1. Our top picks
  2. Comparison table
  3. iMemories
  4. Memory Fortress
  5. ScanMyPhotos
  6. Costco
  7. ScanDigital
  8. Capture
  9. Bottom line

Summary of Our Top Picks

imemories best vhs to digital

Editor's pick

iMemories

They provide their customers with a free quote, free image enhancements, professional splices of broken films and videotapes without losing footage, and free UPS shipping.

scanmyphoto tab

runner up

ScanMyPhotos

As the name suggests they specialize in scanning photos, but they also do a great work of transfering videotapes and old films such 8mm and 16mm films.

Jump to details

Use coupon code ZOOPY45 for 45% off most scanning services!

Are you looking for top competitors for Legacy box? If you are, you're in luck because, in this comparison guide, we'll offer you the top alternatives and competitors for Legacybox digitizing service.

legacybox shipping kit box

A few other companies offer similar services like Legacybox, including one of the most positively reviewed services, iMemories. However, Legacy box is also one of the best options available, thanks to its combination of affordability and quality.

Digitizing Process

Digitization is a straightforward process of converting old media formats to more secure and accessible options like DVD, USB, Portable Hard Drives, or even the latest Cloud Storage. The most popular formats for digitization are photos, VHS tapes, and 8mm film.

Digitizing services are the go-to option for those who want their memories preserved forever without doing everything themselves. Once you send your old analog media to the service, they carefully inspect everything by hand, which includes counting, cleaning, and determining the length of your tapes and films.

The complete digitizing process is done by well-experienced and trained service staff on high-quality digitizing equipment. These conditions are key to a successful digitizing process, and satisfaction is guaranteed.

service digital copy options

When the process is completed, they will transfer your files to one or more digital copies of outputs you previously chose during the order process (DVD, USB, Portable Hard Drive, or Cloud). In addition, at some services, you also have the option for a free digital download of your digitized memories.

Legacybox vs Competitors Comparison Table

Legacybox

iMemories

Editors Choice

ScanMyPhotos

Memory Fortress

ScanDigital

Time Capsule by Capture

Legacybox
iMemories
Costco digitizing
Costco digitizing
Southtree
Southtree

Website Link

Shipping kit (box)

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Free repairs (splicing)

Yes

Yes

No

No

n/a

Yes

Average turnaround time

10-12 weeks

3-4 weeks

4-8 weeks

1-2 weeks

4-6 weeks

30 days

Expedited turnaround time

3-4 weeks

n/a

2-4 weeks

n/a

n/a

n/a

4.0

4.5

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

3.5

4.7

2.3

n/a

1.5

n/a

n/a

4.0

3.5

4.0

3.2

n/a

n/a

4.4

3.5

5.0

2.9

n/a

WHAT FORMATS THEY CONVERT

Video Conversion

VHS, VHS-C, Mini-DV, Hi8, Digital 8, MicroMV, Betamax, 8mm Video Cassette

Betamax, VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, MicroMini, DVDs, MiniDVDs

VHS, mini VHS, VHS-C, Hi8 NTSC format tapes

VHS, VHS-C, Betamax, Hi8, Digital 8, 8mm, MiniDV, MicroMV

VHES, MiniDV, Betamax

VHS, VHS-C, MiniDV, Hi8, Digital 8, MicroMV, Beta, PAL to NTSC

Film Conversion

16mm, 8mm, Super 8, Regular 8

8mm, Super 8, 16mm (with and without sound)

8mm, 16mm, Super8

8mm

8mm, Super 8, Super 8mm with sound, 16mm, and 35mm


8 mm, Super 8 mm, 16 mm


Photo Conversion

Prints, 35mm Negatives, 35mm/126 slides

Photo prints (up to 12X16), slides (any size), negatives (any size)

Photos, slides including Kodak carousel slides and negatives

Photos, negatives, slides

Prints, Slides, Negatives

Photos:
2” x 2” up to 8” x 12" (except sheets)


