digitization services and you can see their pricing structure below. In addition, they can transfer audio cassettes and offer add-on options for USB drives and hard drives.
- Film Reels: $0.38 per foot
- Videotapes: $28.00 per tape
- Photo Scanning: $0.68 per image ($0.83 per image for higher DPI resolution)
Customer Reviews and Ratings
Considering this is a list designed to answer the question, “what is the best company to digitize my home movies?” the positive reviews outnumber the negative ones for ScanDigital. Many users point out exceptional customer service, fast turnaround, and high-quality results.
However, negative reviews are plentiful as well and often mention expensive services, especially for film reels. Multiple reviews also complain about expensive shipping options compared to other companies. Finally, some reviewers are unhappy with the order status updates and became worried about their order when they didn’t receive any emails or updates within a week or longer.
Company 4: iMemories
iMemories has converted old home movies for their customers for over 15 years and they accept a wide variety of formats including old VHS tapes, Betamax tapes, VHS-C, 8mm videotapes, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, and Micromini video format. They also accept the standard 8mm, 16mm, and Super 8 mm film reels.
One of the most popular iMemories features is their app that grants access to your digital memories on the iMemories cloud as soon as the digitization process is complete. That means that you can pay $7.99 monthly or $49.99 annually to access your digital format videos in as little as 1 to 2 weeks. However, it will still take around 4 weeks to receive your original media and additional DVD or USB playback options.
iMemories Pros
- iMemories app access means you can view digital copies in as little as 1 to 2 weeks
- Professional quality results
- Easy to complete order process
iMemories Cons
- Can get expensive, particularly for larger orders of film or orders that contain a DVD or USB copy
- App access cost extra
- Lack of security for your priceless memories
Pricing and Services Offered
iMemories can transfer videotapes and film home movies as well as photo transfer if you want to use that service as well. Plus, they offer DVD and Blu-Ray options or USB flash drives, but these options can get quite expensive.
- Videotapes: $29.99 per tape
- Film: $29.99 per 50 feet of film
- Photos: $0.99 per photo, slide, or negative.
- iMemories Cloud Access: $7.99 per month or t per year.
- USB: $39.99 for 8GB
- DVD: $19.99 per DVD (or Blu-Ray)
Customer Reviews and Ratings
iMemories has over 1 million customers and lots of great reviews that suggest high-quality digitization processes. Reviews praise easy app access, faster than average turnaround time, and good results for their home movies.
Negative reviews mention longer processing times of up to 6 weeks or longer, despite the digitization process times listed on their website. In addition, some people on Yelp claim that iMemories has poor customer service and even lost their memories. Plus, people who have lots of old VHS tapes or film reels complain about the expensive pricing with expensive add-ons for app access, DVD, Blu-Ray, and USB drive formats.
Company 5: Southtree
SouthTree is owned by the same company as Legacybox, but there are some differences that you may want to keep into account when deciding on the best company to digitize home movies. Unlike Legacybox, they do not offer kits. Instead, they price per tape or film reel and accept most standard home movies formats.
They have an easy-to-use process that allows you to add-on DVDs or thumb drives during checkout or simply choose a digital download instead. Plus, their service is affordable when compared to some alternatives starting at $15 per videotape or $25 per film reel.
Southtree Pros
- Fair pricing per film reel or videotape no matter how much content it contains
- Good quality results with flicker removal for film
Southtree Cons
- Negative reviews on claim lost media
- Pricing is misleading with $9.99 added on for a digital download
- Minimum 2 videotapes or film reels per order
- 10 to 12 week turnaround time
Pricing and Services Offered
In addition to digital transfer for your camcorder or film reel memories, Southtree will also process photos into a digital photo format. They also offer audio transfer and slide scanning services and can transfer your video conversion to discs or thumb drives.
- Videotape: $15 per videotape (minimum 2 per order)
- Film: $25 per reel (minimum 2 per order)
- Photos, slides and negatives: 25 cents per image (minimum 100 per order)
- Disc Set, Thumb Drive, and Digital Download: $9.99 each, with at least one required for every order
Customer Reviews and Ratings
While Southtree boasts some highly positive ratings that focus on reasonable pricing, ease of use, and good customer service, there a many negative reviews that bring their Yelp score and Site Jabber ratings down to around 3.5 and their BBB rating down to 1.2.
Most negative reviews point out misleading practices like slower than suggested turnaround time, hidden digital download fees, and hiding the fact that they are the same company as Legacybox. In addition, there are an alarming number of reviews that mention lost or damaged media.
Company 6: Costco Photo Center
For over 15 years, Costco photo center offered home movie digitization fulfilled by YesVideo (Capture’s parent company and number 7 on our list to help you determine the best company to digitize home movies).
Unfortunately, Costco no longer offers this service as of early 2024. Still, since they were an industry staple for so long and were trusted by millions of customers, it’s a good idea to list their pros and cons so you can still compare the service you preferred to the other options on our list. Plus, if you still want the same pricing and identical services that Costco used to offer, go to csb.capture.com.
Costco Photo Center Pros
- Fulfilled by YesVideo/Capture for great customer service
- Professional quality results
- Affordable pricing, especially for DVD copies
Costco Photo Center Cons
- Not available anymore
- Required you to get DVD or USB formats
Pricing and Services Offered
Costco’s pricing structure included a download with 90-day access to your digitized memories as well as your choice of DVDs or a USB with their standard pricing structure.
$19.99 for 2 DVD copies of:
- Each videotape
- First 150 feet of film ($0.13 per foot after the first 150)
- First 62 photos ($0.32 for each additional digital image)
$24.99 for USB thumb drive copies of:
- 1 videotape ($16.99 for each additional tape)
- First 150 feet of film ($0.13 per foot after the first 150)
- First 62 photos ($0.32 for each additional digital image)
$29.99 for 2 DVDs + 1 USB copy of:
- 1 videotape ($22.99 for each additional tape)
- First 150 feet of film ($0.13 per foot after the first 150)
- First 62 photos ($0.32 for each additional digital image)
Customer Reviews and Ratings
As a trusted brand for converting old movies to digital format for over 15 years, the reviews for Costco’s services are overwhelmingly positive. Reviews and ratings indicate fantastic customer service and high-quality results as well as a clear dedication to preserving old media.
Negative reviews complain about low quality USB devices as well as slow turnaround time when compared to going directly through YesVideo or Capture.com. Others point out confusion over the pricing structure, yet others love this pricing because of the affordable DVD copies it offers.
Company 7: YesVideo
YesVideo is the parent company of Capture and offers most of the same benefits like professional quality digital video, industry-leading security, MemoryCloud access, and a satisfaction guarantee. In fact, there are fewer differences than similarities and most of them have to do with the website experience.
The ordering and payment processes are nearly identical as well. YesVideo charges the same $29.99 fee as Capture for old video or for the first 100 feet of film. The only difference is that the ordering process requires you to add individual tapes separately because each has its own title. You can expect almost identical pros and cons.
YesVideo Pros
- Fast turnaround time of 3 to 4 weeks
- State-of-the-art tracking and security system
- Most videotape and film formats accepted
- Professional results trusted by major brands including Costco, Walmart, CVS, and Sam’s Club
- Minor repairs included like case replacement and cleaning for videotapes and splicing and scratch reduction for film
- DVD and USB formats available
YesVideo Cons
- No home movie editing or enhancement services offered
- No Blu-Ray or mobile app options
Pricing and Services Offered
Similar to Capture, YesVideo offers video, film, digital media, photo, and touchless photo album scanning services. The only difference is in the price.
- Videotape pricing: $29.99 for the first two hours of each tape and $29.99 for each additional two hours of content.
- Film pricing: $29.99 for the first 100 feet of film and only $0.25 for each additional foot.
- USB Flash-Drive: $14.99 for your entire order.
- DVD: $6.99 per DVD that holds approximately 2 hours of video, 1,600 feet of film, or 500 images.
- Photos: $29.99 for the first 50 prints, slides, or negatives and only $0.50 for each additional image.
- Touchless Photo Album Scanning: $29.99 for the first 35 photos of each album and $0.70 for each additional photo scanned.
Customer Reviews and Ratings
YesVideo reviews and ratings are exceptional with people mentioning high-quality results for their memories as well as great customer service, easy ordering process, and much more. In fact, multiple reviews mention how they only trust YesVideo with their memories.
