Journi is a travel journal app. You write entries, add photos and places, then order a printed book from them. Its site lists photo books from $19.99, and the App Store lists them from EUR 22.99 with shipping. It works well for one trip. It works less well if your memories already live somewhere else.

Maybe you posted the trip on Facebook or Instagram. Maybe the photos sit in a Dropbox folder. Retyping all that into a journal app is a chore. Below are seven alternatives, with an honest take on who each one suits.

What to look for in a Journi alternative

Journi is built around writing as you travel. Before you switch, decide what you actually need:

• Where your content lives -- If your photos and captions are already on Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox, pick a service that can read from there. Otherwise you start from zero.
• Effort -- Some services build the whole book for you. Others hand you a blank page and a few hundred photos.
• Captions and dates -- Journi keeps your entries and places. Check what the alternative keeps: dates, captions, locations.
• Size and page count -- A weekend trip fits in 20 pages. A year of family life needs far more.
• Total cost -- Look at shipping and extra pages, not just the headline price.

7 best Journi alternatives in 2026

1. My Social Book

Best for: a book from photos and captions you already posted on Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox

This one only fits if your content is already online. You connect Facebook, Instagram (a professional account), or Dropbox. My Social Book builds the book for you, in order, like a journal of the year. It keeps dates, captions, likes, and locations. You pick one source per book. Want both Facebook and Instagram? Make two books.

It won't read your Journi entries. If your trip lives only inside Journi, look at the other options below. If you posted it as you went, you can skip the retyping. You see a full preview in minutes. You can check every page, add or remove content, delete a post, and change the cover. You can't reorder sections or edit captions, since those come from the original post.

The book is 21 x 25 cm (about 8.3 x 9.8 inches), from 25 to 500 pages, with a hard or soft cover. Pricing is affordable, with frequent discounts of 40% or more. Shipping is extra. Trustpilot TrustScore 4.7 / 5 (2,716 reviews, October 2026), 12 years in business, and 700,000+ books printed.

Pros:

• Automatic, nothing to upload or lay out
• Keeps dates, captions, likes, and locations
• Up to 500 pages

Cons:

• Needs content on Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox
• Captions can't be edited
• Can't import from Journi

See your book in minutes -- start from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox

2. Popsa

Best for: fast phone-based books from your camera roll

Popsa is an app that lays out a book from the photos you pick on your phone. It's quick and friendly. Reported US prices run roughly $18 to $42 for softcover and $34 to $78 for hardcover, but those figures come from third-party sites, so check the app. Discount codes appear often.

It suits a trip you shot on your phone and never wrote about. It doesn't pull captions from social media.

Pros:

• Very quick to build on a phone
• Frequent promo codes

Cons:

• No social media import
• Prices vary by region and deal

3. Chatbooks

Best for: small books that arrive on a schedule

Chatbooks reads from your phone and from Instagram. Its Monthbooks are 60-page books in 5x7, 6x6, or 8x8, soft or hard cover, according to its help center. Third-party sources put them at about $15 to $24, so confirm before you subscribe.

It's a better fit for everyday family life than for one big trip. Cancel the subscription if books start piling up.

Pros:

• Automatic, with a subscription option
• Reads from Instagram

Cons:

• Small formats
• Little control over layout

4. Mixbook

Best for: travelers who want to design every page

Mixbook has one of the most complete manual editors around. If you liked writing and arranging your Journi story, you may enjoy it. You control layout, text, and backgrounds. The price is time. A big trip can take an evening or three.

Pros:

• Deep layout control
• Good paper and print

Cons:

• Manual upload
• Slow for hundreds of photos

5. Blurb

Best for: a travel book with real text and a publishing goal

Blurb gives you professional layout tools and formats such as trade books and magazines. If your Journi entries run long and you want a polished travel memoir, Blurb handles it. For a simple photo album it's more than you need.

Pros:

• Professional layout tools
• Many formats

Cons:

• Learning curve
• Costs more for standard books

6. FreePrints Photobooks

Best for: the lowest cost on a short book

FreePrints Photobooks offers a free monthly softcover book. You pay for delivery. The US App Store listing shows $7.99 shipping. Hardcovers, bigger sizes, and extra pages cost more, and it can be unclear what counts as free, so read the cart before you pay.

Pros:

• Almost free for a short book
• No subscription

Cons:

• Upsells at checkout
• Starts small, at 20 pages

7. Shutterfly

Best for: gift books with many sizes and constant sales

Shutterfly offers many formats and an auto-arrange option. Sticker prices rarely match what you pay, because sales run all the time. The editor pushes upgrades. It doesn't read social media.

Pros:

• Wide choice of sizes
• Deep discounts

Cons:

• Upsells in the editor
• Manual upload

Journi alternatives comparison table

Related photo book comparisons

• Popsa alternatives
• Chatbooks alternatives
• Mixbook alternatives
• Blurb alternatives
• FreePrints Photobooks alternatives
• Shutterfly alternatives
• Best photo book from Instagram

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Journi photo book cost?

Journi's site lists photo books from $19.99. Its App Store page lists them from EUR 22.99 including shipping. Size, cover, and page count change the price, and it can vary by country. Check the app at checkout.

Can I make a book from my Facebook or Instagram posts?

Yes. My Social Book builds a chronological book from Facebook, Instagram (professional account), or Dropbox. It keeps dates, captions, likes, and locations. Each book uses one source.

Can My Social Book import my Journi entries?

No. It reads Facebook, Instagram, and Dropbox only. If your trip lives only in Journi, order from Journi or rebuild the story in a manual editor like Mixbook or Blurb.

What's best for a trip I never wrote about?

Popsa or FreePrints Photobooks. Both build a book fast from phone photos. If you posted the trip with captions, My Social Book keeps them.

How long does delivery take?

For My Social Book, production takes 2-5 business days. Then US express delivery takes 3-5 business days, and standard takes 7-14. Other services publish their own timelines.

Facts about competitors checked on October 19, 2026. Prices and features change; confirm on each company's site before ordering.

Create your book from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox