If you run a photo booth or are looking to start running photo booths, this is the perfect post for you. We’ll give you a look into the top used photo booth software and help you pick the best software for your needs. The following list is in NO particular order.
1. Darkroom Booth
Darkroom booth is photo booth software created by Imaging Spectrum/Darkroom Software. If you are a complete newbie, Darkroom Booth is one of the best softwares to get started with.
Price: $299 Upgrades: $99
Pros:
- Compared to most software it’s the easiest to setup
- Dedicated telephone support if you need help or get stuck
- Does photos, video, gif & green screen
- Offers a basic built in social media sharing software
- Built in visual designer to create print templates
- Printer drivers built in, so you don’t have to worry about updating
Cons:
- Can be slow to add new “popular” features. For awhile, many companies offered gifs and Darkroom was the last of the more popular options to add it.
- Keeps you limited to the depth of computer knowledge you’ll learn because of how easy it is to setup (this could be a pro for some, but long term it handicap you as you move from software to software).
Choose Darkroom booth if …
- You are new to photo booths and need lots of hand holding & support
- Have 0 experience with photoshop and design skills
- Are not looking for the frills but want a stable and reliable photo booth software
2. Social Booth
Social booth is photo booth software created by Photo Booth Solutions. They offer one of the nicer looking interfaces out of the box with little to no customization needed.
Price: $299 Upgrades: $99/year
Pros:
- Heaps of features & Mike is pretty fast to add new popular ones
- Has built in social media sharing in the photo booth
- Large Facebook group that can help if you have questions
- Built in (but limited) visual designer to create print templates
Cons:
- Doesn’t run too well on slower computers
- No telephone support & you can only get support via the Facebook group or email
- Online manual tends to be outdated frequently
Choose Social Booth if …
- You are slightly computer Saavy and would like a system that is updated pretty frequently.
- You are comfortable doing basic shooting and have a solid foundation of computers
3. Breeze DSLR Remote Pro
Breeze DSLR Remote Pro is one of the first photo booth softwares that really let this photo booth industry take off. In the early days, it was a HUGE pain to use, and you had no choice but to read the manual. There was no telephone tech support, no websites for help… nada! My first event with Breeze, I emailed them the next day asking for a refund. BUT, the issue was totally my own, I didn’t read the manual. Anyway, Breeze software has come a long way since its beginning and it is easier to use these days, but it’s not the easiest.
Price: $275 Upgrades: $138/year
Pros:
- The most stable photo booth software on the market (this thing is a ROCK!)
- The most customization options of all photo booth software
- Runs on computers with very little resources
- Huge community of users and Chris has been taking steps to make it more user friendly
Cons:
- No telephone support & you can only get support via the Facebook group or email.
- Not the easiest to setup, if you hate reading manuals, this isn’t for you
Choose Breeze Sys if …
- You are more computer Saavy than the average bear
- Your primary concern is stability and UI customization options
3. Photo Booth Upload
They call themselves the “Swiss Army Knives of Photo Booths” and PBU definitely deserves that title. They have more features than any other photo booth software by leaps and bounds and they are consistently updating it.
Disclaimer: PBU also owns Photo Party Upload which is a direct competitor to PicPic Social.
Price: from $40-$800 Upgrades: varies?
Pros:
- Insane amount of features
- More “advanced” gif and green screen features than other photo booth apps on the market
- Live telephone support
- Lively and supportive Facebook group
Cons:
- You need a beast of a computer to run it effectively
- Setup is not intuitive and the advanced features take awhile to figure out
- Its very expensive (when compared to the other photo booth apps)
- They try to lock you into their sharing software to perform social media sharing
Photo Booth Upload if …
- You need features beyond the basics and a client base that can afford to pay you premium dollars
- You don’t need a lot of hand holding to get software working
4. DSLRBooth
DSLR Booth needs more credit than they deserve. They likely have the easiest to use interface of all the photo booth apps, and I honestly can’t say I’ve heard any issues about stability with the photo booth software. DSLR Booth also includes a visual designer that lets you create photo booth templates from scratch. (But why use that when you can use paddee? *wink wink*).
Price: $159.99 Upgrades: not published
Pros:
- Super easy to use UI
- Includes a photo sharing app
- Affordable pricing
- Has versions for Mac & PC
Cons:
- Limited feature set when compared to the other softwares
- No telephone support
Photo Booth Upload if …
- You need an affordable photo booth app that’s easy to use and you don’t need all the bells and whistles.
Our recommendation:
