A Once alternative with prices you can see before you commit
Published 17 July 2026 · Updated 31 July 2026
Once publishes no prices and doesn't state what downloading your photos costs. Kept's prices are public (free up to 8 guests, €89.99 one-time for unlimited), and downloading your full-resolution photos is free, always.
Both apps sell the same beautiful idea: your guests as the photographers, a limited roll each, and the photos sealed until a reveal. The difference is what you know before you commit, and what it costs to keep what's yours afterwards.
Where Once genuinely shines
Credit where due: Once earned its following. The disposable-camera aesthetic is lovingly done, the reveal moment is designed with real care, and guests join by QR or link with nothing to install, which is exactly how this category should work.
What Once doesn't do is show you the bill. Its pricing page lists participant tiers with no amounts, and its public pages don't say whether downloading your photos costs extra or at what quality. For your wedding photos, we think those answers belong in writing, before you pay.
Once vs Kept
| Once | Kept | |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Tiers shown, no amounts published | Public: free ≤ 8 guests; €89.99 one-time, unlimited |
| Keep your photos | Download offered; cost and resolution not stated publicly | Free full-resolution download, always, every tier |
| Free tier | Up to 5 participants | Full product up to 8 guests |
| Guest onboarding | QR or link, no installs (per their site) | QR scan → camera opens in the browser; no download, no account |
| Disposable-camera ritual | Yes, limited shots, delayed reveal | Yes, limited roll, sealed box, opening day |
| Host controls | App on the iOS App Store | iPhone app (shot limits, reveal time, moderation) |
| Printable table cards | — | Included (QR cards for every table) |
Claims verified 30 July 2026 against once.film's public pages; 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 Spot something outdated?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 you love Once's aesthetic and you're comfortable finding the price inside the product, it's a genuinely lovely take on the ritual, and we'd rather you pick it than a live photo dump; the sealed reveal is worth protecting either way.
If you want to know exactly what you'll pay and exactly what it costs to keep your own photos (nothing, ever), that's the promise Kept is built on. 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 the Once camera app cost?
Once doesn't publish prices: its pricing page shows participant tiers (free for up to 5, then 10 to 200+) with no amounts, so you find your price inside the flow. Kept's prices are public: free for events up to 8 guests with all features, €89.99 (about $97) one-time for unlimited guests.
Is downloading your photos free with Once?
Once's public pages say you can download your photos after the film develops, but don't state whether that costs anything or at what resolution. Kept states it plainly: downloading your full-resolution photos is free on every tier, forever, and that promise is on our pricing page.
Do guests need to download an app with Once or Kept?
Per Once's site, guests join by QR or link with no installs. Kept works the same way: the camera opens in the phone's browser from a QR scan, no app store, no account, on iPhone and Android alike. On both, the host manages the event from an app; Kept's host app is on the iOS App Store.
Does Kept have the same disposable-camera feel as Once?
Yes, that ritual is the point of both apps. Guests get a limited roll of shots (you set the number), there's no gallery preview during the event, and everything stays sealed in the box until opening day, like film waiting to be developed.
Can I try Kept before the wedding?
Yes, the free tier is the complete product for up to 8 guests. Couples typically run the rehearsal dinner or shower on it, watch the box open the next morning, then unlock the wedding.