PastBook Reviews
Pros
-
Straightforward iOS apps
-
Perfect social media import
-
Contribution option (desktop app)
-
Books with up to 500 pages
-
Photo book builder chatbot
Cons
-
Limited customization options
-
Expensive base pricing
-
Undisclosed discounts
Whether it’s a famous landmark, a dinner in a nice restaurant or just a selfie, many people are composing pictures with full intention for them to be uploaded to social media profiles. The thrill of sharing our best photos on the internet and having others appreciate them is an awesome feeling, but this sensation might be beaten by putting them into a photo book and sharing the resulting product – it’s much more stylish, and is bound to be an instant hit.
But there’s more to it than that since many photo book companies have realized the potential in offerings for customers who don’t want to spend too much time customizing a photo book, so instead of providing virtually endless layouts, backgrounds and such they rather focus on simplifying things for more innovative options. And PastBook is one such company.
With PastBook’s online editor, its three iOS apps or brilliant chatbot it is possible to create a neat photo book of up to 500 pages in only seconds from any source, including your Facebook or Instagram photos alongside their respective captions. And to top it all, PastBook continuously applies different discounts on all orders and provides free shipping just by upgrading your book with a hard cover or ordering a bigger copy.
35% off on quick orders
Create a photo book in PastBook's online editor and if you order it within two hours of the project's creation you can purchase your new photo book with a 35% discount.
Features
Features
# designs
17
# pages
10-160 pages
Autofill
Layout personalization
Collaboration
Online storage
Album sharing
Social media import
Show all
Although PastBook’s editor perfectly adapts to mobile screens, it only allows for the creation and preview of photo books, meaning that further editing can only be done in the browser editor on a desktop or within the iPhone or iPad app.
Browser editor
The browser editor is optimized for those customers who prefer not spending too much time with customizing their photo books, which sadly means that regular customization options within the editor are very limited.
The prime example of this limitedness is customization of the cover: here just a title can be added and only slight modifications to the front picture are allowed, either through cropping or rotation. Editing the pictures within the book is not much better, either, since these are also limited to only rotation or cropping (in either a rectangular and circular shape); however, keep in mind that once the photos are added to the book, editing options are limited even further to just rotation.
Thankfully there are some neat and innovative features implemented as well, including the option to use PastBot, PastBook’s Facebook Messenger chatbot that can automatically create photo books just by sharing pictures with it. Alternatively there is the opportunity for the complete opposite end of the scale, where your photo book can be designed by a professional for at least $149 per book.
Setting up title and introductory text
Customizing the cover
The photo book creator chatbot
However, if you prefer the traditional approach then the editor is more than enough – and not just because it will import photos from a vast array of photo sources, ranging from your device’s storage to any number of social media accounts. In fact, connecting Facebook and Instagram to the editor is when PastBook shows its true strengths, allowing for the importing of all photos alongside their respective captions within a predetermined period of time.
In the case of Instagram it’s possible to filter pictures by hashtag, while Facebook photo books can be created from photos found in certain albums, groups or pages. Additionally, PastBook allows for the creation of the so-called Friendship Book, which compiles pictures that feature yourself and a chosen friend. In this regard PastBook can also create a link to your project that can then be shared with someone else as an invitation to contribute to the photo book with their own pictures.
Whether you import pictures or receive them from a friend via the contribution option, pictures are automatically arranged in chronological order that can either be reversed or fully customized to your liking. The photo layout can also be changed in different ways as the pages can allow between one to four photos per page, while the software is even capable of determining the best number of photos on each page for you.
Photo upload options
Filtering posts for Instagram photo book
Inviting a contributor
Customizing photo arrangement and layout
The iOS apps
Platform support
Web app
Mobile optimized
macOS
Linux
Android
Windows
iOS
Show all
Interestingly, there are three iOS apps provided by PastBook: an app for importing Facebook photos, another that does the same but for Instagram pictures, and the My Year app that imports all photos with their respective captions within the period of a predetermined year from Facebook or Instagram. But no matter which app you choose they all apply the same straightforward principle: after logging in to your account and syncing with the chosen social media site, the photo book creation process is started right away.
However, the Facebook and Instagram apps – unlike the My Year app – allow you to determine the year, months or custom period of time that pictures should be imported from. The My Year app does have a neat dialog box in which you can rate the selected year with a happy or sad emoji, though.
