MakeAlbum vs Mixbook, on their own numbers.
Mixbook is the larger, older service: many sizes, themes and a page editor, with Story Mode and Auto-Create doing the layout from the photos you have already chosen. MakeAlbum makes one format and starts one step earlier: you upload the whole camera roll and our own AI does the choosing.
Mixbook’s cells quote its own site as read on 17 September 2026; the product compared is its 12 × 12 in hardcover (layflat offered; its 12 × 12 price is set in the editor).
| MakeAlbum | Mixbook12 × 12 in hardcover (layflat offered; its 12 × 12 price is set in the editor) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the photographs | MakeAlbum's own AI: you upload the whole set, it drops blur, bursts and duplicates and picks the frames to fill the book. You heart a few must-haves and can swap anything. | You choose the photos; Story Mode then “organizes your photos, creates layouts, writes optional captions”. Auto-Create “instantly places your photos”. |
| Who writes the titles and captions | The AI, from a two-line brief with names, places and dates; you rewrite or re-roll any of them. | Story Mode writes “optional captions”; Auto-Create keeps the theme’s placeholder text for you to edit. |
| Square layflat hardcover, about 30 × 30 cm | Yes, the only format: 300 × 300 mm square, layflat, acrylic front, leatherette spine. | Layflat offered at “less than 100 pages”; 12 × 12 in appears in the price table as a glossy hardcover. |
| Pages | 26–80, any even number. | From 20; layflat under 100. |
| Price of the smallest square book | €199 for 26 pages in Europe, about $295 in the United States. Linear per page. | 12 × 12 glossy hardcover €54.99 for 20 pages, €2.19 a page; the 12 × 12 layflat price is shown in the editor. |
| Shipping | Included in the price, tracked. Express is an optional extra. | Extra; EU Budget shipping from $8.99 for a small softcover. |
| Production time | Typically 4–6 working days after you approve; the AI draft itself takes minutes. | “1-2 business days to process and print.” |
| Delivers to | 25 EU countries, the United States and the United Kingdom today; Canada and Latin America next. | US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Asia. |
| Someone does it for you | Done-for-you: MakeAlbum’s editors build the whole book from your brief; you approve an emailed preview. | No human service; Story Mode is “order your book as-is or customize”. |
Mixbook’s prices are as its site quotes them, in the currency shown, before shipping. MakeAlbum’s include shipping. Checked 17 September 2026.
When Mixbook or another service is the better buy
- You want to design every page yourself, from a blank spread. MakeAlbum's editor moves, swaps and re-rolls what the AI laid out; it is not a page designer with free placement. Blurb's BookWright and Saal's desktop software are.
- You want a small or cheap book. There is no softcover, no 20 × 20 and no €40 option here; one 300 × 300 mm layflat hardcover from €199. Mixbook and Journi start much lower with smaller formats.
- You need it printed tomorrow. Saal and Mixbook quote one to three days of production; MakeAlbum's book typically takes four to six working days after approval, plus delivery.
- You live outside the EU, the US and the UK. Until the next markets open, Blurb and Mixbook reach further.
Questions
Does Mixbook choose the photos for me?
Not the way MakeAlbum does. Mixbook's Story Mode organizes the photos you picked, creates layouts and writes optional captions; Auto-Create places your photos. MakeAlbum's AI selects the frames from the whole upload, drops blur, bursts and duplicates, then lays out and captions the book.
Which is cheaper?
Mixbook's 12 × 12 in glossy hardcover starts at €54.99 for 20 pages before shipping, with the layflat price shown in its editor. MakeAlbum's only book is a 300 × 300 mm layflat hardcover at €199 for 26 pages with shipping included. For a small standard book Mixbook is cheaper; the comparison is closer once you configure layflat, a hardcover and delivery.
Can I get a printed Mixbook faster?
Mixbook quotes 1–2 business days to process and print, MakeAlbum typically 4–6 working days after you approve, plus delivery. If the date is tight, Mixbook wins.
Sources
- Who picks the photographs: www.mixbook.com/try-story-mode
- Who writes the titles and captions: www.mixbook.com/inspiration/auto-create-make-photo-books-in-
- Square layflat hardcover, about 30 × 30 cm: www.mixbook.com/photo-books
- Pages: www.mixbook.com/photo-book-pricing
- Price of the smallest square book: www.mixbook.com/photo-book-pricing
- Shipping: www.mixbook.com/shipping
- Production time: www.mixbook.com/shipping
- Delivers to: www.mixbook.com/shipping
- Someone does it for you: www.mixbook.com/try-story-mode
A figure out of date? Tell us and we correct it.
Also compared
All four side by side · vs Journi · vs Saal Digital · vs Blurb