You found Artkive. You liked the idea. You looked at the pricing. You closed the tab.
This happens constantly. Artkive’s concierge model (ship them a box, they photograph everything, you get a book) is genuinely smart.
The problem: the box, which starts at $19-34, is not the cost. The book starts at $75 for 25 images and goes up from there. A book with 100 images runs about $265. If you have two kids and a year’s worth of art, you’re easily past $400 before you’ve made any decisions about the layout.
Multiple parents on review sites describe sending in boxes without realizing what the final bill would be. Some report charges of $700 after the fact, with debt collection involved. None of this makes Artkive a scam. The books are nice and some parents are perfectly happy paying what it costs. It means the pricing model wasn’t designed to be obvious upfront.
So here are the alternatives. What works depends entirely on what problem you’re actually trying to solve.
If you want someone else to handle it (and don’t mind paying)
Plum Print is the closest equivalent to Artkive. Same basic model: you send them the artwork, they photograph and produce a book. A 25-piece hardcover runs around $124, slightly more expensive than Artkive’s entry price, but the pricing structure is more transparent. If you’ve already decided you want the concierge approach and Artkive’s billing practices worried you, Plum Print is the cleaner option.
Both of these services are US-only. If you’re in Europe, mail-in services aren’t really viable. Shipping a box of drawings overseas and back adds logistics, cost, and the very real possibility of something getting lost in transit.
If you’re in Europe
This is a gap the US-focused comparison posts never quite address. Artkive and Plum Print don’t ship to European addresses. Most “kids art book” searches return American results by default, which makes European parents feel like there are no good options. There are.
Full disclosure: I built Scribbly, and this is exactly the problem it was designed for. I live in Zürich. I have two boys who draw constantly. When I started looking into preservation options, everything I found assumed I was in California.
So I built an app that works for European parents: photographs drawings, removes the background automatically, organizes by child, and prints books that ship within the EU and EEA. The app is free. You pay only for print products.
If you’d rather have an unbiased take, the summary is this: Scribbly is the only EU-based option with automatic background removal and a European print/shipping pipeline.
If you want free (and don’t mind the work)
The most underrated approach: photograph everything yourself and use a local print service.
Take photos of each drawing with your phone. Create an album called “Art 2026.” When you’re ready to print, upload to Blurb, Shutterfly, or a local photo book service. End of year works well, or whenever you move.
Shutterfly’s cheapest books start around $48. Blurb’s are comparable. Local Swiss or German Fotobuch services run similar prices.
The drawback: no background removal, so every photo includes your kitchen table. If you don’t mind the table (and many parents don’t), this is a completely serviceable system that costs almost nothing to maintain.
If you need Android
Artkive is iOS only. Plum Print is iOS only. Scribbly is iOS and web (Android is in development).
Keepy works on Android. It covers more ground than just art: school reports, first writing attempts, certificates, recordings.
If you want one app for all of your kid’s memories rather than a dedicated art tool, Keepy is worth trying. No background removal, English only, US data storage. But if Android is the constraint, it’s your main option.
The honest breakdown
| Artkive | Plum Print | Scribbly | Keepy | DIY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it ships | US only | US only | EU/EEA | N/A | Anywhere |
| Entry cost | $75+ for a book | $124+ for a book | Free app | Free (basic) | Free |
| You photograph | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Background removal | Concierge only | No | AI, automatic | No | No |
| Android | No | No | No (web yes) | Yes | Yes |
| Data location | USA | USA | Switzerland | USA | Your choice |
Which one to pick
You hate doing the photography yourself and live in the US: Artkive or Plum Print. Read the pricing fine print before you commit. Plum Print’s pricing is more straightforward.
You live in Europe: Scribbly for the free capture and organization, then print when you’re ready. Or photograph everything yourself and use a local photo book service.
You have an Android and want something beyond just art: Keepy.
Your main goal is to spend as little money as possible: Photograph things yourself, store in a cloud album, print locally once a year. It works.
You want automatic background removal: That’s Scribbly. It’s the only option that does this for free.
One thing that’s true regardless of which approach you pick: none of these solutions are as good as the one you’ll actually use. Artkive’s book is beautiful but meaningless if it lives in a shipping box for 8 months while you figure out the pricing. A camera roll album you update every month is more valuable than any app you downloaded once and forgot about.
Pick the option that matches how you actually work, not the most impressive one.
FAQ
Is Artkive worth it? For some parents, yes. If you have a large backlog, live in the US, and want zero effort, the concierge service is genuinely convenient. The key is understanding the full cost before you send in your box. Don’t assume the box price is the final price.
Is there a European alternative to Artkive? The mail-in concierge model doesn’t have a direct European equivalent. Scribbly is the closest: free app, EU data storage, prints that ship within Europe. You photograph things yourself rather than mailing them in.
What’s the cheapest way to make a kids art book? Photograph the drawings yourself (any phone works), upload to a photo book service, and print. Shutterfly and Blurb both have options starting around $48. You won’t have background removal, but it’s a fraction of what Artkive charges.
Can I use Artkive if I live in Germany, Switzerland, or France? Technically yes, but the service is built for the US market. International shipping to send your box adds cost and complexity, and the return shipping from the US can trigger customs. Most European parents find it impractical.
Prices verified as of May 2026. Artkive pricing changes; check their current site before ordering.
