A Lense alternative with one price instead of a guest-count ladder
Published 16 September 2026 · Updated 16 September 2026
Lense is one of the good ones: prices on a public page, free downloads in writing, guests join by QR with nothing to install. The differences are in the fine print. Lense prices by guest count with paid add-ons for unlimited captures and video, and stores your photos for 12 months. Kept is one public price (free up to 8 guests, €89.99 one-time for unlimited), and downloading your full-quality photos is free, always.
Lense and Kept agree on the fundamentals: guests as the photographers, a limited roll each, a QR code that opens the camera in the browser, and the option to hold photos back for a reveal. Where they part ways is how the bill is structured and how long your photos stay yours to fetch.
Where Lense genuinely shines
Credit where due, twice. First, Lense does pricing the way this category should. Every tier is on a public page with a number next to it, from €5.99 for 25 guests up to €99.99 for 500, and the download policy is in writing: “no extra costs associated with downloading.” There is even a money-back guarantee if your event produces fewer than 50 pictures. After comparing apps that hide prices in calculators, that transparency deserves a genuine tip of the hat.
Second, Lense is cheaper than Kept for small and mid-size guest lists. A 25-guest wedding costs €5.99 on Lense against €89.99 on Kept once you pass Kept's free tier. If your list is modest, your captures fit inside 25 per guest, and a 12-month download window is enough, Lense is honestly the better deal. Extras like the Live Photo Wall for the venue screen and camera-roll uploads are well done too.
What you give up is simplicity and permanence. On Lense you predict your guest count and pay for the right rung of the ladder, unlimited captures is a €11.99 add-on, video is another €9.99, and the album lives in their cloud for 12 months from the event date, so downloading is a deadline rather than a standing promise. Their public pages also don't state what resolution your photos come back at.
Lense vs Kept
| Lense | Kept | |
|---|---|---|
| Guest join method | QR scan opens the camera in the browser, no app, no account | QR scan opens the camera in the browser, no app, no account |
| Android support | Yes, guests shoot in the browser on any phone | Yes, guests shoot in the browser on any phone |
| Photo quality / resolution policy | Not stated on public pages | Full quality, stated in writing |
| Download / export policy | Free (“no extra costs associated with downloading”), individually or all at once | Free full-quality download on every tier |
| How long you can download | 12 months of storage from the event start date | Free forever, no deadline |
| Sealed-reveal mechanic | Optional delayed reveal (open and private album modes also offered) | Always sealed: the box stays shut until opening day, then opens for everyone at once |
| Capture limits | 25 per guest on every tier; unlimited is a +€11.99 add-on | Host sets the roll size, no paid unlock |
| Pricing published vs hidden | Published, full price list on lense.app/pricing | Published, one sentence on the pricing page |
| Price range | Free, then €5.99 (25 guests) to €99.99 (500 guests) one-time, plus add-ons: +€11.99 unlimited captures, +€9.99 video | Free, then €89.99 (about $97) one-time, unlimited guests |
| Free tier | Up to 7 guests, 25 captures each | Full product up to 8 guests |
Claims verified 16 September 2026 against lense.app and lense.app/pricing; where their pages don't state a number or policy, the table says so. Spot something outdated? Email hello@kept.pictures and we'll fix it.
The honest bottom line
If your guest list is small, 25 shots per guest is plenty, and you'll download the album within the year, Lense is a fair, transparently priced pick, and we'd genuinely rather you choose it than a live photo dump with no reveal at all.
If you don't want to count guests before you've sent invitations, don't want capture limits or video sold back as add-ons, and want it in writing that keeping your full-quality photos is free forever rather than free for 12 months, that is exactly the product Kept is. Here's how it works.
Kept is on the App Store
Download the free host app, create your event, and print the QR code. Your guests need nothing but their phone. The free tier is the full product for events up to 8 guests, so try it on your rehearsal dinner first.
Free on iPhone. Guests join from any phone's browser, iPhone or Android.
Common questions
What does Lense cost for a wedding?
Lense publishes its prices, which we respect: free for up to 7 guests, then one-time tiers from €5.99 for 25 guests to €99.99 for 500, with unlimited captures (+€11.99) and video (+€9.99) as add-ons. Kept is free up to 8 guests with every feature, then €89.99 (about $97) one-time for unlimited guests, nothing sold separately.
Does Lense charge to download my photos?
No, and they say so plainly: downloading is free, individually or all at once. The catch is the window: photos are stored for 12 months from your event start date. Kept's promise has no clock on it: full-quality downloads are free on every tier, forever.
Do guests need to install the Lense app?
No. Guests scan a QR code and the camera opens in their phone's browser, on iPhone and Android alike. Kept works exactly the same way. The Lense app on the App Store is for hosts; Kept's host app is likewise on the iOS App Store.
What resolution do I get my photos back at?
Lense's public pages don't state a resolution policy, so we can't tell you. Kept states it: your photos download at full quality on every tier.
When is Lense the better pick?
When your guest list is 25 to 100 people, the per-tier prices (€5.99 to €39.99) genuinely undercut Kept's €89.99 unlimited price, and the money-back guarantee if fewer than 50 pictures are taken is a nice safety net. If price for a known headcount matters more than unlimited guests, uncapped rolls, and a forever download promise, pick Lense.