Slides: 
35mm, Super 35 mm, 110/220, 126, 127, and 127 Superslide photo slides (cardboard or plastic mounts only)


Negatives:
35mm, APS film, 110 film, 110/220 film, 126 Instamatic film, and large negatives

Audio Conversion

Reel to Reel, Audio Cassette, Micro-Cassette

n/a

n/a

n/a

Reels measuring 3" to 14" in diameter
Cassette tapes and microcassettes

n/a

PRICING

Video Conversion Price

$59.99 for 2 tapes

$279.99 for 10 tapes

$559.99 for 20 tapes

$1099.99 for 40 tapes

$14.99 per tape

$19.95 per tape

Starts at $20 per tape but gets cheaper the more you add

$20.95 per tape

2 Items $58.97 up to $420.97 for 20 Items

Film Conversion Price

$59.99 for 2 films

$279.99 for 10 films

$559.99 for 20 films

$1099.99 for 40 films

$14.99 per 50ft.

Starting at 19¢ per foot for 8mm, and 25¢ for 16mm

$0.29 per foot

Starts from $9.50 per 3" reel

2 Items $58.97 up to $420.97 for 20 Items

Photo Conversion Price

$59.99 for 2 sets of 25 pictures

$279.99 for 10 sets of 25 pictures

$559.99 for 20 sets of 25 pictures

$1099.99 for 40 sets of 25 pictures

$0.49 per photo, slide, negative

Starting at 13¢ per scan ($25 minimum)

Starts at $0.38 per photo but gets cheaper the more you add

Start at $0.62 per photo, slide, negative

2 Items $58.97 up to $420.97 for 20 Items

Audio Conversion Price

$59.99 for 2 audio items

$279.99 for 10 audio items

$559.99 for 20 audio items

$1099.99 for 40 audio items

n/a

n/a

n/a

$20.95 per tape

$9.50 per reel

2 Items $58.97 up to $420.97 for 20 Items

Several Legacybox competitors are on the market, each with its own unique selling points. Here is a brief overview of some of the most popular options.

1) iMemories

What we like

  • Digitizes various media formats with or without sound
  • Listed among worlds most innovative companies of 2023
  • Quick processing time
  • Affordable service prices
  • Regular email updates provided
  • Enhancements and repairs offered for select media types
  • Highly rated by clients
  • 17 years of experience and trusted by over 1 million customers

What we don't like

  • The shipping and processing time might extend to a month.

iMemories is one of the most popular Legacybox competitors, and it offers a wide range of options for digitizing and preserving your memories. From photos and film to slides and VHS tapes, iMemories has a solution for you. One of the biggest selling points for iMemories is its affordability - with prices starting at just $11.99 for a videotape transfer, it's one of the most affordable options available.

Key selling points for iMemories are:

  • Wide range of media support
  • Plenty of options for digital copies
  • Affordable prices
  • Fast process time
  • Regular email updates of the process
  • Reputable company with years of experience
  • They include the enhancement of media during digitizing.
  • History of positive reviews and customer ratings

iMemories doesn't process or transfer copyright material like Hollywood movies, shows, etc.

We found that iMemories has the most positive customer reviews and ratings compared to all other services during our research. For example, iMemories has a 4.4-star rating on TrustPilot and a 5-star rating on Sitejabber from more than 10,000 customer reviews.

iMemories Customer Reviews

reviews imemories photos
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imemories reviews very old photos
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imemories customer reviews
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iMemories brought memories back
Click on the image to enlarge
iMemories photo box

For those concerned about the safety of their media, iMemories sends you a prepaid crush-proof box, and all digitizing work is done in their in-house facility.

They are experts in digitizing memories for more than 10 years, bringing new life to your memories, and creating lasting memorabilia that several generations will enjoy.

You can get your digitized copies of media on DVDs, Blu-ray, Portable Hard Drive, USB, and iMemories Cloud. Compared with other digitizing services, iMemories offers plenty of options, from getting digital copies back and all originals for an affordable price.