The three PastBook apps
Selecting year and month in the Facebook app
Editing a book in the app
Rating the year in the my year app
Unfortunately, these apps are far from perfect. The screen has to be positioned in landscape mode in order be able to toggle captions on or off, delete certain pictures and modify the cover. This is already annoying in itself, but the real reason it destroys the user experience is the fact that any project being worked on is not saved unless the photo book is ordered.
Designs
Even though PastBook’s website shows plenty of ‘styles’, these are nothing more than pictures highlighting what the editor is capable of. The truth is that due to the company catering primarily to social media users – who prefer not to spend too much time with additional settings – the number of custom design options is pretty low.
In fact, the only artistic freedom you have over the cover, the layout of the photos and the option to include photo captions is the opportunity to change the color of the page backgrounds. Additionally, a blank page can be added with a custom quote to the beginning of the book, the default back cover can be replaced with a photo, or the PastBook logo can be removed, but these options are all paid extras.
By default one page features one picture with a blurred copy of this applied photo serving as the background. This can be replaced by 16 preset backgrounds, some of which are simple colors while others have patterns and textures.
Importing captions from social media
Changing the background of pages
The available extras
Types
Book options
# sizes
3
5x5
8x8
8.5x11
8.5x12
10x10
12x12
11x15
# cover types
2
Softcovers
Hardcovers
Leather covers
Fabric covers
Layflat covers
Square shapes
Landscape shapes
Portrait shapes
Flyleaf
Show all
There is not too big a variety when it comes to the available photo book types with this service, either. All photo books are created in the default 6×8.5 landscape format with soft cover, which can only be changed during checkout where the software then offers the option to upgrade the would-be photo book with a hard cover or to the bigger 8.5×12 size.
There are some things to note, however. There must be a minimum of 26 pages for the option of upgrading to a hard cover to be made available. The sole exception is a book containing the maximum amount of 500 pages, which can only be paired with a soft cover and is available in two sizes, 6×8.5 or 6.6×9.
It’s worth mentioning that PastBook provides a free eBook copy of each photo book you order with the option to ditch the printed copy altogether; in this case the eBook has a cost of $4.99.
Pricing
PastBook promises a transparent pricing policy to its customers, meaning that – with the exception of shipping fees – everything is included in the price. Despite this courteous statement, we still think that the $20.40 price tag for the smallest book with a non-changeable soft cover and only 16 pages is a bit overpriced. Keep in mind that prices are always fixed to predetermined numbers of pages even if you manage to include fewer than specified.
16 pages
$20.40/unit
One-time payment
6×8.5 and 8.5×12
Soft cover
+$5 size upgrade
+$3.5 personal quote
+$3.5 back cover photo
+$2 logo removal
+$9.99 domestic shipping
–
26 pages
$30/unit
One-time payment
6×8.5 and 8.5×12
Soft/hard cover
+$25 size upgrade
+$3.5 personal quote
+$3.5 back cover photo
+$2 logo removal
Free shipping (hard cover)
+$10 cover upgrade
100 pages
$68/unit
One-time payment
6×8.5 and 8.5×12
Hard cover
+$15 size upgrade
+$3.5 personal quote
+$3.5 back cover photo
+$2 logo removal
Default free shipping
–
500 pages
$110/unit
One-time payment
6×8.5 and 6.6×9
Soft cover
+$15 size upgrade
+$3.5 personal quote
+$3.5 back cover photo
+$2 logo removal
+$9.99 domestic shipping
–
Thankfully there are plenty of discount options. First and foremost, if a product is ordered within two hours of creating a project, the price is reduced by 35%. But even if you don’t hit that two hour deadline PastBook will still cut your total when ordering your photo book in bulk, starting at 25% and gradually increasing up to 40%. To make things better, upgrade options are available with a 50% discount, while the hard cover book is shipped within the U.S. without paying extra.
In addition to this PastBook provides gift vouchers in the amounts of $25, $40 and $50, a referral promotion in which participants can save 35% and 40% respectively, and a prepaid Facebook photo book called GiftLink.
