What we like
- Supports a wide range of media formats, including audio
- Photos are ordered, titled and numbered
- Offers media home pickup
- Suitable for small and large orders
What we don’t like
- Higher prices compared to other services
- The digitization process may take longer
People, in most cases, don’t know what to do with old media like VHS tapes and film reels. Because of this, they end up in the two worst possible places, like the attic and basement, but these storage choices make things even worse.
You may think that these videos are just waiting for you to pop them back into a VHS machine to watch them, but harsh storage conditions speed up media deterioration and even make them unusable.
This is why digitizing is a great way to preserve all of your memories for generations to come. So it would be best if you considered saving them while there is still time.
You will be happy with the results for sure. Some services offer enhancement of media, so it looks even better. This could be a great surprise and gift for those who don’t have the right equipment at home to play that kind of outdated media.
Keep reading our EverPresent review to learn everything there is to know about this service. We will also talk about iMemories, a budget-friendly option.
EverPresent | iMemories Editors Choice | |
Website Link | ||
Shipping kit (box) | Yes | Yes |
Free repairs (splicing) | Yes | Yes |
Average turnaround time | 10-12 weeks | 2-3 weeks |
Free repairs (splicing) | Yes | Yes |
Video Conversion | VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, HDMiniDV, DVCam, DVCPro, Betamax, Betacam, BetacamSP, Digibeta, Umatic broadcast tapes, PAL formats, SECAM | Betamax, VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, MicroMini, DVDs, MiniDVDs |
Film Conversion | 8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm | 8mm, Super 8, 16mm (with and without sound) |
Photo Conversion | Photos 8″ x 10″, Photo Albums, 35mm negatives, 110 negatives, 126 negatives, APS canisters, glass plate negatives, 35mm slides, stereo slides, 126 slides, 127 slides, 110 slides, Super35mm slides, half frame slides, Super127 slides | Photos, Negatives, Slides |
Audio Conversion | Cassettes, Mini/Micro Audio, Vinyl Records, Reel-to-Reel | N/A |
Video Conversion Price | $17.99 per tape with digital download $25.99 per tape with included DVD or USB | $14.99 per tape |
Film Conversion Price | $0.22 per foot with digital download $0.32 per foot with included DVD or USB $45 flat per order up to 2000 feet | $14.99 per 50ft. |
Photo Conversion Price | $0.59 per photo | $0.49 per photo, slide and negative |
Audio Conversion Price | Cassettes $25.99 Mini/Micro Audio $35.99 Reel-to-Reel Audio $35.99 | N/A |
Trustpilot Customer Score | N/A | |
Sitejabber Customer Score | N/A | |
Yelp Customer Score |
What Is EverPresent?
EverPresent is one of the popular choices for those who want to digitize old videotapes, films, photos, audiotapes, and records. This company offers high-quality service and quality, with more than 40 locations across the US. They also provide doorstep pickup options and mail-in orders
What Services Does EverPresent Offer?
Everpresent offers a wide range of services for digitizing old media:
- Videotapes: VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, HDMiniDV, DVCam, DVCPro, Betamax, Betacam, BetacamSP, Digibeta, Umatic broadcast tapes, PAL formats, SECAM
- Movie Films: 16mm, 8mm, and Super8
- Photos: Photos 8″ x 10″, Photo Albums
- Slides: 35mm slides, stereo slides, 126 slides, 127 slides, 110 slides, Super35mm slides, half frame slides, Super127 slides
- Negatives: 35mm negatives, 110 negatives, 126 negatives, APS canisters, glass plate negatives
- Audio: Cassettes, Mini/Micro Audio, Vinyl Records, Reel-to-Reel
How Does EverPresent Service Work?
Like many digitizing services today, they offer an online ordering process and mailing in your media to be digitized. You can also personally drop off your media at one of their 45+ locations. Besides these two standard options, they also offer home pickups and consults with you, which are unique features when compared with other services.
When you pick a type of media you want to digitize, you will be asked how you want to work with them. You can pick between three options:
- Local store drop-off
- Home pickup
- Mail-in order
If you choose mail-in order and are unsure how much it will cost and if you can afford it, you can call them and have a free estimate.
You can work with a certified consultant to choose resolution, labeling, and organization options.
Media is digitized by hand on high-quality equipment and optimized by technicians.
If they don’t have the right equipment for your media, they will subcontract a local specialist who has worked with them for decades to do it. Then, they will personally transport all tapes. They don’t ship media via postal service or other means of delivery besides person-to-person contact.
You can choose between a professional-grade DVD or USB, or download your digital copy for free, which is available online for 90 days with all orders. They also offer hard drive for larger projects.
The turnaround time of your project depends on the size of media you send. Everpresent states that most of their orders are done within one month.
You can choose between family projects and institutional projects. They offer high capacity and professional project management skills and can help you preserve your complex institutional archives.
EverPresent Prices
It’s important to know that the service applies a $40 service fee to all orders. This service fee includes handling, barcoding, physical and digital storage, technicians’ quality checks, and packaging.
