It’s been a while since we put together our list of the best Photo Booth apps, and wow, have they come a long way!

We all know that photo booths are as essential to a good party as the food and drinks, whether you’re celebrating a birthday, graduation, Halloween, or just a family get together.

We’ve selected these five after trying them all because they’re intuitive, range from free to a bit more, and are mostly kid-friendly if that’s important to you. Plus, these apps make it possible to set up a printing station next to the booth for instant and personalized party favors if you’re going all extra.

– This post has been updated for 2023 –

Related: A free photo effects app that turns ordinary shots into works of art

Best Photo Booth App for Free | tinybooth

If you are looking for a very simple, basic photobooth app that is totally free, tinybooth (iPhone, iPad) is perfect. It is really very simple and does not require you to create and account or put in a credit card number. Just download the app, push the green start button and the app will start counting down to take a series of four pictures, all available for immediate sharing on social media. Or if you prefer, you can print out a 4×6 sheet immediately by sending via Aiirdrop. No fancy custom borders, but hey, it’s a free app. Spend the money instead stocking up on fun props at your local dollar store.

Best Photo Booth App for Customization | Mini Photobooth

Mini Photobooth is free to download, so give this photo booth app a try before you decide whether or not to spend the $19.99 to remove watermarks from your photos and unlock other features. They include a host of different designs to choose from, and  the option to create your own animated GIFs from your photos. My favorite feature is that this app includes an event mode which prevents guests from exiting the app without a password. This way, if you turn it on for a kid’s party, they won’t be able to hijak your device to play Minecraft.  (Free to download, $19.99 to unlock Mini Photobooth, and $39.99/mo for Pro Mode subscription on iTunes)

Best Photo Booth App for Android | Photobooth Mini

Not to be confused with the Mini Photobooth app for iOS devices, this Photobooth Mini app is designed just for Android users. You’ll need to buy the full version to get the whole experience, although there is a free version that lets you try out the basics. It features some smart functionality, like the fact that if you go offline, the app will save the pictures and email addresses of guests (that they’ve input for sharing) so they’ll receive their photos as soon as the WiFi is back up. Plus, like many Android apps, you’ll have much more freedom to re-configure and customize in Photobooth Mini than in other apps.(Free for basic version, $9.49 for full version on GooglePlay)

Related: Design Kit: The fabulous type overlay and stickers app to keep your Insta stories on point. 

Best Photo Booth App for Old School Authenticity | Pocketbooth

For years now, we’ve loved the old time-y feel of the Pocketbooth app which is like a digital take on the popular photostrips from back in the 1950’s — or the mall from the 1980’s. (Not that any of us are old enough to know anything about that.) It’s also super easy to use. Simply take four photos in a row from your phone or tablet, save them, then send them out via email or share directly on social media (Available on iTunes for $0.99)

Best Photo Booth App That the Pros Use | My Photobooth

The My Photobooth app is designed for iPad only, and it’s geared more toward printing pics than for sharing on social. If you want to go all out and have a professional photo booth feel at your party without the expense of hiring someone, this is a solid option. Just know that you don’t have a ton of options for photo editing, besides adding some fun borders in the app. Here, the photos of all those fun, silly, happy people are the star. ($12.99 on iTunes)

Top image via Quino Al via Unsplash