Old videotapes, photos, and film reels don’t last forever, but you can preserve them for future generations by converting them into digital copies. There are several companies that professionally convert your analog memories into digital formats, but one of the best-known is iMemories. 

To help you determine if iMemories offers the best value, Capture digitization experts put together this guide to iMemories pricing. That way, you can leverage our decades of expertise to find out if they are the best, budget-friendly choice for your most precious memories. 

Keep reading to learn about iMemories services, pricing structure, other pricing options, and how they stack up with competitors. 

Jump to:

• Understanding iMemories Services
• iMemories Pricing Structure
• Factors Influencing Cost
• Comparison with Competitors
• Why you should consider Capture
• Real User Experiences

Understanding iMemories Services

iMemories started offering digitization services in 2005 and their official website says they have converted media for over 1 million customers. Their official e

With a turnaround time of 2-3 weeks as well as a mobile app on Android or iPhone so you can access your memories as soon as possible, iMemories remains one of the more popular choices. In fact, you can even use the iMemories app to stream your memories on a Smart TV. 

So, what types of media and family memories do they digitize? 

• Videotapes: Betamax, VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, and MicroMini.
• Movie film: 8 mm, 16 mm, and Super 8 film reels.
• Photos: Print photos, negatives, and photo slides.
• Digital formats: DVDs and MiniDVD.

They also include digital downloads and can offer iMemories Cloud storage or unlimited viewing for a monthly subscription. Not only that, but they can convert your memories into DVD or USB flash drives as well. 

As far as quality of conversion is concerned, they have a decent track record. While we’ll examine both positive and negative iMemories reviews later, they are generally known for good quality results. 

iMemories Pricing Structure

So, you can see they offer a wide range of services with plenty of experience, but are iMemories fees fair? Their pricing structure is based on the size of your order, specifically the number of photos, film reels, or videotapes you have. Then, they have added on fees for other services like USB thumb drive or DVD copies to share with loved ones. 

Here are the basic iMemories rates for various types of media:

• $29.99 per videotape
• $29.99 per 50 feet of film reel
• 99 cents per photo

In addition to these basic costs, they also charge extra for physical storage devices and long-term app access (though short-term app access is free). 

• $39.99 for a USB thumb drive of an entire 8GB or less order ($59.99 for 16GB and $79.99 for 32GB)
• $19.99 per DVD copy
• $19.99 per Blu-Ray copy 
• $199.99 for a 1TB Portable Hard Drive
• $7.99 per month or $49.99 per year for unlimited iMemories Cloud streaming and storage 

Finally, they also offer an iMemories Safeship Kit, which includes a crush-proof box, waterproof bags, shock resistant bubble cushions, and free shipping to iMemories via FedEx. This costs $14.99 in addition to the rest of your order. 

Now, to determine whether the cost to digitize with iMemories is fair and competitive, it’s important to look at the factors influencing the price and compare their pricing structure with competitors.

Factors Influencing Cost

There are various factors that influence the cost not only of iMemories, but of all of the best companies to digitize home movies, film reels, and photos.  

Most important, of course, is the quantity of photos, Polaroid pictures, videotapes, film reels, and other media that you need digitized. The more you have, the more you will have to pay for it. However, some digitizing companies also offer discounts on bulk photo scanning services or video conversion. 

Your chosen storage option can add quite a bit to your order. In fact, this is one place where iMemories pricing seems way too high. Just a single USB port copy costs more than the digitization for a single videotape, 50 feet of film, or 35+ photos. 

Additionally, iMemories and other companies offer regular discounts, so this is another important consideration that can potentially bring their pricing down to a more competitive price. 

Comparison with Competitors

So, how do they stack up? Let’s compare the pricing and services of iMemories vs Capture vs other competitors like LegacyBox costs. 

Capture has very similar basic pricing as iMemories, charging $29.99 per videotape (for the first two hours), $29.99 for the first 100 feet of film reels (25 cents per foot after), and $29.99 for the first 50 photos, photo slides, or negatives (50 cents after). 

This is basically the same price for videotapes, but it’s lower for the other media formats. That's because, while you’ll pay $29.99 for 50 feet at iMemories, you get 100 feet for the same price at Capture. Plus, our pricing decreases to $25 per 100 feet after that, while iMemories always stays at $29.99 for every 50 feet of film.

Similarly, Capture photo scanning is also cheaper at around 59 cents per photo compared to 99 cents at iMemories. Then, while iMemories stays at 99 cents per photo, Capture goes down to 50 cents after the first 50. 

However, it’s the other storage options that are drastically more expensive at iMemories. While both include a free digital download, a USB copy is only $14.99 for the entire order with Capture (compared to $39.99+ at iMemories) while a DVD is $6.99 per disc (compared to $19.99 at iMemories). 

So, by choosing Capture, you could potentially save $100s of dollars, particularly with larger orders of film reels or photos including USB or customized DVD copies. So, how does that compare with LegacyBox and ScanCafe prices? 

ScanCafe charges 48 cents per photo, $28 per video, and 34 cents per foot of film, making them potentially the cheapest option, especially with a ScanCafe coupon. However, they send orders to India for processing, which can be disheartening for people who cherish their priceless memories. 

LegacyBox is probably the most expensive, especially for old photos. They charge per item which is 1 videotape, 1 film reel, 1 audio cassette, or 25 photos. Their price is $65.98 for 2 items, $299.98 for 10 items, and an outlandish $1,179.98 for 40 items. Plus, they charge quite a bit for USB or DVD copies as well and even charge for downloadable digital files. 

Why you should consider Capture

As you can see, Capture is one of the most affordable options for your old memories, but it’s not just the digitization services cost that makes us the best company for digitizing home movies, scanning photos, and transferring film reels. 

We also offer a state-of-the-art facility complete with a comprehensive tracking and monitoring system that monitors your order every step of the digitization process. This ensures your precious memories are never lost. Even better, we perform minor splicing, VHS tape repair, and case replacement. 

Plus, we offer the world’s first touchless photo album scanning service, which means we’ll scan your photos without anyone having to remove them from albums, which means no smudges or risk of damage. 

Finally, our 30-day turnaround time is one of the best in the industry. While iMemories also has a top turnaround time, some of their reviews indicate that they take longer than promised. That’s why reviews can be one of the best ways to learn about a digitization company, so let’s see what people are saying about iMemories and Capture. 

Real User Experiences

iMemories claims over 1 million customers while Capture has 12 million, so what do these customers say? In general, iMemories has positive customer reviews, holding a 4.63-star rating on Site Jabber and 4.1 on Trustpilot. 

Positive reviews praise good customer service, easy ordering process, turnaround time, and the quality of digitized memories. Plus, people love the app and how it allows you to view your memories as soon as possible. 

However, while there are tons of positive reviews, there are some alarming negative reviews that highlight repetitive issues. For example, they mention that iMemories costs way too much, takes longer than 30 days to deliver memories, and delivers poor home video quality. Several reviews mention poor sound and audio quality including some that have no sound at all. 

On the other hand, Capture has hundreds of 5-star reviews praising everything from customer service to VHS tape quality, fast and easy process, and peace of mind for their orders. While any company will have bad reviews, most of Capture’s are minor including high shipping costs or confusion over the pricing structure. Not only that, but since Capture offers a satisfaction guarantee, we’ll reprocess your order free of charge if you’re not completely satisfied.

Conclusion

Now that you know how much iMemories costs, is it worth it? Well, that’s only for you to decide, but if you are trying to save money there are cheaper options available like ScanCafe and Capture. 

Still can’t make up your mind? Click here to see why Capture is the best choice for your precious memories.