- Quick Summary
- Comparsion Table
- ThePhotoStick
- Flash Drive
- Flash Drive vs. Photo Stick
- Flash Drive Pros and Cons
- Photo Stick Pros and Cons
- Final Words
As our precious memories are kept on mobile devices and computers, it’s more important than ever to have a safe and reliable way to back them up. Flash drives and photo sticks are two popular options for storing photos and videos, but with so many choices available, it can be challenging to choose the best one.
In this comprehensive comparison guide, we’ll take a closer look at the differences between a flash drive and a photo stick and help you determine which option best fits your needs. Whether you’re looking to safeguard your family photos or important documents, this guide will provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision. So, let’s explore the pros and cons of these two products and discover which one is right for you.
iFlash Drive is no longer on sale, but luckily ThePhotoStick company came up with their own all-in-one solution called ThePhotoStick Omni, which is even better and it’s compatible with all devices.
Click here to visit the official ThePhotoStick Omni website.
Photo Stick vs Flash Drive Comparison Table
The PhotoStick | Flash Drive | The PhotoStick Omni Editors Choice | |
 |  |  | |
Website Link | |||
Bennefits | Automatic files sorting | Compatible with all files | Automatic files sorting |
Storage Capacity | 8GB - Save up to 3.500 photos | From 8GB up to 1TB | 32GB - Save up to 15.000 photos |
Device Compatibility | Windows and Mac | Windows and Mac | All Windows computers |
USB Port | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 3.0 |
Device Adapter | n/a | n/a | All-in-One |
Certificate | n/a | n/a | Apple MFI-certified |
Skips Duplicates | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Safe Backup | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Create Thumbnails | n/a | n/a | Yes |
Group Files By Type (i.e. Photos & Videos) | n/a | n/a | Yes |
On-Going Backups | Automatically backs up new files weekly so you never have to worry about losing recent memories. | Automatically backs up new files weekly so you never have to worry about losing recent memories. | Automatically backs up new files weekly so you never have to worry about losing recent memories. |
Supported File Types | Photos/images: jpeg,heic,gif,png, Videos: mov, mpeg4,avi, wmv | Photos/images: jpeg,heic,gif,png, Videos: mov, mpeg4,avi, wmv | Photos/images: jpeg,heic,gif,png, Videos: mov, mpeg4,avi, wmv |
PC OS Version Compatibility | Windows 7, iOS version 11.3 and later | All versions of OS | Windows 7, iOS version 11.3 and later |
Phone OS Version Compatibility | No | No | Windows 7, iOS version 11.3 and later |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 Days | 30 Days | 30 Days |
Market Sales | Over 1.500.000 sold | n/a | Over 1.500.000 sold |
What is a Photo Stick?
What we like
- Available in 3 storage capacities
- Compatible with both PC and Mac computers
- Comes with onboard software for easy use
- Provides ongoing backups for added security
- Can automatically find, sort, and backup files
- Supports various file types
What we don’t like
- Not compatible with mobile devices
- Can only be purchased online
A photo stick is a device that’s used to safely and easily store your photos. Instead of only having 1 port connection, a photo stick actually has 2. This means you have more options when thinking about which devices you can connect to. Take a look at some more important information about the photo stick that we’ve listed below.
Features & Benefits
In addition to some of the features of the photo stick, we’re also going to take a quick look at a few of the benefits. When people search photo stick, the things we listed below are some of the most common ones that most people search for, so remember that there are others as well.
Photo Stick Features
- Easily transported
- Multiple style and design options
- Accepts multiple different file formats
- Stores thousands of pictures
Photo Stick Benefits
- Has 2 connection types
- Finds files for you
- Easy to use
- Can function without internet connection
Where to Buy a Photo Stick
The great thing about a photo stick is that you can buy them from multiple different places. In addition to stores that are targeted towards photo stick sales, you can also buy them from online retailers and mass merchandisers.
Photo Stick & Flash Drive Differences
There are a few differences between a photo stick and a flash drive. Some are obvious, while others come down to how the device works and stores data. The biggest difference is how the device is connected to the computer or phone. A traditional flash drive only plugs into a USB port, while a photo stick can plug into a USB port or phone port. Photo stick mobile
The other big difference between a flash drive and a photo stick is what kind of data is stored. With a flash drive, you can store things like photos, videos, and documents and with a photo stick, you can only store photos or videos.
ThePhotoStick’s advantage over a flash drive is the unique software that comes pre-installed on it that enables you to find all your photos and videos with a click of a button.
