Updated on April 25, 2025
TL;DR:
Chatbooks turns your digital photos into printed photo books with minimal effort. It’s ideal for busy people who want quick, stylish, and budget-friendly books without diving into heavy customization. Highlights:
- Monthly photo book subscriptions (Minis & Monthbooks)
- Classic one-off books for events and gifts
- Intuitive mobile app with social media integration
- Affordable pricing with solid print quality
- Minimal design customization
What Is Chatbooks?
Chatbooks is a modern photo book service built for people who want printed memories without the traditional photo project headache. Whether you’re a photo-happy parent or someone looking to get pictures off your phone and into your hands, Chatbooks offers a streamlined way to create stylish albums.
Through its mobile app or website, Chatbooks pulls photos from your camera roll, social media, or cloud storage and arranges them into clean, minimalist photo books. You can either subscribe to a monthly service or make one-off books, and the entire process takes just minutes. No frills, no fuss.
What You Can Make with Chatbooks
Chatbooks offers a few core product lines:
Classic Photo Books
These are one-time projects where you manually select and arrange your photos. Sizes range from 6×6″ to 10×10″, with up to 366 pages. They come in softcover or hardcover, with the option to use photo or designer covers. The layouts are intentionally simple to keep creation quick.
Classic books are great for vacations, weddings, or yearly recaps. The clean layouts focus on the images, and minimal editing options keep you moving.
Subscription Series
Chatbooks shines with its recurring book options:
- Monthly Minis: 5×5″ softcover books that arrive each month with 30 photos. Perfect for baby books or consistent memory keeping.
- Monthbooks: Slightly larger at 5×7″, available in soft or hardcover, and hold up to 60 images per month. Great for people who take lots of photos regularly.
Both subscriptions are easy to manage. You get full control to review, edit, or pause before any book prints.
Additional Features
Beyond books, Chatbooks also offers:
- Simple photo prints
- Year-in-review templates
- Collaborative projects (invite others to add photos)
- Social media import with captions and dates
Creating a Chatbook: User Experience
Using Chatbooks is refreshingly easy. The app is optimized for speed, letting you build a full photo book in less time than it takes to scroll Instagram.
Start by choosing your book type, import your photos, and let Chatbooks auto-populate the pages. You can reorder, add captions, choose from a few basic layouts, and preview before checkout. It’s efficient and intuitive—even for first-time users.
Price vs. Value
Chatbooks is one of the most budget-friendly photo book services out there:
- Classic books start at $15 (softcover, 6×6″)
- Monthly Minis are $8/month (shipping included)
- Monthbooks start at $12/month for softcover, around $20 for hardcover
No constant hunting for coupons or waiting for holiday sales. Prices are transparent and fair from the jump. Plus, Chatbooks includes perks like free standard shipping on subscriptions and a generous reprint/refund policy.
Print and Build Quality
Standard Chatbooks have good-quality paper, bright prints, and clean binding. The premium Layflat books take things up a notch with thick pages and edge-to-edge spreads that lay flat when opened—perfect for panoramic shots and keepsake albums.
Overall, the quality exceeds expectations for the price. Colors are vibrant, skin tones accurate, and even the smaller books feel thoughtfully crafted.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Super easy to use
- Stylish minimal layouts
- Subscription options make memory-keeping automatic
- Good print quality for the price
- Friendly customer support with great guarantees
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- All books are square or small portrait sizes
- No calendars, mugs, or extra merchandise
- No advanced editing tools
What Makes Chatbooks Unique
Chatbooks has carved a niche by simplifying photo books. Key standouts:
- Monthly subscriptions that turn printing memories into a habit
- Toddler Guarantee: if your kid destroys a book, they’ll replace it
- “Love It” Guarantee: unsatisfied? Chatbooks will reprint or refund
- Collaborative editing and seamless social media imports
It’s a photo service designed for modern life—not a scrapbooking session.
Should You Try Chatbooks?
If you’re short on time, want a clean aesthetic, and love printed memories, Chatbooks is probably your best match. It’s not built for creatives who want to tweak every element, but it excels at helping you print regularly, without friction.
If you:
- Take lots of pics and never print them
- Want easy gifts for family or friends
- Like the idea of consistent monthly albums
- Prefer your tech to be low-effort and pretty
Then Chatbooks might just become your new go-to.
The Bottom Line
Chatbooks makes photo books feel doable, affordable, and fun. It bridges the gap between a digital life and a tangible keepsake—and it does it in style.
Are you ready to get your memories off your phone and into your hands? What kind of photo book would you make first?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does Chatbooks cost?
A: One-off books start at $15. Subscriptions range from $8–$20/month with shipping included.
Q: Can I use Chatbooks without a subscription?
A: Yes. Classic books are one-time orders with no ongoing commitment.
Q: Is the quality good?
A: Yes. The standard books have solid print and paper quality. The Layflat books are especially high-end.
Q: Can I add captions or customize pages?
A: Yes, but the options are intentionally minimal. You can add captions and choose from a few layouts.
Q: What’s the Toddler Guarantee?
A: If your toddler ruins a book within a year, Chatbooks will replace it free.
Q: Does it work with Instagram or Google Photos?
A: Yes. You can sync your photos and captions from Instagram, Facebook, and Google Photos.
Q: How fast is delivery?
A: Books print in 3–5 days. Standard shipping adds another 3–7 days.
Q: Can I cancel my subscription easily?
A: Yes. Subscriptions can be paused or canceled anytime in the app.