Videotapes
With digitizing videotapes, you can find two options:
- Digital Only
- Standard
The digital-only process is a less expensive way to digitize your old videotapes. The price starts at $17.99 per tape, including MP4 video files and free download for 180 days.
The standard option is $25.99 per tape, and you can choose from a USB or DVD, free download, and backup for 180 days.
Film
Digitizing old films is $0.22 per foot with free downloads for 180 days. With the standard transfer, which costs $0.32 per foot, you can ask for an upgrade to a 2K HD resolution film transfer. This option includes custom labeling and transcriptions. The third option is Archival Upgrade which starts at $45 per order for 2000 feet, $65 for 2000-5000 feet, and $85 for 5000+ feet. Triple backup is included with USB, DVD, and private cloud. You can also ask about archival digital file formats. No matter the price, your files are converted to MP4 format.
Audio
All audio types are converted to CD, .mp3, or .wav files and quality optimized.
The pricing:
- Standard cassette digitizing is $25.99 per tape.
- Mini/Micro audio digitizing is $35.99 per tape.
- Vinyl record digitizing is $35.99 per record.
- Reel-to-reel digitizing starts at $35.99 per reel. Price is based on the size of the audio reel.
Photos
They digitize photos with sizes up to 8″ x 10″, oversized items & frames, and memory cards. You don’t need to organize your pictures before sending them out for processing. Their team will work on finding the best way of presenting each one so that it looks great post-digitization.
Photo digitizing is $0.59 per photo with 600dpi professional scanning. Photos are ordered, titled, and numbered. Photos go through dust removal, cleaning, and orientation during the process. Also, photos have three levels of human eye quality checks. The standard 35mm negative digitizing price is $0.59 per frame.
Albums and Scrapbooks
For albums and scrapbooks, you can choose from 300dpi to 600dpi scanning. As with photos, they also go through dust removal and cleaning by hand. Also, they can be returned as-is or organized in photo boxes.
Note: Fees may apply for album handling.
Slides
The price for digitizing standard 35mm slides is $0.59 per slide, and you can choose from 2000dpi to 4000dpi. During the process, slides go through dust removal, cleaning and orientation, and quality checks.
The price for medium and large slide formats starts at $3.99 per negative. All slides are individually cleaned and scanned. You can choose from 2000dpi to 4000dpi professional scanning. They can be returned as-is or organized in photo boxes.
All types of slides are ordered, titled, and numbered.
Negatives
Digitizing standard 30mm film negatives is $0.59 per frame. For non-standard negatives like 126, 127, and 110, the price starts at $1.69 per negative. Films got through dust removal via cloth, brush, and compressed air.
The price of medium and large negative film formats starts at $3.99 per negative. With all types of film negatives, you can choose from 2000-4000dpi professional scanning, and they are ordered, titled, and numbered.
Alternative Digitizing Service – iMemories
iMemories is a well-known digitizing service with great customer reviews and affordable prices. With years of experience, they never misplaced, lost, or damaged media.
They digitize all popular media types:
- videotapes: VHS, Hi8, VHS-C, Betamax, 8mm, Digital 8, MiniDV, and MicroMini
- film: 8 mm, 16mm, Super 8 reels
- photos, slides, and negatives
With iMemories digitizing is such an easy and safe process that anyone can do. When you make your order, you will receive an iMemories SafeShip kit which is a crush proof box. Box contains everything you need, including a FedEx pre-paid shipping label. Gather all your media that you want to digitize and pack it in the box and send it. Turnaround time is 2 to 3 weeks from your order approval and payment. All originals are returned to you.
You will be updated on every part of the process via email or the ”Order Status” page during the digitizing process.
For a digital copy of your media, you have a wide range of options to choose from. You can go with DVDs, Blu-ray, portable hard drive, USB, iMemories cloud, or free one-time digital download of your files. Price is also a great thing about iMemories, which is lower than other digitizing services.
At this moment, digitizing prices are:
- $11.99 per videotape
- $11.99 per 50ft. of film
- $0.44 per photo, slide, and negative
Prices for digital media copies:
- $9.99 for DVD
- $14.99 for Blu-ray
- $19.99 for 8GB USB (larger storage options also available)
- $99.99 for 1TB Portable hard drive
If you want to learn more about iMemories, feel free to check our iMemories in-depth review, which is the best budget-friendly option.
Conclusion
EverPresent and iMemories are both great services for digitizing your old photos, videos, and other media. EverPresent is one of the top services, and they offer some unique features that other digitizing services don’t, like institutional digitizing and home pickup of your media.
Although EverPresent prices may be high for some people, we offer iMemories as the best alternative with high quality at a lower cost. Both of these services offer great service, and they are both good for handling small and large orders.
Abdo is a Zoopy writer who loves spending his free time outdoors, camping, and enjoying the peace that nature brings. He also enjoys fixing things - he's particularly good with electronics. His favorite movie is I Am Legend, and he's fascinated by survival gear and safety.