Preserving memories in this day and age means everything to us because it’s what keeps us alive in a sense. Sometimes we forget certain moments from our lives, and we use our captured photos and movies to remind ourselves. As you might’ve noticed, these old formats of tapes and film get old as we do but much faster. As technology advances daily, so do the obstacles preventing us from viewing old video films and tapes.
After searching for the best solution to digitize old media to new formats compatible with modern devices, we came across Legacybox and Costco. Then, after diving deeper, we found a third option called iMemories which seems to be an even better option than these two. Keep reading to find out the differences between these digitization services.
Legacybox vs Costco vs iMemories Comparison Table
Legacybox | Costco Digitizing | iMemories Editors Choice | |
 |  |  | |
Website Link | |||
Shipping kit (box) | Yes | No | Yes |
Free repairs (splicing) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Average turnaround time | 10-12 weeks | 3-4 weeks | 2-3 weeks |
Expedited turnaround time | 3-4 weeks | n/a | n/a |
 | 4.0 | n/a | 4.6 |
 | 3.5 | n/a | 4.7 |
 | n/a | 2.5 | 4.0 |
 | n/a | n/a | 4.4 |
WHAT FORMATS THEY CONVERT | |||
Video Conversion | VHS, VHS-C, Mini-DV, Hi8, Digital 8, MicroMV, Betamax, 8mm Video Cassette | VHS, S-VHS, Betamax, VHS-C, S-VHS-C, Video8, Hi8, Digital 8, DV, DVCAM, MiniDV, DVC | Betamax, VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, MicroMini, DVDs, MiniDVDs |
Film Conversion | 16mm, 8mm, Super 8, Regular 8 | 8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm | 8mm, Super 8, 16mm (with and without sound) |
Photo Conversion | Prints, 35mm Negatives, 35mm/126 slides | Prints from 2" x 2" to 8" x 12" | Photos up to 12x16 Negatives (any size), Slides (any size) |
Audio Conversion | Reel to Reel, Audio Cassette, Micro-Cassette | n/a | n/a |
PRICING | |||
Video Conversion Price | $65.98 for 2 tapes $299.98 for 10 tapes $599.98 for 20 tapes $1179.98 for 40 tapes | Starting at $19.99 | $14.99 per tape |
Film Conversion Price | $65.98 for 2 films $299.98 for 10 films $599.98 for 20 films $1179.98 for 40 films | Starting at $19.99 | $14.99 per 50ft. |
Photo Conversion Price | $65.98 for 2 sets of 25 pictures $299.98 for 10 sets of 25 pictures $599.98for 20 sets of 25 pictures $1179.98 for 40 sets of 25 pictures | Starting at $19.99 | $0.49 per photo |
Audio Conversion Price | $65.98 for 2 audio items $299.98 for 10 audio items $599.98 for 20 audio items $1179.98 for 40 audio items | n/a | n/a |
Legacybox
What we like
- The company provides a shipping kit to make the process more efficient
- The process is simple and easy to understand
- Shipping is convenient
- Regular deals and discounts are available
- They accept and transfer a wide range of analog media, including audio formats
- The pricing is reasonable compared to other similar services
- Customers receive email updates throughout the digitization process
What we don’t like
- Some customers have reported that the digitization process takes longer than they expected.
Legacybox is a company service that helps people convert their old analog memories to digital format. They transfer media such as film, videotapes, audio, photos, and slides. The company has 10+ years of experience and professional staff who will digitize your old memories and handle them with care.
How Does LegacyBox Work?
Companies that offer digitization services today generally have a simple operating system, and Legabybox is no exception. It offers different size box kits equivalent to the number of media you plan to convert.
After your purchase, Legacybox will mail the box kit so you can fill in your media and send it back to be digitized. The kit also comes with a prepaid UPS shipping label and barcodes that you need to stick to each item so they can be tracked during the process and keep you updated with each step. If you’ve ordered a smaller box, but in the meantime, you’ve found additional tapes, that’s okay because you’ll find extra barcodes in the box that you can use. They will add the extra cost when it’s all converted.
The whole process may take 10 to 12 weeks, depending on the amount and type of media you send.
What Digital Option Does Legacybox Offer?
With each box kit, you can choose from three digital options for storing transfer media such as:
- Cloud
- Thumb drive
- Disc set
With the cloud option, there are also two choices. The first one, you get charged annually, which allows you unlimited downloads of digitized media with 90 days of backup. For the second option, you will be charged for a one-time-only download.
