FamilyAlbum alternative
A private family timeline, from pregnancy on.
If you are weighing Our Pear Tree against FamilyAlbum, here is an honest, side by side look, based on each service’s published materials as of July 2026.
The short version
A fair 60-second summary.
Our Pear Tree is a private family timeline that begins during pregnancy and grows through childhood, with automatic exact-age labels on every photo and an import that keeps each picture’s original date. FamilyAlbum is a well loved, free family album, strong on unlimited (compressed) storage and a polished photo-print ecosystem. Choose Our Pear Tree if you want the story to start before birth, full-quality originals, and HD video, with no ads and no data selling. Choose FamilyAlbum if a totally free, print-first album is the best fit for your family.
Side by side
Our Pear Tree and FamilyAlbum, compared.
A qualitative comparison, hedged where their offering may change. Check each service's current terms before you decide.
| Feature | Our Pear Tree | FamilyAlbum |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at pregnancy | Yes. The timeline begins before birth, by pregnancy week. | Their materials describe an album that begins around your baby's birth. |
| Exact-age labels | Automatic on every photo and video, and still correct years later. | Memories are organized by date; automatic exact-age labeling works differently. |
| Import keeps original dates | Yes. We read each photo's original date and file it on the right day. | Cross-app imports through the share sheet commonly arrive without the original date. |
| Photo quality on the free plan | Full-quality originals, within 15 GB (about 30,000 photos), free. | Their published materials describe free storage that keeps compressed or optimized copies. |
| HD video | Full 1080p HD video on the Family plan. | Full-quality / 1080p video is described as part of their paid Premium tier. |
| Viewers and grandparents | Unlimited free viewers through a private web link, with no app or account. | Family can be invited to follow along; check their current terms for the details. |
| Ads and data | No ads, no data selling, and no AI training on your photos. | Their monetization is described as leaning on photo prints and gifts. |
| Export | Full-quality export, free, anytime. | Export options vary; check their current terms. |
| Price | Free plan, or Family at $6.99/mo ($69/yr). | A free tier plus a paid Premium tier (their published pricing has been around $10.99/mo). |
What actually differs
The three differences that matter most.
The story starts before your baby is born
Most baby apps begin at day zero. Our Pear Tree begins at the first ultrasound, the bump photos, and the name you picked at 2am, all filed by pregnancy week. From birth on, every memory carries your child’s exact age on its own, so a photo always knows whether it was week 24 or eight months or four years, even decades from now. FamilyAlbum, as its materials describe it, centers on your child from around their birthday.
What “free unlimited” actually keeps
FamilyAlbum’s headline is free, unlimited storage, and that is a genuinely generous thing. Their published materials describe that free storage as keeping compressed or optimized copies, with full-quality and 1080p video part of their paid Premium tier (published pricing has been around $10.99 a month). Our Pear Tree’s free plan is 15 GB, about 30,000 photos, but those are full-quality originals with every feature included. When you want more, Family is $6.99 a month or $69 a year and keeps full-quality originals up to 500 GB plus full 1080p HD video. It is a different trade: fewer free gigabytes, but the ones you have are the real thing.
Imports that keep the date
The quiet flaw across this whole category is that moving photos between apps, usually through the share sheet, strips the original date, so your careful timeline lands as one big pile stamped “today.” Our Pear Tree reads each photo’s original date as it comes in and drops it on the right day, so your history stays in order back to the very first entry.
Being fair
When FamilyAlbum might suit you better.
FamilyAlbum has real strengths, and it is worth being honest about them. Its totally free, unlimited (compressed) storage is hard to beat if your priority is the largest possible library at no cost and you are happy with optimized copies. Its photo-print and gift ecosystem is polished and well liked, so if ordering physical prints and books is central to how you keep memories, FamilyAlbum may be the better home for you.
You do not have to choose in a hurry, either. Because your Our Pear Tree export is always free and full quality, you can keep a private, from-pregnancy archive here and still order prints wherever you prefer. Pick the tool that matches what you value most: a print-first free album, or a private, date-accurate timeline that starts before birth. See everything Our Pear Tree does if you want the full picture.
Questions
Switching, free plans, and your photos.
Is it easy to switch from FamilyAlbum?
Yes. Bring your camera roll or a photo export straight in, and we bulk import it while reading each picture's original date, so your timeline rebuilds itself in the right order all the way back to the beginning. You do not have to sort anything by hand. See how import keeps your dates.
Can I try Our Pear Tree for free?
Yes. The free plan gives you 15 GB of full-quality photos, about 30,000, with every feature: milestones, growth, the family tree, audio memories, sharing, and export. Unlimited viewers are free too, and there is no credit card to begin. Compare the plans.
Do grandparents need an account or the app?
No. Send them a private link that opens in any web browser. Grandparents who do not use apps can still watch your little one grow, and viewers are always free. See sharing for grandparents.
Can I still order prints, like FamilyAlbum offers?
Prints are a real strength of FamilyAlbum, and you are welcome to keep using them for that. Because your export is always free and full quality, you can also download your originals from Our Pear Tree and print a book anywhere you like, without giving up your private archive.
Does the timeline really start before birth?
Yes. The story begins at the first ultrasound and the bump photos, organized by pregnancy week, then continues by your child's exact age. Most baby apps start at day zero; ours starts before it. See the pregnancy journal.
What happens to my photos if I leave?
They stay yours. You can export everything at full quality, for free, at any time. We never hold memories hostage, and we never delete an archive just because a payment lapsed.
- Free to start, no credit card, and your plan comparison is one tap away.
- Bulk import keeps every original date. See how import works.
Start a private timeline that begins before birth.
Free to begin, full-quality export anytime, and always yours to keep.
Start freeFree to start · No credit card · Your photos stay yours