Depending on how much content you send to be digitized, most customers found that the process took no more than 2 to 3 weeks.


2) Memory Fortress

memory fortress logo

Editors Rating:

4.5 /5

What we like

  • Straightforward and hassle-free ordering process
  • Convenient phone ordering option available
  • Ideal for large orders and family projects
  • Accepts a variety of media formats
  • Quick turnaround time

What we don't like

  • No shipping kit offered
  • Minimum order fee of $99

Memory Fortress is another excellent service that many people don't know about. It's great at handling large and complex orders. When we say complex, it means they can take and digitize memories from multiple family members or even several generations with a fantastic turnaround time.

Most services are also capable of handling larger orders and also complex ones. Still, Memory Fortress only does large ones meaning they won't personally do small orders but instead send them to their partners who do the job for them. For them, small orders are the ones below $99.

memory fortress service reviews

They have specialized in photo scanning, but they also transfer all sorts of old media, such as:

  • Slides, negatives, Scrapbooks
  • Videotapes such as VHS, VHS-C, Betamax, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV/HDV, MicroMV
  • Old 8mm films

Another thing we love about them is they don't bother you with organizing, grouping, and labeling your memories before finally shipping it all to them. 

As they say for photos, "We will take them any way you send them, in any order."

Simply gather media and properly pack them in a sturdy box so they can be safe and protected during shipping.

During the process, your memories will be handled and transferred by professionals. 

With photo scanning, they will crop, rotate, and color-correct all images and remove dust and minor blemishes. Other media types will get transferred as best they can, and the final quality decides the state of the media itself. Customer reviews say a lot about a company, and based on Google and Yelp reviews, I'd say Memory Fortress is an excellent company service.

For the digital copy of your media, you can choose from a flash drive, DVD, cloud download, and external hard drive. Now comes the best part, which is turnaround time. For photos and slides, the turnaround time is 5-10 days, and for the other media types, it's 1-2 weeks.

When it comes to the price, Memory Fortress is reasonably affordable. Plus, most media include volume discounts as well. For example, photo scanning prices start at $0.32 per photo, $0.54 per slide, and $0.75 per negative. For videotapes, the transfer price is $20 per tape, and for old 8mm films, the price is $0.29 per foot.

Memory Fortress is an excellent option for preserving family memories at a great price and in a short time.


3) ScanMyPhotos

ScanMyPhotos prepaid box

Editors Rating:

4.4 /5

Use coupon code ZOOPY45 for 45% off most scanning services!

What we like

  • Accepts and digitizes various popular media formats
  • Flexible options to choose scan quality
  • Fast turnaround time, depending on order volume
  • Intuitive and user-friendly online ordering process
  • Option to download digitized media
  • Excellent customer reviews and ratings

What we don't like

  • Return or disposal of original media requires additional payment with the transfer box.

ScanMyPhotos is another popular Legacybox competitor, and it offers a wide range of services similar to those provided by Legacybox, except for audio media. In addition, ScanMyPhotos can digitize everything from photos, slides, negatives, videotapes, and films, making it an excellent competitor for Legacybox.

Unlike others, ScanMyPhotos has Photo Restoration. They professionally restore your photos to look brand new with options like photo colorization, eye retouching, image cropping, removal of some objects from the image, etc.

They can send your scanned and digitized media to you on DVDs, USB drives, or the cloud. Most digitizing orders are completed on average within 2-4 weeks, and they also offer a 1-day scanning option for photos.

Key selling points for ScanMyPhotos are:

  • Lowest prices for photo digitizing
  • You can choose the digitization quality of photos, slides including Kodak carousel slide, and negatives
  • They offer photo restoration service
  • You can digitize a single item or order a prepaid box
  • Fast process time for photos

ScanMyPhotos Pricing

ScanMyPhotos prepaid box

Photo Conversion prices begin as low as $0.10 per photo with standard 72DPI quality up to $0.23 per photo with professional 600 DPI quality, and the service also has a same-day scanning option.