How Much Does Legacybox Cost?
Legacybox may seem a little expensive compared to other services, but they often have promotions, especially before the holidays. The lowest box kit is $65.98, which covers two items: two videotapes or films and two sets of 25 images. Other box kits range from $299.98 for ten items, $599.98 for 20 items, and a staggering amount of $1179.98 for a box kit of 40 items.
The box kit price doesn’t include a digital copy of your choice, which you will be charged additionally. Also, the price goes up depending on the amount of media.
So the cost of cloud storage starts at $5.99 for two items that renew annually, and for one-time downloads, the price is also $5.99. Also, the thumb drive and disc cost $5.99. The prices increase depending on the package you choose.
Costco
What we like
- Costco’s pricing is competitive
- Suitable for both small and large orders
- Simple and straightforward process
- Easy to order
What we don’t like
- Processing can take some time
- The service is outsourced to another company
- The service will no longer be available in the future.
Costco’s Video Transfer Service has transitioned to Costco Next, and all orders are now fulfilled through a company service known as Capture. Please note that a Costco store membership is required.
Costco’s name is synonymous with an impressive array of products, meticulously curated and offered at prices that ignite competition. While their brick-and-mortar stores have carved their reputation, Costco’s reach ventures beyond tangible commodities. The spotlight falls on Costco’s Photo Center, a hub of visual wonders. Recently, the arrival of the Costco Nex has heralded a new chapter, catering to a diverse spectrum of customer demands.
A fleeting pause has led to the emergence of Costco Nex, flexing its muscles in sync with the ever-evolving needs of its patrons. The array of offerings isn’t limited to the realm of photographs; it extends its embrace to a much wider horizon. Nestled within its realm is the art of transcending time—transferring the essence of old home videos, vintage films, aged photo prints, and slides into the digital realm.
Costco Nex stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to expanding its services to meet the aspirations of its clientele. Here, the preservation of memories metamorphoses into a digital odyssey, where cherished relics of the past are reborn in the present.
How Does Costco Work?
Costco has teamed up with YesVideo’s digitizing service, with a recent handover of orders to the new Capture service, an extension of YesVideo. This means, even if you’re placing an order through Costco, your memories find their way to safekeeping.
In the yesteryears, the Photo Center nestled cozily within your local Costco warehouse. But the tides of change swept in, leading to physical closures in 2021. Fret not, for the digital gateway remains open for all your needs.
Getting your memories digitized starts with an online order. Once you’ve taken that step, it’s time to gather your trove of precious media. Slide into the creation of your order, adding personal touches like custom titles, themes, and a sprinkle of your favorite tunes. With a satisfying click on the “Start My Order” button, you get to cherry-pick the media types you want to immortalize—photos, tapes, slides, and more.
What follows is a neat shipping document, ready to embrace your media-packed box. A swift attachment of this document to the box signals it’s all set for its journey. The final act? Swing by the closest UPS store and give your parcel a safe send-off.
The anticipation game begins as transfer times gracefully vary. In a ballpark estimate, reckon on waiting around 3-4 weeks before the doorbell rings with your digitized memories in tow. Feeling curious along the way? The online realm provides you a tracking compass, letting you steer through updates and the journey’s progress whenever you please.
What Digital Option Does Costco Offer?
With Costco, you get the same digital options as with Legacybox, which are DVD, Thumb drive, and cloud, with one difference. You have the additional option of choosing both a DVD and a Thumb drive instead of only one.
How Much Does Costco Cost?
Costco is a little different in terms of pricing because it doesn’t offer box kits like Legacybox. Instead, they charge per item, and the price includes the digital copy.
For example, transferring one videotape will cost you $19.99 for a DVD, $24.99 for a USB, and $29.99 for DVD+USB.
As you can notice, for videotapes the price goes per item. For films, on the other hand, price is determined by feet. So for the first 150 feet, it’s $19.99 for the DVD option, and after that, every additional foot is $0.13.
For photos and slides, it’s similar; for the DVD option, the price is $19.99 for the first 62 photos and slides, and then it is $0.32 per photo and slide.
Also, with every order, besides the digital copy of your choice, they include a MemoryCloud account for downloading your media.
iMemories
What we like
- iMemories accepts and digitizes a wide variety of media types
- Many options for digital copies, including cloud storage with an app
- Quick turnaround time
- Affordable pricing
- Customers receive regular email updates throughout the process
- Includes enhancements and repairs for certain types of media
- Highly rated by customers
What we don’t like
- The shipping kit provided by iMemories may not be suitable for those sending a large quantity of media.
