Guide · November 2026
Each of these is a reasonable choice. The real difference is how much of the work stays with you, and whether it suits a year you've already lived or the months ahead.
| Service | What you do | What you get | Price we found |
|---|---|---|---|
| LifeChapters (lifechapters.ai) | Sign up, point it at a year of photos, check the pages | One book per child for a whole year, in twelve monthly chapters. Digital link, print optional | First book free. Printed copies coming soon |
| Chatbooks Monthbooks | Pick up to 60 photos a month in the app | A small book each month, by subscription | $24 a book or $240 a year on its store pages; offers vary |
| Shutterfly Make My Book | Choose 20 to 800 photos and send them in | A designed book, ready in about 24 hours, that you can edit on a computer | The design is free. Books start around $24.98 for an 8×8 softcover |
| Mixbook | Upload photos, then use the editor or its AI tools | A photo book you shape yourself, with automated layout and story help | Varies by size and offer |
| Artifact Uprising | Choose photos and arrange them yourself | A premium, simply designed printed book | Reviewers rate it above most on price |
From each company's published pages and independent reviews, November 2026. We make LifeChapters, so read this with that in mind. Prices and features change, so check before you buy. If we got something wrong, tell us at hello@lifechapters.ai and we'll fix it.
Chatbooks Monthbooks suits this well. A small batch each month is manageable, and its pages say it sorts your camera roll by month. It's less suited to years that have already gone by.
Shutterfly's Make My Book takes the photos you choose and designs the book for you. Mixbook gives you more control, with AI tools when you want them.
Artifact Uprising is the one reviewers describe for materials and simple design. Expect to do the choosing and arranging yourself, and to pay more.
That's the case LifeChapters is built for. You point it at a year, however messy. It finds the photos your child is in, chooses the ones that tell the year, and designs each page around them, with a separate book for each child. It's new and in a small beta, and printing isn't open yet, so choose one of the others if you need a printed book soon.
LifeChapters (lifechapters.ai) makes a photo book of your child's year from the photos you already have. No card.
Get your free book