How to Use a Photo Stick?
Before we talk about how to use the photo stick, we need to look at the user interface. These features are listed below.
- Main Menu-This feature is what you select to navigate to the different areas.
- Status Area-Shows messages before, during, and after the transfer process.
- Capacity Chart-Shows how much space you’ve used and how much you have left.
- Back-Up Stats-Shows information for the current back-up you’re doing.
- My Photos/Videos-The area that shows what pictures and videos are currently on the photo stick
- Settings-The area where you can change the settings and options.
- View Logs-Shows all of the back-up logs for all previous and current back-ups.
- Exit-This option completely closes the program.
- Go-This option starts a back-up.
First, you’ll need to plug your photo stick into the device that you’ll be using to transfer or back-up your files. Once the program pops up, you’ll want to press the Go button. This will cause the photo stick to find and save any photo or video files. Once it’s done, you’ll want to press the My Photos/Videos button. From there, you’ll be able to delete any media files off of the photo stick that you don’t need. If you want to find them on your actual device, you’ll want to go to the photo stick option under devices. From there, you can easily delete anything you don’t want.
Once done, you’ll want to select Exit so the photo stick program will close. After it’s closed, you can choose to eject the photo stick and remove the device once it shows the message saying it’s safe.
What is a Flash Drive?
What we like
- Very easy to use
- Enables fast and efficient file transfers
- Generally, they are an affordable option for data storage
What we don’t like
- Due to their frequent use in different computers, USB flash drives are at high risk of getting infected by viruses or malware
- Can’t automatically find, sort, and backup files
- It doesn’t provide ongoing backups of your files
A flash drive is a small and portable device that can be plugged into a computer. It can hold and transfer things like photos, videos, and documents. They come in many different colors, styles, and storage amounts.
Flash Drive Features & Benefits
Some of the features and benefits of a flash drive are listed below.
Flash Drive Features
- Small & portable
- Non-Volatile memory
- Multiple storage capacities
- Affordable
Flash Drive Benefits
- Very durable
- Compatible with many devices
- User friendly
- Sever security options
Where to Buy a Flash Drive
You can buy a flash drive at several different stores. This includes online-only retailers, electronics stores, and mass-merchandisers. There are even some cheaper stores that will sell a cheaper version of the product.
How to Use A Flash Drive
Not only are we going to look at how you transfer photos to the flash drive, but we’re also going to take a look at how to transfer the photos back to the computer or device it’s connected to and how to delete items.
Transfering to Flash Drive
The first thing you’ll want to do is plug the USB into the computer or device. There should be a USB port on the device you’re connecting to. Once plugged in, the flash drive should start up automatically. Click on the pop-up and go into the drive. Open a new window and get to the pictures or files you want to transfer. Once you select the items, you can copy and paste or just drag and drop. After you have everything you need moved over, make sure you eject the device. Once you see that it’s safe to remove, you can take the flash drive out.
Transferring from Flash Driver
The process is very similar to transferring items to the device. After plugging in and opening the drive, you’ll want to open another window. Find the location that you want the items to go and open it. Like before, find the items in the drive and either copy and paste or drag and drop them to the other window. Eject the flash drive and remove it once it’s safe to do so.
Deleting Items
There are a few ways to delete items off of the flash drive. Before trying either method, you’ll want to plug the flash drive into the USB port and open up the drive. Once there, you have a couple of options. The first is to highlight the item and right-click on it. A taskbar will pop up and it should have the option to delete. Once you confirm that you want to delete, the item will disappear. The other option is to select the item then press the delete key on your keyboard. Like before, make sure you confirm the deletion. It’s important to know that you can delete 1 item at a time or select multiple.
How Does A Flash Drive Work?
Basically, a flash drive has a certain amount of memory that can be used to hold files like documents or pictures. While a flash drive works very similarly to a traditional hard drive, they are non-volatile, which means you won’t lose any of your data even if there’s some kind of power disconnection. They don’t need any kind of battery and can be taken pretty much anywhere. As long as the device you’re connecting to has a USB port, you’ll be able to transfer files.
Flash Drive vs. Photo Stick
In addition to the main differences between a flash drive and a photo stick, we’re also going to take a look at some pros and cons of each. These are just some of the important points and there are plenty of others out there. If you’re wondering about any other differences between a flash drive and a photo stick, then you could always do a quick online search or reach out to the companies.
First, we’re going to take a look at some of the main differences between a flash drive and a photo stick. These are the things that most people look for, but there are other differences between the two.
Functionality
Winner: Flash Drive
The first big difference between a flash drive and a photo stick is the functionality. On one hand, a flash drive is made to support and hold all kinds of data, including files, videos, pictures, and documents. A photo stick, on the other hand, is made to only support media files. This means that you’ll need to get a flash drive if you want to store more than just media. Keep in mind, if you only want something that will hold your photos and videos, then a photo stick is the perfect option that doesn’t make you go through all kinds of screens to do what you need.
Capacity
Winner: Flash Drive
Storage capacity is the next big difference between a photo stick and a flash drive. While both devices have multiple storage capacity options, the regular flash drive tends to have higher capacities than the Photo Stick. For example, the most popular capacity sizes for a flash drive are 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128 GB. In addition, the photo stick also offers capacities of 8GB, 64GB, and 128 GB. If you are looking for features of PhotoStick but in larger storage capacity, check out the latest version, The PhotoStick Omni.
Device/System
Winner: Photo Stick
Most of the time, a flash drive is only compatible with computers, which include desktops, laptops, and tablets. They also usually support Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. With a photo stick, though, you can use them with any computer or device that has a flash drive or is supported by an operating system. In addition, the photo stick can be used with your mobile device, which means you can plug the photo stick in and back-up the media files on your phone in seconds. Keep in mind, not every photo stick available will support every operating system, so make sure you’re looking at this information before buying.
Price
Another difference that should be considered is the fact that a flash drive is usually a bit more affordable than a photo stick. You can find cheaper flash drives for just a few dollars, but most photo stick products are going to be in the double digits. You’ll also want to remember that different companies are going to charge different prices. For example, company A might offer a photo stick for a certain amount and company B might offer the same photo stick for a fraction of the price. Calculate everything in and see which company has a better price on a high-quality flash drive or photo stick.
Winner: Flash Drive
Styles/Designs
Winner: Draw
The final difference we’re going to talk about is the styles and designs of both a flash drive and photo stick. Both devices look very similar in shape and size, but you can find a variety of styles and designs. Most of the time, a photo stick is going to have solid colors with very few design elements. The photo stick products tend to be more simple and understated. On the other hand, a flash drive has quite a few more options than a photo stick. Not only can you get a large selection of colors and styles, but you can also get them with various designs. Another thing that’s different between a flash drive and a photo stick is the fact that some flash drives have accessories that make them look like animals or items.
Pros & Cons of Flash Drive
Some pros and cons of a flash drive are listed below.
Flash Drive Pros
- Very easy to use.
- Transfer files at high speeds.
- They have many options for security.
- They are quite affordable.
Flash Drive Cons
- There’s a risk of viruses or malware.
- They can be easily lost due to their small size.
- They have a very limited lifespan.
Pros & Cons of Photo Stick
Take a quick look at the pros and cons of a photo stick that are listed below.
Photo Stick Pros
- The photo stick automatically searches for media files.
- Thousands of media files can be found in just a few seconds by the photo stick.
- It’s compatible with several types of devices.
- The program for the photo stick is very easy and simple to use.
Photo Stick Cons
- It only supports media files.
- Most photo stick products are more expensive than a flash drive.
- Some media files can be hard to find by the photo stick and might not be backed-up.
FAQ
Take a look below at some of the most frequently asked questions about the photo stick. If you have others, don’t be afraid to reach out to the company.
The number of pictures a photo stick can hold is going to completely depend on how much storage it has. Usually, an 8GB photo stick will hold around 3,500 pictures, the 64GB photo stick will hold around 30,000 pictures, and the 128GB photo stick will hold around 60,000 pictures.
The files that The Photo Stick can find are MOV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, MPEG 4, BMP, TIFF, and AVI. It also works with older computers and can find files on those.
The final price of The Photo Stick is going to depend on the size and how many photos it can hold. The smallest photo stick option is 8GB and costs around $34.99, the medium version is 64GB and costs around $49.99, and the biggest version is 128GB and costs around $79.99.
There are a few alternatives to The Photo Stick, including Picture Keeper, Paraben Photo Backup Stick, and the Wansenda USB Photo Stick.
You can buy a photo stick at several different places, including electronic stores, online retailers, and mass merchandisers. Make sure any photo stick product you’re considering has good reviews.
Final Words
Now that you know the differences between a flash drive and a photo stick, you’ll be able to decide which one you need. Remember the benefits and differences of each, then use that information to guide the purchasing process. Do plenty of research and make sure the flash drive or photo stick is a high-quality product.
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.