Compare
Leafthrough compared with photo books, flipbooks and albums
There are many ways to turn photos and videos into something you can give. This is how a Leafthrough book compares with a printed photo book, a PDF flipbook maker, a shared online album and a video slideshow, and when each one is the better choice.
Free to make. No account needed to start.
At a glance
| Leafthrough | Printed photo book | PDF flipbook maker | Shared online album | Video slideshow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You start from | Your photos and videos | Your photos | A finished PDF | Your photos and videos | Your photos and videos |
| Pages that turn on screen | Yes, in any browser | Usually only as a preview before printing | Yes | No, a grid or a feed | No, it plays from start to end |
| Videos | Play by themselves on their page, next to the photos | None, or a QR code to a clip elsewhere | Sometimes, depending on the tool | Yes, opened one at a time | The whole thing is one video |
| Sending it | One link, no account needed to open it | Posted as a parcel | A link | A link, sometimes with an account | A video file or an upload |
| On paper | A booklet from your home printer, with a QR code back to the live book once unlocked | Printed and bound by the print shop, often a hardcover | Print the PDF | Usually not | No |
| Cost | Free to make; one payment per book to unlock, from $5 | A price per printed copy, plus shipping | Free plans and subscriptions | Often free | Often free |
When a printed photo book is the better choice
If you want a heavy hardcover with large, professionally printed photos to keep on a shelf, order a printed photo book. A home-printed booklet is lighter and smaller. Leafthrough makes sense next to it, too: the link reaches people on the day, and the videos stay moving.
When a PDF flipbook maker is the better choice
If you already have a finished PDF, such as a magazine, a catalog or a brochure, a PDF flipbook maker turns it into flipping pages without laying it out again. Leafthrough is for building a book from photos and videos, page by page. More on that in the flipbook maker guide.
When a shared online album is the better choice
If the goal is to collect everyone's photos from a trip or a wedding in one place, a shared album is quicker: people add their own photos as they go. A Leafthrough book is what you make afterwards, choosing the best of them and putting them in order with a dedication.
When a video slideshow is the better choice
If you want something to play once on a television or at a party, a slideshow with music does that well. A Leafthrough book is read at the reader's own pace, page by page, with each video playing on its page.
When Leafthrough is the better choice
- The videos matter. They play by themselves on their page, quietly and on a loop, next to the photos from the same day. How videos work on the page.
- It has to arrive today. The whole book is one link that opens in any browser, with nothing to install and no account.
- You want paper and screen. Print a booklet at home, and the QR code on the cover opens the live book once it is unlocked. How the QR codes work.
- It is a gift. A dedication on the first page, a scene for each part of the story, a password if it is only for one person. Gift ideas by occasion.
What Leafthrough costs
Making, editing and previewing are free. Unlocking a book is one payment, and you choose the amount: from $5, with $8 suggested, plus VAT or sales tax where it applies. A free book's link stays open for 10 days after you first share it; an unlocked book's link keeps working as long as the book exists.
Try it
It is free to make, and you can start without an account.