# MakeAlbum vs Journi — layflat photo books compared

> MakeAlbum next to Journi on their own numbers: both use AI to select photos, both print 30 × 30 layflat; the differences are curation depth, captions, price, shipping and the done-for-you service. Read on their site on 2026-09-17.

Source: https://makealbum.com/compare/journi · MakeAlbum, Lisbon, Portugal

Journi is the closest service to MakeAlbum: its AI selects the photos and sorts them into a timeline, and it prints a 30 × 30 cm layflat book. The difference is what happens after the selection: MakeAlbum's AI also builds chapters, writes the titles and captions from your brief, includes shipping in the price, and can hand the whole book to human editors. 300 × 300 mm square layflat hardcover, 26–80 interior pages, €199–€349, shipping included.

Product compared: Journi — Layflat Photo Book, 30 × 30 cm (https://www.journiapp.com/photo-book), read on 2026-09-17.

| | MakeAlbum | Journi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. | “AI automatically selects your photos in seconds” and “sorts your pictures into a perfect timeline”. |
| 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. | Adds “maps and dates” automatically; titles and captions are yours to add. |
| Square layflat hardcover, about 30 × 30 cm | Yes, the only format: 300 × 300 mm square, layflat, acrylic front, leatherette spine. | Yes: “12 x 12 inches / 30 x 30 cm (hardcover and layflat only)”. |
| Pages | 26–80, any even number. | From 25; layflat up to 103. |
| Price of the smallest square book | €199 for 26 pages in Europe, about $295 in the United States. Linear per page. | 30 × 30 layflat €89.99 / £79.99 for 25 pages. |
| Shipping | Included in the price, tracked. Express is an optional extra. | “Calculated at checkout.” |
| Production time | Typically 4–6 working days after you approve; the AI draft itself takes minutes. | “Printed within 3–5 days.” |
| Delivers to | 25 EU countries, the United States and the United Kingdom today; Canada and Latin America next. | US, UK, Australia and New Zealand hubs; other destinations from the EU hub. |
| Someone does it for you | Done-for-you: MakeAlbum’s editors build the whole book from your brief; you approve an emailed preview. | No; the AI draft, then you adjust. |

## When one of them 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.

## Sources

- Who picks the photographs: https://www.journiapp.com/photo-book
- Who writes the titles and captions: https://www.journiapp.com/photo-book
- Square layflat hardcover, about 30 × 30 cm: https://www.journiapp.com/photo-book
- Pages: https://www.journiapp.com/p/pb/lpb/
- Price of the smallest square book: https://www.journiapp.com/e/upbp/
- Shipping: https://www.journiapp.com/e/upbp/
- Production time: https://www.journiapp.com/p/pb/lpb/
- Delivers to: https://www.journiapp.com/photo-book
- Someone does it for you: https://www.journiapp.com/photo-book

## FAQ

### How is MakeAlbum different from Journi if both use AI?

Journi's AI selects the photos and adds maps and dates; the titles and captions are yours to write. MakeAlbum's AI selects, groups the set into chapters by place and day, writes the titles and captions from a two-line brief, and lays out spreads with faces clear of the fold. You review and re-roll anything before it prints.

### Which is cheaper, Journi or MakeAlbum?

Journi's 30 × 30 layflat is €89.99 / £79.99 for 25 pages with shipping calculated at checkout. MakeAlbum's is €199 for 26 pages with tracked shipping included and the curation and writing done for you. On the sticker, Journi; on a delivered, finished book the gap narrows.

### Does either service finish the book for me?

Journi gives you the AI draft to adjust yourself. MakeAlbum offers done-for-you: its editors build the whole book from your brief and you approve an emailed preview before anything prints.