Also, they offer a Prepaid Photo Scanning Box, which can fit up to 1,800 photos whit starting price of $0.09 per photo and $170 per box, including free delivery.

You won't find this wide range of options, quality, and prices with other services.

Slide Conversion goes low at $0.21 per slide, but the minimum order fee is $20. Also, the price may vary on the resolution and quality you choose.

scanmyphotos slide prices
Standard
scanmyphotos premium slide prices
Premium

The pricing for 35mm negatives starts at $0.47 per frame for 2.000DPI (6MP) and $0.89 per frame for 4.000 (16MP). 120mm negatives begin at $1.97 per frame for 1.000DPI (6MP), and APS starts at $7.95 per roll for 2.000DPI (6MP) and for 4.000 (16MP) at $12.95 per roll.

VHS to DVD price is $19.95 per tape, 8mm to DVD is $0.19 per foot, and 16mm to DVD starts at $0.25 per foot

DVD is included in the price of converting tape or film, which is $19.95. Cloud storage starts at $4.95 for 5 days + $5 per tape, and the USB drive starts at $15.95 + $5 conversion per tape.


4) Costco DVD Photo Center

iMemories vs Costco

Editors Rating:

4.3 /5

What we like

  • Competitive pricing for both small and large orders
  • Simple and straightforward ordering process
  • Suitable for small and large orders

What we don't like

  • Processing times can be slow
  • Service is outsourced to a third-party company
  • Service will not be available in the future

Costco’s Video Transfer offering has now shifted to Costco Next, with all requests being processed by a service named Capture. Be aware that you need a Costco store membership to avail of this.

We all know Costco and its Photo Center. However, not many people know that Costco is partnered with YesVideo digitizing service. You can drop off your old photos and slides, videotapes, and films at Costco to be digitized. The turn-around time is a little longer than services like ScanMyPhotos, but the process is very user-friendly, and you can order prints, photo books, etc.

One of the great things about Costco Photo Center is that you can easily create custom photo products. So whether you're looking to make a photo book commemorating your recent vacation or want to create unique cards for your friends and family, Costco has got you covered. There are tons of templates and design options available, so you can create something truly special.

Costco Photo Center is also a great place to go if you're looking for a convenient, affordable, and user-friendly way to digitize your old photos and videos.

CostcoDVD Pricing

At Costco Photo Center, digitizing video tapes start at $19.99 for one item with two DVDs for a digital copy. 

For films, the price starts at $19.99 but only for the first 150 feet, and after that, it's $0.13 per foot.

The price is the same for photos and slides covering the first 62 photos and slides. After that, the price is $0.32 per photo.

Additional digital output options are USB and Memory Cloud. For example, if you choose a USB copy over two DVDs, that price goes to $24.99 for one videotape instead of $19.99.

MemoryCloud is free, and it is available for 90 days. For that time, you can download your digitized memories to a computer or mobile device.

Here are some of the great things that you can expect from Costco Photo Center:

  • Affordable prices on photo scanning
  • A wide variety of options for albums and prints
  • A large selection of digital frames and photo albums to choose from
  • They offer digitizing services for videotapes, films, photos, and slides

5) ScanDigital

ScanDigital

Editors Rating:

3.9 /5

What we like

  • High-quality image scans
  • Specialized in photo scanning
  • User-friendly website

What we don't like

  • Limited support for media formats

ScanDigital accepts complete photo albums for scanning, whereas compared to ScanMyPhotos, you need to remove every photo from the album and send only the photos. But keep in mind that this feature comes at a higher price.

Like all services, ScanDigital offers digitization of different types of media:

  • Photography - Photos, Slides, Negatives, Special Media
  • Tapes - VHS, MiniDV, and BetaMax
  • Films - 8mm, Super 8, Super 8mm with sound, 16mm, and 35mm
  • Audio - Cassettes and Reel-to-Reel
  • Special Media - Scrapbooks or loose scrapbook pages, Artwork

The good thing is that ScanDigital also sends you a prepaid box with shipping instructions included. 