Payment options
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Discover
PayPal
Wire transfer
Check
Cryptocurrency
Show all
Customer support & shipping
Customer support
24/7
Live chat
Email
Phone
Community
FAQs
Video tutorials
Remote desktop
Blog
Facebook
Instagram
X
YouTube
Show all
If you want to contact PastBook’s staff your options are reduced to submitting a support ticket or starting a live chat. Although customer service is supposedly available 24/7, your best chance at getting any answers to your questions is by turning to the detailed Help Center where information regarding the use of the editor or apps and the pricing policy can be found. There are also regularly updated Facebook and Twitter pages, and a YouTube channel full of tutorials.
Email and live chat support
PastBook's help center
Shipping
Processing time
7-12 business days
Overnight shipping
International shipping
Store pickup
The company’s shipping policy is pretty self explanatory: by ordering a soft cover book a $9.99 fee is added to the total (a price that is usually reduced by default), but by upgrading to hard cover the shipping becomes free of charge. Photo books are shipped to any destination in the U.S. within 7-10 business days, but even international orders are shipped by no later than 12 business days. There is a problem, though, in that there is no way to expedite shipping.
Bottom line
It’s pretty clear that PastBook is a good choice for creating quality photo books in no time at all – but it’s not without its flaws. The lack of Android apps is forgivable, as is the minimalist and limited desktop browser editor that includes very few customization options. What’s most bothersome, however, is the pricing policy, which is anything but customer-friendly.
Thankfully PastBook makes up for its high prices with automatically applied discounts and the potential for free shipping. Aside from that, the editor is pretty straightforward, allowing users to create photo books with ease and even include extras, such as captions, from their favorite social media sites.
And if we take into consideration the handy iOS apps and the unique option of creating books with up to 500 pages with the help of a chatbot then we can firmly say that this service is a must for avid social media users and occasional photo book customers alike.
Why you can trust us
The Best Reviews team researches and tests all products first-hand. We've been reviewing products
and services since 2012 and are proud to only publish human-created content.
Zoltán G.
Rayssa G.
Sander D.
i have attempted to get the pastbook of my photos with no luck. the process starts but never produces anything. what a waste of time.
Awful service
Ordered a book delivered to the wrong address and I was asked to spend $45 to have the book sent again.
I still have no book. An expensive lesson but will not purchase through Facebook again.
Hello William Wood, and thank you for your comment!
We’re sorry to hear about your experience with PastBook. The company informs it usually takes seven to ten working days for your order to be delivered. If this period has ended and you haven’t received your book yet, contact PastBook to find out what happened.
In case you’re still not satisfied with PastBook’s service after that, don’t give up on photo book builders just yet. Other platforms on the market, such as Mixbook, Shutterfly, and Printique might suit your needs. We hope your issue is resolved soon. Have a nice day!
Pastbook has terrible customer service which is ironically called “Customer Happiness”. I ordered a calendar Dec 28th was told it would be delivered by Jan 5th. It was not. Multiple requests via email were answered with various apologies and excuses, but each query took 48 hours for a response via email, and there was never any follow up from the company. There was no answer when using the telephone number multiple times on different days and different times. I finally got through via telephone to a person. The calendar was supposedly shipped via USPS on Feb 8, but the Happiness rep (who was doing her best to help me) could not provide a tracking number, although the USPS provides them. She assured me that I would receive an email with that info. But she couldn’t explain why I haven’t already received it.
I do not recommend Pastbook and will not order from them again.
Hi Elizabeth Jacox, and thank you for your comment. We’re sorry to hear about your experience with PastBook.
Although deliveries are often delayed during the holiday season due to the significant demand increase, PastBook says it shouldn’t take longer than ten working days for your order to be delivered. If you haven’t received your photobook yet, we recommend you contact the company again to understand what happened and what can be done about it. Also, if you’re looking for other options to create your photo books, we suggest you take a look at our Mixbook, Shutterfly, and Printique reviews. We hope you get your photo book soon. Have a nice day!
I got my 12th or 13th Pastbook yesterday. It covers 2021. To have a book that covers an entire year of your family’s life together is a wonderful thing. People don’t seem to realize that they can literally choose what you want on the cover and every page. You choose the pictures, their size, their placement, and if they are to be repeated for some reason unknown to me. But remember, every picture is only as good as the original in terms of color, contrast, quality, etc. If you send them a blurry picture, your book will have a blurry picture in it. My only regrets are: 1.) You can’t have more than 300 pages in a hardbound book. 2.) The books are glue-bound, not perfect (sewn-in) signatures. Inevitably they will come loose.
