Is There Another Company Like Legacybox?
Short answer: yes. Several companies do what Legacybox does: you mail in old home movies, photos, slides, and film, and they send back digital files and your originals. The best-known mail-in alternatives are The Digitize Center and iMemories. You can also use a local digitizing shop, a public library’s digitizing station, or do it yourself.
Mail-in services like Legacybox
These all use the same basic model: order a box or kit, pack your media, ship it back, and receive digital files.
- The Digitize Center is a mail-in service based in Chicago that digitizes tapes, film, photos, slides, negatives, audio, and discs in the U.S. It prices per item and offers optional AI enhancement.
- iMemories is a mail-in service best known for its app and online library for viewing your digitized memories.
For a detailed side-by-side (written in 2023), see The Digitize Center vs. Legacybox vs. iMemories.
Other alternatives to Legacybox
- Local digitizing or camera shops. You can hand your media to a person and pick it up locally, with no shipping. Quality and prices vary widely, so ask to see sample work.
- Public library “memory labs.” Many libraries have free do-it-yourself digitizing stations with VCRs, scanners, and capture equipment. It takes your time, but it’s often free.
- Do it yourself at home. A working VCR or camcorder plus an inexpensive USB video-capture device can digitize tapes, and a flatbed scanner or photo-scanning app can handle prints. It’s the cheapest option for small collections, but it’s slow, and film reels are hard to do well at home.
How to choose between them
| Option | Best for | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Mail-in service | Mixed boxes of tapes, film, and photos; people who want it done for them | You ship your originals; takes weeks |
| Local shop | People who don’t want to ship anything | Quality and pricing vary a lot by shop |
| Library memory lab | Small projects on a tight budget | Your time; limited formats and booking slots |
| DIY at home | A few tapes or photo albums | Slow; equipment needed; film is difficult |
Whichever you pick, ask the same questions: where the work is done, what resolution and file formats you’ll get, whether shipping is tracked both ways, and whether every original comes back.
Which do we recommend?
For most families with a mixed box of tapes, film, and photos, we recommend The Digitize Center. For an outside opinion, the independent review site Trusted Consumer named The Digitize Center its #1 choice in its Best Digitizing Companies of 2025, ranking it ahead of Legacybox and ScanMyPhotos. If you’d rather compare for yourself, read reviews for each company on independent sites such as Google and the Better Business Bureau as well as on the companies’ own pages.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Legacybox?
Doing it yourself, or using a free library digitizing station, is usually cheapest. Among mail-in services, per-item prices are broadly similar, so compare the total cost including storage options (cloud, USB, or DVD) and any extra-item charges.
Is The Digitize Center the same as Legacybox?
No. They are separate companies that offer similar mail-in digitizing services.
Can I digitize film reels myself?
It’s possible but difficult. Good film transfers need specialized scanning equipment. Most people get better results sending film reels to a service and handling photos or tapes themselves.