Many people use social networking sites like Facebook or Instagram to share their favorite photos and videos online, but others want more privacy options or are not fans of social networks. Dedicated photo and video sharing sites allow you to store and manage your media and then select who can view your images and movies.
We’ve reviewed the best photo and video sharing sites and picked our 10 favorites based on their ease of use, privacy features, storage capacity, and more. Check them out and see which one is the most suitable for your needs.
All of the sites and apps on this list allow you to share both photos and videos. Some are free, while others have paid tiers with additional features.
Best for Beginning Photographers: Flickr
What we like
- A beautiful and easy to use interface.
- Tagging options for photos and videos.
- Organize albums with drag and drop functionality.
- Apps for iOS and Android to upload and share.
What we don’t like
- The free account only stores 1,000 photos and videos.
- You’ll need to upgrade to Pro to get unlimited storage and no ads.
Flickr is well known as an image hosting site, but you can also upload, manage, store and share your videos. Professional and amateur photographers love Flickr’s editing and social features, but even casual users who want a convenient place to store their photos and videos will love Flickr’s interface and features.
Easily upload your media files, organize them into albums, then set up your family or friends lists to easily share your favorite photos and videos privately. Flickr’s iOS and Android apps are as easy to use as its website.
Flickr’s free tier allows you to save up to 1,000 photos and videos. If you upgrade to a Pro account ($49.99 per year), you’ll get unlimited storage, the ability to stream videos, no ads, and more features.
Best free photo and video storage: Google Photos
What we like
- Back up photos and videos on your phone.
- Unlimited free storage.
- Editing and labeling tools.
- AI features, such as face recognition.
What we don’t like
- Store photos with a maximum resolution of 16 MP.
- Store videos with a maximum resolution of 1080p.
Originally conceived as an easy way to back up your photos and videos from your phone, Google Photos has evolved into a great place to store and share media content. Upload, view, and edit photos and videos, then easily create albums to share publicly or just with your family and friends. Although there are some resolution limitations (16MP for photos and 1080p for videos), you can always upgrade your storage through the Google One subscription plan, starting at $1.99 per month.
Best for the Amazon Ecosystem: Amazon Photos
What we like
- Unlimited photo storage for Prime members.
- Automatically tag photos and videos.
- Easily order prints and photo books with Amazon Prints.
- View photos and videos on an Echo Show or Fire TV.
What we don’t like
- Just 5 GB of free video storage for Prime members.
- Only 5B total storage if you’re not a Prime member.
Amazon Photos is another Prime perk, offering members unlimited high-resolution photo storage and 5GB of video storage. Create a Family Vault and then invite up to five friends or family members to view and share photos and videos, or create albums and share them with others individually. If you work with a larger number of people, such as a club or class, the Amazon Photos Groups feature allows you to share photos and videos with more people.
Best for the Apple Ecosystem: iCloud Photos
What we like
- Your photos and videos are automatically uploaded to iCloud.
- Create collaborative albums with friends.
- Add photos from multiple users.
- Easily tag and share photos and videos.
What we don’t like
- Android users are out of luck.
When you turn on Apple iCloud Photos on your iOS device or Mac, your photos and videos are automatically uploaded to iCloud, where you have 5 GB of space. Easily organize your media, create albums, and share photos and videos through a photo stream in the Photos app or on a web page. iCloud Photos is great for collaboration because it lets you create an album that other iCloud users can add to and share. If you need more than 5GB of space, Apple offers several paid upgrades starting at 99 cents a month.
The best way to share without complications: Dropbox
What we like
- It is easy to upload images and videos.
- Mobile applications allow automatic upload.
- Extensive storage options.
- Easy to share photo and video files.
What we don’t like
- There are no editing, tagging, or other advanced features.
Dropbox isn’t what you’d normally think of as a photo and video sharing site, but it’s an easy and convenient way to store and share your media with friends, family, or anyone you love. Upload your photos and videos, then create slideshows or share them directly with other Dropbox users. Dropbox’s free tier gives you 2 GB of storage, but if you need more, there are several pricing plans designed for levels of storage need.
Best for quick and easy file sharing: WeTransfer
What we like
- Quick and easy transfer of photo and video files.
- Send files of all kinds.
- Intuitive interface and no learning curve.
What we don’t like
- There are no editing or management functions.
- To send files larger than 2 GB, you must contract a payment plan.
WeTransfer is an exceptionally simple and easy way to share files, including photos and videos, in an email-like format. Although it is not designed to be a media management site with editing features, it does what it does well. Send your photos and videos in a folder using the email addresses of your recipients, and they will receive the files quickly. WeTransfer’s free plan allows for file sizes up to 2GB, while upgrading to WeTransfer Pro ($12/month) gives you password protection, the ability to send files up to 20MB, 1TB of storage, and more .
Best in Editing Tools: Photobucket
What we like
- User-friendly interface.
- Many image editing tools.
- Organize images and videos into albums and “stories”.
What we don’t like
- The free tier has a lot of ads.
Photobucket’s free tier lets you store up to 250 images or gives you 2.5GB of storage if you upload videos, along with plenty of sharing options, including a slideshow. The service’s paid plans (starting at $5.99 per month) offer additional features such as an ad-free experience, unlimited image hosting, social media sharing, password-protected album sharing, and more. The upload size of photos is 50MB, and the upload size of videos is 500MB.
Most Stylish Site: SmugMug
What we like
- Many templates to help display your media.
- Editing tools for budding photographers.
- Two week free trial is offered.
- Paid plans give you a website.
What we don’t like
SmugMug is a stylish photo and video hosting site, offering unlimited photo (150MB) and 1080p video storage. While there’s no free plan, their $7/month Basic and $11/month Power plans are very reasonable options, considering you get a website, full-screen galleries, and easy sharing tools publicly, privately. and on social media.
Best Private Sharing App: Cluster
What we like
- Great way to share photos and videos if you don’t like social media.
- Create private groups to share.
- Only invited group members can see what you post.
- Create multiple albums.
What we don’t like
- Photos appear in the order you posted them, and you can’t move them.
Cluster has a beautifully designed app and web interface that offers a social network feel without the intrusions and lack of privacy. With Cluster, create private groups and invite members, then share your photos and videos along with notes and updates. Create multiple albums and organize photos and videos into collections so you can easily access your stuff. Cluster is free to download and use.
Best for Families: FamilyAlbum
What we like
- Ideal for families with growing children.
- Private and secure way to share your children’s photos and videos.
- Great way to keep a timeline of your child’s growth.
- Join image clips to form movies.
- No ads, even in the free version.
- Easily create photo books.
What we don’t like
- You will have to upgrade to the paid version to get additional features.
Sharing your kids’ photos and videos on social media is tricky, with privacy and concerns about alienating friends who aren’t as interested in your baby’s milestones. FamilyAlbum is a perfect way to collect, store and share precious childhood memories privately and securely.
This free app is beautifully designed and allows parents to effortlessly keep a digital scrapbook of their child’s life, with photos and videos automatically sorted by month along with their child’s age. Share albums and videos with whoever you want and avoid the pressure of social media to like and post. The free version is ad-free and feature-rich, while the $4.99 premium version gives you more ways to share.
