Choosing a family album
Family photos deserve better than a scrolling chat.
Keep WhatsApp for chatting. Use Lumo as the one private album where every photo and video the family shares stays together, in order and in full quality.
Free on iPhone, iPad and Android. Private to your family.
No app? Open your album in any web browser: app.lumomagic.com
Why photos get lost in the chat
In a family chat, photos arrive between messages and scroll away. They’re compressed unless someone chooses HD or sends them as documents, and finding last summer’s beach photo means scrolling back for months.
In Lumo, every photo goes into one album in the order it was taken, with hearts and comments next to it, so it’s easy to find again years later.
Side by side
| Lumo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Storage | Unlimited photos and videos, under fair use | Photos stay in each chat and on each phone |
| Videos | Each video can be up to 3 GB, kept whole, with no limit on how many. The first minute plays free; Lumo Pass plays the full length | Compressed in a chat; send as a document to keep the original, up to 2 GB |
| Ads | None, ever | None in chats |
| How sharing works | One private album the whole family adds to. Join with an invite link or a 4-digit family code | Photos are sent into a chat and scroll away with the messages |
| Works on | iPhone, iPad and Android | Phone, tablet and computer |
| Also does | Magic: coloring pages, cards, paintings and more from your photos, no prompts. Each creation uses 20 flowers; new accounts get 60 free, and packs start at $1.99 for 60. Lumo Pass, optional ($9.99 a month or $59.99 a year, one Pass for the whole family): unlimited Magic, full-length videos and original-quality downloads | Messages, voice notes and calls; photos in HD if you choose it |
Checked October 2026 against WhatsApp’s help center and App Store listing.
What they look like
Screenshots are each app’s own App Store screenshots, as published in October 2026. WhatsApp is a trademark of WhatsApp LLC; Lumo isn’t affiliated with any of them.
Use both
Most families keep chatting on WhatsApp and add the photos worth keeping to Lumo. Lumo skips photos already in the album, so adding the same photo twice is harmless.
Sharing photos with familyQuestions
Is Lumo really free?
Yes. The album, unlimited photos and videos, inviting family, hearts and comments are all free. Lumo Pass is optional, for unlimited magic, full-length videos and saving originals. Unlimited means unlimited for everyday family use, under fair use.
Who can see our photos?
Only the people in your family album. Nothing is public, there are no followers, and photos are never shown to anyone outside your family.
Do grandparents need WhatsApp to see the album?
No. They join Lumo with a private invite link or a 4-digit family code, on iPhone, iPad or Android.
Where do these facts come from?
From each company’s own help pages, pricing pages and App Store listings, checked in October 2026. Prices are US prices and vary by country. If something has changed, write to contact@doola.ai and we’ll fix it.
Start your family album.
Free. Private to your family. No ads, ever.