Costco's in-warehouse photo centers closed back in February 2021. The online site, CostcoPhotoCenter.com, hung on longer, then Costco announced on January 5, 2023 that it was shutting that down too and handing photo printing over to Shutterfly. The site went dark on January 28, 2023. That's why you can't find a Costco photo book today.

This guide covers where your old Costco photos actually went, then walks through the best photo book services to use instead -- including one that skips manual uploads if your photos live on Facebook or Instagram.

First: where did your Costco photos go?

Costco gave members a transfer window before the site closed. Starting January 11, 2023, you could move your Costco Photo Center account, saved images included, over to Shutterfly. If you did that, your photos should still be in a Shutterfly account today. If you never made the switch, Costco set a hard deadline of January 31, 2024 to download anything you'd uploaded. That deadline has passed.

Three likely situations: your library is intact in Shutterfly, your files are on a hard drive from before the 2024 cutoff, or you did neither and anything stored only on CostcoPhotoCenter.com is gone. Check Shutterfly first. Costco pushed that migration hard.

If your photos are gone from Costco's system but you posted the same shots to Facebook or Instagram, you're not starting from zero. Those platforms already have dates, captions, and locations attached. A service that connects directly can rebuild a photo book from that history, no digging through old hard drives.

What to look for in a Costco photo book alternative

• Where does it pull photos from? Manual upload, or a direct connection to Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox. If your Costco photos are gone, a social connection matters more than usual.
• Warehouse-club prices or full retail? Costco's prices ran low on membership volume. Expect other services closer to retail, though most run frequent sales.
• Manual layout or automatic book? Costco's old editor was mostly do-it-yourself. Decide whether you want that control again, or you'd rather a service build the whole thing.
• Print and binding quality. Costco's photo quality had a solid reputation. Check paper stock and cover options before you assume a replacement matches it.
• Does it work if your photos are scattered? Between transfers, downloads, and phone backups, your library may be split across a few places now. A service pulling from Dropbox handles that better than one wanting a single tidy folder.

7 best Costco photo book alternatives in 2026

1. My Social Book

Best for: rebuilding a book from Facebook or Instagram history, or from a Dropbox folder of recovered photos

If your Costco photos survived as a Shutterfly export or a folder on your computer, drop that folder into Dropbox and My Social Book builds a full book from it. But the stronger case is for anyone whose Costco library didn't survive the transfer. If you posted those same family photos to Facebook or Instagram at the time, My Social Book connects directly and rebuilds a chronological book from your posts, dates, captions, likes, and locations included, no manual sorting.

It's been in business for 12 years, printed more than 700,000 books, and holds a Trustpilot TrustScore of 4.6 / 5 (2,700 reviews, September 2026). After losing one photo service already, that track record is worth something.

Pick this if your photos live on social media, or you'd rather not rebuild a book page by page. Skip it if you want full manual control; see Mixbook below.

Pros:

• Automatic book creation from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox
• Keeps dates, captions, likes, and locations
• Preview every page before ordering
• Hardcover or softcover, 25 to 500 pages

Cons:

• No direct import from Shutterfly or a Costco archive, you export a folder first
• One source per book (Facebook and Instagram photos need separate books)

See your book in minutes -- start from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox

2. Shutterfly

Best for: former Costco members who already transferred their account

Shutterfly is the company Costco pointed members toward, and it offered a first-order discount to anyone who switched. If you transferred your Costco account in 2023, your images may already be sitting here. The editor supports manual layout and an auto-fill option, with a wide range of sizes and covers.

Pros:

• Likely already has your transferred Costco photos
• Huge range of sizes and formats
• Frequent discounts

Cons:

• Manual upload and layout for anything new
• Editor can feel cluttered with upsells

3. Mixbook

Best for: full creative control over every page

Mixbook's drag-and-drop editor is one of the strongest in the category, starting around $14. If Costco's old editor felt limited, Mixbook is the upgrade: more layout freedom, more paper choices, better design tools, at the cost of more time spent building.

Pros:

• Best-in-class manual editor
• Wide range of sizes and paper types

Cons:

• Manual upload only
• Time-consuming for a large book

4. Snapfish

Best for: the lowest price on a standalone book

Snapfish sits closest to Costco's old pricing among standalone services. An 8x8 softcover starts low, and sales bring it lower still. The editor is basic and the paper isn't premium, but for a casual family book it does the job at a Costco-like price.

Pros:

• Low prices with frequent sales
• Many size and cover options

Cons:

• Dated editor and average print quality
• Manual upload only

5. Chatbooks

Best for: small books that build themselves from Instagram

Chatbooks connects to Instagram or your camera roll and mails a small softcover book on a recurring schedule, running roughly $12 to $34 depending on size, with minis starting near $10. It's hands-off and cheap, but the format stays small next to a full family photo book.

Pros:

• Connects to Instagram automatically
• Affordable, especially for minis

Cons:

• Small format, limited customization
• Subscription keeps producing books until you pause it

6. Walgreens Photo

Best for: same-day pickup near a Costco warehouse

If part of what you liked about Costco was picking up prints the same day, Walgreens covers that for basic photo books, with same-day pickup at most locations. It won't match Costco's quality or size range, but it's the closest thing to walking out with something in hand.

Pros:

• Same-day pickup at many stores
• Low starting prices

Cons:

• Limited sizes and paper options
• Print quality below dedicated photo book services

7. Amazon Photos

Best for: Prime members who already store photos there

If you back photos up to Amazon Photos as part of a Prime membership, you can build a book straight from that library, no separate upload. The product is basic next to dedicated photo book brands, but skipping the export is a real convenience if that's already where your photos live.

Pros:

• Builds directly from your Amazon Photos library
• Included storage for Prime members

Cons:

• Fewer design and cover options
• Less useful outside the Amazon ecosystem

Costco photo book alternatives comparison table

Related photo book comparisons

Comparing more than one replacement before you decide? These cover the other photo book brands people search for most.

• Shutterfly alternatives
• Mixbook alternatives
• Chatbooks alternatives
• Snapfish alternatives
• Blurb alternatives
• Groovebook alternatives
• Photo books from Instagram

Frequently asked questions

Is Costco Photo Center still open?

No. Costco's in-warehouse photo centers closed in February 2021. The online site, CostcoPhotoCenter.com, closed on January 28, 2023, after Costco announced the shutdown on January 5, 2023 and directed members to Shutterfly.

What happened to my photos on Costco's site?

Costco offered a transfer window starting January 11, 2023 to move your account and images to Shutterfly. If you didn't transfer, Costco's final download deadline was January 31, 2024. That date has passed, so anything not transferred or downloaded by then isn't recoverable from Costco.

Can I still order a photo book through Costco?

Not directly. Costco no longer runs its own photo printing service. Costco.com now links members to Shutterfly for photo books, prints, and cards instead.

Can My Social Book import my old Costco photo book?

Not directly. My Social Book builds books from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox, not from a Costco or Shutterfly account. If you have your old images saved locally, upload the folder to Dropbox and build your book from there. If those same photos are on Facebook or Instagram, connect directly instead.

What's the closest replacement for Costco's photo book prices?

Snapfish and Chatbooks tend to run closest to Costco's old low prices, especially during sales. For a book built automatically instead of by hand, My Social Book runs affordable with frequent discounts of 40% or more.

Facts about competitors checked on September 9, 2026. Prices and features change; confirm on each company's site before ordering.

Create your book from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox