Tinybeans alternative
A private family timeline, from pregnancy on.
If you are weighing Our Pear Tree against Tinybeans, 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 starts during pregnancy and continues through childhood, labeling every memory with your child’s exact age and keeping each imported photo’s original date. Tinybeans is a long-established, web-friendly baby journal with a familiar daily-photo habit and a long track record. Choose Our Pear Tree if you want a from-pregnancy story, a genuinely full-featured free plan, full-quality originals, and HD video, with no ads and no data selling. Choose Tinybeans if a long history and web-first familiarity matter most to you.
Side by side
Our Pear Tree and Tinybeans, compared.
A qualitative comparison, hedged where their offering may change. Check each service's current terms before you decide.
| Feature | Our Pear Tree | Tinybeans |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at pregnancy | Yes. The timeline begins before birth, by pregnancy week. | Their materials describe a journal that centers on your child from birth. |
| Exact-age labels | Automatic on every photo and video, and still correct years later. | Entries are dated; 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. | Imported photos may not always carry their original date. |
| Photo quality on the free plan | Full-quality originals, within 15 GB (about 30,000 photos), free. | Their published materials describe a limited free tier. |
| HD video | Full 1080p HD video on the Family plan. | Their materials describe shorter video-clip lengths. |
| Viewers and grandparents | Unlimited free viewers through a private web link, with no app or account. | Long-established web and app access for family; check their current terms. |
| Ads and data | No ads, no data selling, and no AI training on your photos. | Please review their current privacy policy for the details. |
| 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 Tinybeans+ subscription (published around $74.99/yr with 200 GB storage). |
What actually differs
The three differences that matter most.
The story starts before your baby is born
Most baby journals 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. Tinybeans, as its materials describe it, centers on your child from around their birthday.
A free plan that is actually full-featured
Their published materials describe a limited free tier, with a Tinybeans+ subscription (published around $74.99 a year with 200 GB) unlocking more. Our Pear Tree’s free plan includes 15 GB of full-quality photos, about 30,000, with every feature switched on: milestones, growth, the family tree, audio memories, sharing, and full-quality export. When you want more room and full 1080p HD video, Family is $6.99 a month or $69 a year, with full-quality originals up to 500 GB. Where their materials describe shorter video clips, our Family plan keeps full HD.
Imports that keep the date
The quiet flaw across this whole category is that moving photos between apps 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. Grandparents follow along through a private web link, with no app and no account.
Being fair
When Tinybeans might suit you better.
Tinybeans has real strengths, and it is worth being honest about them. It has been around for a long time, with a large, established community and a familiar, web-first daily-photo habit that many families already know and trust. If a long track record and that particular familiarity are what reassure you most, Tinybeans may be the more comfortable fit.
You do not have to choose in a hurry, either. Because your Our Pear Tree export is always free and full quality, nothing you add here is ever locked in. Pick the tool that matches what you value most: a long-established web journal, or a private, date-accurate timeline that starts before birth and labels every memory by age. 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 Tinybeans?
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.
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 on every memory. Most baby journals start at day zero; ours starts before it. See how exact-age labels work.
Is my family's story private and ad-free?
Yes. Nothing is public, there is no feed to search, and only the people you invite can see anything. There are no ads, we do not sell your data, and we never use your photos to train anything. Your private vault is end-to-end encrypted.
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