Disclosure: Kept is our product. Every fact about another product below comes from that product’s own website or store listing, linked under Sources with the date we checked. If something has changed, tell us and we will fix it.

The short list

FeatureBest forGuests installPrice
KeptA reveal nobody can peek at, the whole roll for every guestNothingFree up to 5 guests, one-time $1.29 to $69.99
POVHost-controlled reveal, curating, live slideshowNothingFree up to 10 guests, in-app purchases $4.99 to $89.99
GuestpixLive photo wall, uploads from guests’ camera rolls, videoNothingFree plan of 50 photos, one-time $49 to $119
LapseA close group of friends, everyday photosThe app, iPhone only, by inviteFree
DispoYour own photos with a retro lookThe app, iPhoneFree, with paid Max tiers
Film disposablesThe real flash-lit 35mm lookNothing, it is a cameraAbout $20 to $28 each, plus developing

How we judged them

An event camera has a different job from a personal camera app. The questions that decide it: does every guest have to install something, are photos really hidden until later or only blurred, can the host see them first, how many shots each guest gets, who ends up with the photos, and whether the price is once or every month. Our longer checklist is in how to choose a disposable camera app.

Kept: best for a reveal nobody can see early

Guests scan a QR code, type a name, and get a film camera on their own phone: a viewfinder, a frame counter and a shutter. Up to 36 shots each (the host picks 12, 24 or 36), no preview, no retakes, no deleting. Before the roll develops the server sends no photo addresses to anyone, including the host and the person who took the picture, so there is nothing to peek at. When it develops, every guest gets the whole roll and can save it in one tap. App Clip on iPhone, browser on Android, nothing to install. Free for up to 5 guests, then one price for the event.

Not for you if you want to look through the photos and remove some before guests see them, or want photos on a screen during the party. Kept does neither, on purpose.

POV: best if the host wants control

The closest product to Kept. QR join, App Clip on iPhone, browser on Android. The host sets how many photos each guest can take and chooses whether photos reveal during the event or the next day, and can review and delete guests’ photos at any time. A live slideshow is offered as a business add-on. Free for up to 10 guests, in-app purchases from $4.99 to $89.99. Kept vs POV.

Guestpix: best for a live photo wall

Not a camera: an upload service. Guests scan a code and upload photos and video they already took, with no app and no registration. The host gets a private gallery, a live slideshow, a digital guestbook and a full-resolution download. One-time from $49 to $119, with a free plan of 50 photos. Pick it if you want photos on a screen during the reception, or if video matters. Kept vs Guestpix.

Lapse: best for friends, not events

A free, invite-only disposable camera for iPhone, with a delayed develop into a friends-only feed. There is no event mode and no Android, and every guest needs the app and an invite, which rules it out for most weddings. Good for a small group who are all on iPhone. Kept vs Lapse.

Dispo: best for your own photos

A personal retro camera for iPhone: photos develop at 9am each day, with filters and a feed, and paid Max tiers. It is a camera for you rather than for a room full of guests, who would each need the app and an account. Kept vs Dispo.

Film disposables: best for the look

Not an app, and still the benchmark. A single-use camera retails around $20 to $28 at US pharmacies with 27 exposures, and mail-in developing starts around $14 a roll. Nothing digital matches flash on 35mm. The cost multiplies by tables, someone has to collect them, and guests share one camera per table. How many you would need.

Not on the list: shared albums

iCloud Shared Albums and Google Photos are free and everyone knows them, but they are not disposable cameras: photos appear the moment they are added, and guests choose what to share. Fine for a trip, a different thing at a wedding. Kept vs shared albums.

Questions

What is the best disposable camera app for a wedding?
It depends on what you want the host to be able to do. If nobody, including the couple, should see photos until the reveal and every guest should get the whole roll, Kept. If the couple wants to review or delete photos first or show a live slideshow, POV. Both need no guest download. Kept is free for up to 5 guests and POV for up to 10.
Which disposable camera apps work without guests downloading anything?
Kept and POV both open as an App Clip on iPhone and in the browser on Android. Guestpix also needs no app, but it uploads photos from the camera roll rather than giving guests a camera. Lapse and Dispo need the app.
Is there a free disposable camera app for events?
Kept is free for up to 5 guests and POV for up to 10. Guestpix has a free plan of 50 photos. Lapse is free but iPhone only and invite-only, with no event mode.
Do disposable camera apps really hide the photos?
Not all of them in the same way. Some deliver the photo and put a blur over it, and some let the host see everything at any time. In Kept the server does not send any photo until the roll develops. Our guide to the delayed photo reveal explains how to tell the difference.
Is a disposable camera app cheaper than film disposables?
Almost always. A film camera is about $20 to $28 plus about $14 or more to develop, per table. Kept is one price for the whole event, $19.99 for up to 100 guests.

Sources

Every claim about another product on this page comes from that product’s own website or store listing, checked on 15 September 2026. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it.

Give everyone a camera. Take away the screen.

Free for your first 5 guests. Your first roll takes about a minute to set up, and nobody has to install anything.

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