Like Legacybox and Costco, iMemories is also a well-known digitizing service with 15 years of experience and a popular choice among customers. Therefore, it is important to include and compare it with the first two services.
How Does iMemories Work?
When you look at iMemories, you will see that it combines the way Legacybox and Costco work. With iMemories, you can order a box kit, but also, if you prefer, you can send your media in your own box. The iMemories SafeShip Kit is a good option if you can afford it because it is crush-proof and contains additional protective packaging bags for your media, ensuring extra protection during shipping.
When they receive your media, no matter which method you use for shipping, you will receive a free, no-obligation quote that you can accept or decline. After you accept it, the digitizing process starts.
Additionally, you can submit whatever you want digitized, and they will sort and organize all your videos and photos for you, after which you can choose what you want to digitize. During digitizing, they will handle your media with care, and their professional staff will enhance specific media types to look even better without additional cost. For the broken film, they will professionally repair it without losing footage and also free of charge.
What’s also great is that iMemories keeps you updated with every step your media goes through via email and order page, so you don’t miss it.
What Digital Storage Do iMemories Offer?
In terms of digital copies of your media, iMemories offers many options. You can choose from the iMemories cloud, customized DVD, USB, Blu-ray, and portable hard drives with 1TB of storage. However, what makes iMemories unique from the others is the included free digital download of your memories.
How Much Does iMemories Cost?
Compared with the other two services, iMemories offers you much more value for your money. So for transferring videotapes, it’s going to cost you $14.99 per tape, whereas, for movie films, it’s $14.99 per 50ft. For photo prints, slides, and negatives, it costs $0.49 per item.
As with other services, a digital copy is charged additionally, except for a digital download, which is free of charge. So for a custom DVD, it’s going to cost you $19.99 per DVD, $39.99 for an 8GB thumb drive, and for the iMemories cloud, it goes for $7.99 per month and $49.99 per year.
Costco vs Legacybox vs iMemories
Generally, all three services are good and have their own advantages and disadvantages. Although Costco will no longer be offering its services in the future, we will focus on Legacybox and iMemories services.
We’ll say straight away that in general, you won’t go wrong with choosing either of these two services.
Legacybox has a simpler approach to ordering, especially when it comes to a smaller amount of media, and also features conversion of audio formats such as audio cassette tapes and more. iMemories, on the other hand, doesn’t accept audio media. The only downside of Legacybox we could find is its processing time. Due to the large volume of orders they receive, the digitization process can take anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks.
For iMemories, the digitization process is a lot shorter and depending on the media type and volume of your order, it can take from 3 to 4 weeks. Ordering and shipping media with iMemories is even simpler, and you are not limited to a number of items per box and labeling like you need to with Legacybox.
In terms of the digital options for transferred memories, you have more options if you go with iMemories, but with Legacybox, you will also be satisfied. Additionally, if you prefer cloud storage for your media, iMemories offers better features with its cloud service, including lower subscription fees.
When it comes to the cost of services, Legacybox charges more per item than iMemories when looking at base prices, but with the fact that both services offer discounts, you could get a better deal with either of them.
What is Our Choice
Our choice for the best service to digitize your old photos and videos is iMemories. iMemories comes with an app that allows you to access and share your files from anywhere you are, while Costco and Legacybox don’t.
Buyers prefer a company that can handle different video formats. iMemories can digitize almost any format.
The difference between iMemories and other content preservation companies is that it has a good reputation. Also, its services are both high-quality as well as highly recommended by customers who have used them before. iMemories offers more affordable prices.
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.
6 comments on “Legacybox vs. Costco Comparison and Buyer’s Guide 2023”
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IMemories prices are not accurate as of September 2022. They are twice as much. Photos are 1.00 each and video tapes are 29.99…I am rethinking the package I purchased from them now.
If you use the code
SAVE50the price goes down to $14.99 per tape/film, and $0.49 per photo. When you click one of our links the code is automatically applied.i have a bundh of slides what can you do with them and is there any way to narrative them?
We personally can’t do anything with your slides but the companies in the article can. They can digitize them and send it to you on a DVD, USB, or via Cloud as a downloadable file. None of the digitation services do narration.
Can you put 8mm and 16mm on CD’s or DVD?
Yes, you can choose how you want to receive your newly digitized media. You can pick between a USB drive, Digital Download, DVD, or in some cases on Cloud Storage.