Because of that, there's no need to worry about whether or not you've packaged your photos, albums, and home videos correctly.

We noticed while using their site that they have a slightly different ordering process in which you at first only choose resolution and quality of media. You don't need to add the number of items you want to send. Then, you'll get a shipping estimate for the complete order at the checkout.

The ScanDigital customer support team will create your shipping label and email it when you place an order. You can send your media in boxes, slide carousels, or zip lock bags.

The media type and how much content you send will determine the time to complete your order. The process can take from 2 to 5 weeks.

ScanDigital Pricing

Photo scanning starts at $0.44 for 600DPI per photo and $0.59 for 1200DPI per photo. Slides and Negatives cost $0.44 for 12MP and $0.59 for 24MP. Special Media to Digital transfer like scrapbooks, loose scrapbook pages, or artwork larger than 8x10 goes for $1.29.

6) Capture

Editors Rating:

4.3 /5

What we like

  • Provides a conversion box kit for convenience
  • Compatible with 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm film formats
  • Allows 60-day online access for viewing and downloading photos
  • Guarantees a fast turnaround time, often within 30 days
  • Available for purchase through their official Amazon store

What we don't like

  • May be more costly for smaller orders

The Capture brand emerges as a fresh contender in the realm of translating vintage analog media into the digital era. They’ve now aligned themselves with the reputable YesVideo platform. While they’re already liaising with big names like Costco, CVS Pharmacy, Sams Club, and Walmart, they’ve expanded their horizons to the Amazon platform, introducing their unique Capture Time Capsule shipping kit.

Key selling points for Capture are:

  • Strong Partnerships: Collaborations with YesVideo and major retail chains.
  • Amazon Presence: Exclusive Capture Time Capsule shipping kit on Amazon.
  • Flexible Ordering: Traditional or Amazon-exclusive shipping kit options.
  • Item-specific Pricing: Transparent and straightforward costing.
  • Return of Originals: Films cleaned and transferred to new 7” reels.
  • Quick Turnaround: 2 to 3-week processing with email updates.
  • Feedback Consideration: Previous mixed reviews from the YesVideo association.

The method for ordering and dispatching your items remains consistent with most other services. The distinguishing factor is that Capture, unlike others, doesn’t provide a regular shipping kit. The Capture Time Capsule functions solely through its specialized shipping kits, accessible via Amazon. Hence, you have the flexibility to opt for either based on your comfort level.

Initiate your request, dispatch your items to Capture, and observe as your recordings metamorphose into a digital avatar, safeguarded as per your specifications. Notably, Capture’s pricing strategy resonates with that of Legacybox, wherein charges apply based on distinct items.

Once finalized, your pristine recordings are reverted. It’s imperative to highlight that movie recordings undergo thorough cleansing and are reattached to brand new 7” plastic spools, leaving your original ones void. Capture commits to a swift execution span of 2 to 3 weeks, ensuring you reclaim your items in this timeframe. Through regular email updates, you remain abreast of the ongoing developments.

Our analysis revealed that the erstwhile YesVideo service had garnered somewhat modest user reviews on several platforms. On Trustpilot, they stand at 3.5 out of 5, on Yelp at 2.2, and ResellerRatings present a score of 1.95 out of 5.

Such scores might hint at varied user interactions with the platform. Subpar ratings could emanate from factors like prolonged order processing, lapses in communication, or potential qualms regarding the transformation quality. It’s pivotal for prospects to factor in these reviews during their selection process, juxtaposing them with elements like cost, processing speed, and supplementary offerings.

Wrapping up

So, which of these Legacybox competitors is the best for you? It honestly depends on your specific needs and budget. But all of them offer great quality and value, making them excellent choices for preserving your memories.

But if you're looking for the absolute best when it comes to quality and affordability, we recommend iMemories. With an impressive 4.5-star rating on TrustPilot and a 5-star rating on Sitejabber from more than 10K customer reviews, this service will surely meet your needs.

Written by Abdo

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.

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