Shutterfly vs Aura Frames
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shutterfly
Transform your cherished photos into personalized photo books, custom cards, wall art, and unique gifts directly from your smartphone. Easily design and order prints, with options for professional design assistance and unlimited storage for active customers.
- Photo book creation
- Custom card design
- Personalized gifts
- Wall art and decor
- Unlimited 4x4 & 4x6 prints
- 24-Hour Photo Book Designer Service
- Unlimited photo storage
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Everything you need for a more personal holiday season starts with the Shutterfly app. Easily create custom holiday cards, photo books, photo prints, and personalized gifts to send and share with those you love. Make every moment merry and meaningful, right here. Create What You Love Design photo books, custom cards, wedding invitations, wall art, personalized gifts like mugs and blankets, calendars, and more. Short on time? Let a Shutterfly designer create your photo book for you with our 24-Hour Photo Book Designer Service. Unlimited 4x4 & 4x6 Prints Enjoy unlimited 4x4 and 4x6 photo prints in the app — just pay shipping. Ordering everyday prints of your favorite moments takes only a few taps. Faster, Easier Print Ordering Ordering prints is now easier than ever: • Select photos quickly • Choose sizes and quantities with ease • Complete your order in minutes More Creative Freedom Personalize with greater flexibility and control: • Move, resize, and rearrange photos easily • Easily change layouts without starting over • Adjust spacing and placement with precision • Enjoy a smoother editing experience • Get help from a Shutterfly designer with our 24-Hour Photo Book Designer Service Unlimited Photo Storage Active customers receive unlimited photo storage to keep photos safe, organized, and ready to use (purchase required at least once every 18 months). Make something that means something with Shutterfly.
Aura Frames
Easily display and share your favorite photos with loved ones. This smart frame allows you to preload images, connect to Wi-Fi quickly, and invite family to contribute their own memories. Relive moments together and even scan physical prints to digitize them.
- Preload photos and messages as gifts
- Quick Wi-Fi frame setup
- Invite family to share photos
- Unlimited photo and video sharing
- View family contributions
- Scan physical prints with phone camera
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Aura is a smart photo frame that makes displaying and sharing photos delightfully simple. Get the free Aura app to view and share your photos, get your frame set up, and more: - Preload photos or write a message before giving Aura as a gift - Connect your frame to WiFi - in less than 5 minutes! - Invite family members to share their photos to your frame - Share unlimited photos and videos to an Aura frame - See what your family has added, and relive memories together - Scan prints and artwork with your phone or tablet's camera With Aura, you can share those meaningful moments and memories that are only meant to be shared with the people closest to you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Aura Frames at free against Shutterfly's free with in-app purchases. Aura Frames also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Shutterfly's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 62%) and ratings volume (602K vs 28K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Aura Frames holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shutterfly has 602K ratings behind it against 28K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of Shutterfly's written reviews are positive against 62% of Aura Frames's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Shutterfly ships an update weekly, Aura Frames every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Shutterfly | Aura Frames |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (602K ratings) | 4.8 (28K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.0% of reviews — better | 62.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 602K — better | 28K |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #62 — better | #87 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 327 MB | 279 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Shutterfly | Aura Home, Inc. |
Customer experience
Shutterfly
Aura Frames
User reviews
Shutterfly
From 602K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Quick and easy to make photo products
- 💡 Lots of design options and templates
- 🚀 Convenient app integration with phone photos
- 👍 Great customer service
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive shipping costs
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy app
- 🔍 Limited editing options in app
- 🔍 Inconsistent quality of prints
- 🔍 Difficult to organize and manage photos
Aura Frames
From 28K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 👍 Ability to share photos with family
- 👍 Great quality of photos on frame
- 👍 Convenient way to display family photos
- 👍 Helpful for grandparents to stay connected
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes and freezes frequently
- 🐛 Issues with uploading and displaying photos
- 🐛 Inconsistent WiFi connectivity
- 🐛 Limited customization options for photo display
- 🐛 Buggy software after recent updates
Bugs and requests
Shutterfly
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes frequently
- Issues with saving and loading projects
- Problems with photo uploads and ordering
Requested features
3 requests- Add more editing tools in the app
- Improve syncing and organization between app and website
- Provide more transparent and affordable shipping options
Aura Frames
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes when trying to upload photos
- Frame randomly disconnects from WiFi
- Live Photos feature not working as expected
- Inability to delete individual photos from frame
- Inconsistent behavior when changing WiFi networks
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to organize photos into albums
- Implement manual photo sorting and ordering
- Allow more control over photo display timing
- Integrate with cloud storage services like OneDrive
- Improve photo positioning and cropping algorithms
In-app purchases
Shutterfly
No in-app purchases
Aura Frames
No in-app purchases
