# MakeAlbum vs Mixbook — photo books compared

> MakeAlbum next to Mixbook on their own numbers: who picks the photos, who writes the captions, layflat, price of the smallest square book, shipping and turnaround. Read on their site on 2026-09-17.

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

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. 300 × 300 mm square layflat hardcover, 26–80 interior pages, €199–€349, shipping included.

Product compared: Mixbook — 12 × 12 in hardcover (layflat offered; its 12 × 12 price is set in the editor) (https://www.mixbook.com/photo-books), read on 2026-09-17.

| | MakeAlbum | Mixbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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”. |

## 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.mixbook.com/try-story-mode
- Who writes the titles and captions: https://www.mixbook.com/inspiration/auto-create-make-photo-books-in-minutes
- Square layflat hardcover, about 30 × 30 cm: https://www.mixbook.com/photo-books
- Pages: https://www.mixbook.com/photo-book-pricing
- Price of the smallest square book: https://www.mixbook.com/photo-book-pricing
- Shipping: https://www.mixbook.com/shipping
- Production time: https://www.mixbook.com/shipping
- Delivers to: https://www.mixbook.com/shipping
- Someone does it for you: https://www.mixbook.com/try-story-mode

## FAQ

### 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.