Negative reviews are typically related to differences in pricing between the website and third-party locations like CVS, Walmart, or Costco before they stopped digitizing home movies.
Company 8: ScanCafe
ScanCafe offers more than 15 years of digitization experience and a wide variety of digitization services for your home movies. In addition to VHS, S-VHS, Hi-8, MiniDV, and Betamax tapes, they also convert 8mm and Super 8 film reels. While not directly related to your home movies, their photo digitization services include photo restoration, color correction, and image enhancement.
One of their special features is the ScanCafe Subscription Service that allows you to access your memories forever through their private cloud storage network. This preserves your memories regardless of whether you change devices or lose access to your Google Photos account.
ScanCafe Pros
- Good pricing
- Decent security including video monitoring and order weighing
- Lots of experience in professional digitization
ScanCafe Cons
- 4 to 6 turnaround time (or you can pay for expedited shipping)
- Cloud storage requires a subscription payment
- Limited media formats that exclude VHS-C and 16mm film as well as other analog formats
Pricing and Services Offered
ScanCafe offers decent pricing and similar services to the other companies on our list. In addition, they have paid cloud storage and external hard drive options.
- Videotape pricing: ScanCafe charges $22.99 per videotape whether it contains an hour or 1 minute of home video footage.
- Film pricing: $0.30 per foot.
- Photos: $0.44 per scanned image (photo, slide, or negative).
- Audio Transfer: $22.99 per audio cassette or $0.30 per foot of reel-to-reel audio.
- ScanCafe Cloud Storage Access: $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
- USB Thumb Drive: $14.95 each.
- External hard drive: $69.95 for your entire order.
Customer Reviews and Ratings
ScanCafe claims to have scanned over 150 million memories and boasts many positive reviews that commend the good results, fair pricing, and customer service. This earns them a 4.7 Trustpilot rating, but their Yelp rating of 3.5 is not solely positive.
Negative comments complain about slower than 6-week turnaround times or even misplaced media. In addition, some mention that the quality of results was not what they expected, though this is rare amongst mostly positive quality comments.
Company 9: Walmart Photo
Walmart offers a home movie transfer service fulfilled by Capture, which means you can trust them to offer the highest-quality digital video for your precious memories. You can currently use Walmart for all the same services that Capture offers other than the touchless photo album scanning service.
However, they do offer drop-off at Walmart stores that offer even more convenience. Plus, their pricing is a little different than Capture with DVD copies costing only $3.96 per disc and USB format is also more affordable at $12.96. Additionally, they price videotapes based on 30-minute intervals instead of 2 hours.
Walmart Photo Pros
- Professional results fulfilled by Capture/YesVideo
- Local drop-off available for added convenience
- Affordable DVD or USB copies
Walmart Photo Cons
- Local drop-off may lengthen turnaround time depending on the Walmart location
- Pricing structure is more confusing than some alternatives
Pricing and Services Offered
Other than not having touchless photo album scanning, the services Walmart offers are identical to Capture, but the pricing structure is quite different as you can see below.
- Videotape pricing: $15.96 for the first 30 minutes ($5.46 for each additional 30 minutes)
- Film Pricing: $15.96 for the first 50 feet ($0.20 for each additional foot)
- Photo, slide, and negative pricing: $15.96 for the first 35 photos ($0.45 for each additional image)
- DVD copies: $3.96 per disc that stores approximately 90 minutes of digital video or 771 digital photos
- USB: $12.96 for the entire order
Customer Reviews and Ratings
Walmart Photo Center has tons of great reviews indicating great service, convenience, and affordable pricing. As far as the high-quality results are concerned, they will be identical to Capture or YesVideo that use the same equipment and facility to preserve your family memories.
With negative reviews, some people complain that they thought the service would be locally completed instead of sending the old media off. In addition, some people expressed confusion over the pricing structure.
Conclusion
There are plenty of options when it comes to digitizing your old home movies. Legacybox offers convenient kits while Walmart offers local drop-off and Capture and YesVideo have the most experience digitizing memories. While the best selection will depend on your specific needs, budget, and other preferences, it’s important to consider aspects including pricing, turnaround time, protection for your media, and other factors.
While we are probably a little biased, we believe that Capture’s services offer the best combination of high-quality results at an affordable price. Click here to learn more about the film and video transfer services we offer!
