Comparison
WhatsApp, Google Photos, iCloud or EventDrop: what's the best way to share travel photos?
A direct comparison of the four common ways to collect everyone's photos from a shared trip in one place — with sources for every claim about a third-party service.
Last updated: September 4, 2026
The comparison at a glance
EventDrop is the only one of the four that runs in any browser on any device, needs no account at all, and whose storage does not come out of anyone's own quota — the table below shows the differences in detail.
| Criterion | Price | Platform | Account for contributors | Original quality | Whose storage? | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp group | Free | iOS and Android | Phone number in the group | No — photos are re-encoded for sending. HD mode softens this but has to be set per picture; the true original only survives as a “document” attachment, which then never lands in the gallery. | Each person's own phone storage | No expiry, stays in the chat history |
| Google Photos (shared album) | Free (within the account's 15 GB quota) | iOS and Android | Usually a Google account to contribute | Yes, in full resolution | Each contributor's own 15 GB Google quota | No expiry |
| iCloud shared album (up to iOS 26) | Free | Apple devices only | Needs an Apple ID | No — compressed to 2048 pixels, max. 5,000 photos and videos per album | Does not count against iCloud storage | No expiry |
| iCloud shared album (from iOS 27) | Free | Android can join via browser (announced) | Web access without an Apple ID announced for new albums | Yes, for newly created albums | Counts against the storage of whoever created the album | No expiry |
| EventDrop | From $29 (Spotlight) or $69 (Premiere), one-time | Any device with a browser, no download needed | No account — open the link and upload | Yes, in full resolution without downscaling | EventDrop's storage | 90 days (Spotlight) or 365 days (Premiere) from purchase, extendable afterwards |
Sources
- WhatsApp group: giga.de, netzwelt.de
- Google Photos (shared album): support.google.com/photos/9789702, support.google.com/googleone/9312312
- iCloud shared album (up to iOS 26): support.apple.com/108916
- iCloud shared album (from iOS 27): macrumors.com (June 8, 2026 and August 20, 2026)
New in iOS 27
What changes for iCloud shared albums in iOS 27?
With iOS 27, Android users can join an iCloud shared album through the browser — until now that was limited to Apple devices.
The trade-off: photos in newly created albums count against the storage of whoever created the album from iOS 27 onward — up to iOS 26 a shared album was exempt from that quota. One exception: temporary shared albums for short-term projects remain quota-free.
Source: macrumors.com, checked on June 8, 2026 and again on August 20, 2026.
Frequently asked questions about sharing travel photos
Discover more
More pages about collecting event photos.
Ready for a shared travel album?
One link, every traveler uploads — no account, full resolution.