How expensive is Shutterfly? Real prices for photo albums and prints in 2025

Shutterfly isn’t the cheapest option for printing photos, but it’s not the most expensive either. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth paying for their albums, prints, or cards, the answer depends on what you want and how much you’re willing to spend. You can get a basic 20-page photo book for under £20 during a sale, but the same book without a discount will cost you closer to £40. That’s a big difference-and most people don’t realize it until they’re halfway through designing their album.

What you actually pay for Shutterfly

Shutterfly’s pricing is designed to look affordable at first glance. Their homepage shows a £19.99 photo book, but that’s only if you use a coupon code, buy during a sale, or sign up for their email list. Without discounts, the base price for a 20-page, 8x8 inch softcover photo book is £39.99. Add a hardcover upgrade? That jumps to £59.99. Add a dust jacket? Another £10. Suddenly, your £20 album is £70.

Prints are cheaper, but not by much. A 4x6 inch print costs £0.19 each when you buy 50 or more. But if you order just five prints? You pay £0.49 each. That’s more than double. Same goes for larger sizes: an 8x10 print is £4.99 normally, but drops to £2.99 during promotions. Most users don’t track these small price changes-and end up overpaying.

Shutterfly also charges for shipping. Standard delivery is £3.99, but free shipping is often offered on orders over £50. So if you’re trying to hit that £50 threshold, you might add extra items you don’t need-like greeting cards or calendars-just to avoid the fee. That’s how they turn a £40 album into a £65 order.

What’s included in the price

When you pay for a Shutterfly photo book, you’re not just paying for paper and ink. You’re paying for:

• Online design tools that let you drag and drop photos
• Pre-set templates for weddings, babies, vacations
• Automatic color correction (which sometimes over-saturates images)
• Free online storage for your photos (up to 10,000 images)
• Customer service via phone or chat

Compare that to a local print shop in Birmingham. You might pay £35 for the same 20-page album, but you won’t get the online storage or templates. You’ll also need to design it yourself-or pay someone to do it. But you’ll get better paper quality, faster turnaround (sometimes same-day), and no hidden fees.

Shutterfly’s real value isn’t in the product-it’s in the convenience. If you hate editing photos or don’t have time to learn design software, their tools make it easy. But if you’re tech-savvy or already use Google Photos or Apple Photos to organize your images, you’re paying for features you don’t need.

Shutterfly vs. competitors: What’s the real difference?

Here’s how Shutterfly stacks up against three other popular services in 2025:

Canva wins on price and design flexibility. Mixbook has better paper texture. Shutterfly leads in storage and template variety. Local shops win on speed and quality control-you can see the proof before you pay.

When Shutterfly is worth the cost

Shutterfly makes sense if:

• You’re not confident designing your own layout
• You want to keep hundreds of photos backed up online
• You’re gifting the album and want it to look professional
• You’re okay waiting 7-10 days for delivery

It’s also a good pick if you’re building a family archive. Their free cloud storage lets you upload photos from your phone, computer, or Instagram. You can add captions, tag people, and come back months later to finish your book. That’s something most local printers can’t offer.

But if you’re printing a single album for personal use, and you already organize your photos in Google Photos or Apple Photos, you’re better off using Canva or a local service. You’ll save money and get better results.

How to save money on Shutterfly

You don’t have to pay full price. Here’s how real people in the UK cut their Shutterfly bills:

1. Sign up for emails-new users get £10 off their first order
2. Wait for holidays: Black Friday, Mother’s Day, and Christmas are the best times to buy
3. Use browser extensions like Honey or Rakuten-they auto-apply coupons at checkout
4. Order multiple items together to hit the £50 free shipping threshold
5. Choose softcover over hardcover unless you need durability

One user in Leeds ordered four 20-page albums during a Black Friday sale-each for £18.99. With free shipping, her total was £75.96. That’s under £19 per album. She’d have paid over £160 without the sale.

What you won’t get with Shutterfly

Shutterfly doesn’t do:

• Custom paper types (like matte, linen, or metallic)
• Hand-finished binding or embossing
• Same-day pickup
• On-site proofing before printing
• Professional color calibration

If you’re printing a wedding album meant to last 50 years, you might want to skip Shutterfly entirely. A premium album from a specialist printer in London or Manchester will cost £120-£200-but it’ll look and feel like a luxury item. Shutterfly’s books are fine for everyday memories, but they’re not heirloom quality.

Final verdict: Is Shutterfly expensive?

Yes, if you pay full price. No, if you wait for sales.

Shutterfly isn’t overpriced-it’s priced to make you feel like you’re getting a deal. The trick is knowing when to buy. If you’re patient and use discounts, you can get great-looking albums for under £20. If you rush and buy without checking for codes, you’ll overpay by 100%.

For casual users who want convenience and don’t mind waiting, Shutterfly is fine. For anyone who values quality, speed, or control over their photos, there are better options.