I have found the service very good. The helpers respond quickly and really do try to help you. Every book but this one arrived at my house in exactly ten days. This time it took 13 days and the extra 3 were Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Years.
Hello Roberta, and thank you for your comment! We’re pleased to read that you’re happy with PastBook. You’re completely right. This photo book builder offers a high level of customization, allowing you to design the album the way you prefer. And it’s also true that the images will only be as good as the ones you upload. It’s possible to fix blurred images with image editing software, but it’s quite difficult and usually requires a professional.
The reason behind the 300 pages limit is likely to be connected with the fact that the photo books are glued-bound. If the photo book was lengthier, it would come loose easily – especially if the album is opened regularly.
We hope you continue enjoying PastBook and keep designing new photo books. As you said, it’s the perfect way to memorialize the happy moments you spend with your family and friends. Have a nice day!
i am very pleased the quality of my book ..the matte pictures are gorgeous .. pay for better quality pics its worth it …
only criticism is past book puts repeats in the book and several pictures that look odd …did a computer do that?
i havent figured out how to proof the pictures before going into a book . that would be helpful.
overall I am pleased with the minimal effort i put into the project and got a great picture book
I am blown away by the high quality of My Pastbook. It was organized automatically from my FB account. I did NOTHING and it is one of the best gifts I’ve given myself in years. If people question the price, then realize this: you didn’t buy film, you didn’t have to develop the pictures, buy the album, or spend hours organizing the photos and writing captions! Priceless!
Very disappointed with my passbook quality of pictures not good,very dark.. Certainly would not recommend. A waste of money.
Hello Heather! Thank you for your feedback, and we’re sorry to hear that your photo book didn’t arrive with the expected quality. We don’t know why the pictures got so dark, but have you tried reaching customer support? Considering the company’s ‘Happiness Guarantee’ policy, we’re sure PastBook will try its best to help you. Even if it doesn’t accept returns, you may be able to print the photo book again with a nice discount. We hope you the best, and we would love to know whether the company was able to solve the issue.
We just received our Pastbook. The photos are great and it looks fine, but the second time we opened the book (without bending the spine at all), half the pages literally dropped out. It obviously has a dodgy binding without enough glue. I am hoping I can get a full refund, and will go elsewhere.
Hello Barbara! Thank you for your comment, and we’re sorry to hear that your photobook didn’t have the expected quality. It does seem that there was a production issue while printing your book – it’s very unusual to have the photo book fall apart after opening it twice.
Since photo books include your personal pictures, PastBook doesn’t accept returns. You can also read in the company’s terms and conditions that “No refund is granted in any case after the book has already been printed by PastBook printer partners”. However, considering the company’s ‘Happiness Guarantee’ policy, we’re sure customer support will do their best to fix the problem for you. We hope that your issue is fixed as smoothly as possible, and we would love to hear how it went!
In the ordering of this book, I had several problems:
I had difficulty switching the order and size of pictures.
It seemed that changing several pics made me have to go back and redo the order of other pics.
Finally, when I did receive my book, a number of pics had the same date attached, even though they’d been uploaded at different times, and a number of captions were cut off at the end of the sentence, making the sentences incomprehensible.
All customer service had to say was, that’s how they were printed in the
Online version, so no, we can’t help you.
Hello Darlene! Thank you for your comment, and we’re sorry to hear about your experience with PastBook.
Indeed, PastBook web editor isn’t the best out there. Since the photo book builder focuses more on doing everything automatically, it’s not the best option for those who prefer to play with their photo book design before printing it out. This requires some preparation before uploading images, as you should try to add pictures in the correct order right away to prevent the hassle of making many changes.
When it comes to having parts of the photo book cut off, you really need to be careful with the cut lines that appear on the online editor. This not only true for PastBook, but for any photo book builder you might use in the future. When you have the option, we also recommend carefully going through the online preview to check that there are no mistakes. Unfortunately, most photo book builders don’t offer refunds when the mistake is on your end.
Still, there are a few companies that offer you around 50% of the price when you need to reprint a photo book due to a mistake. We highly suggest going over the company’s return policy to check if this is an option next time you want to print a photo book. This allows you to print your photo book with extra peace of mind, as you know that you’ll at least spend less on a reprint if there was some mistake along the way that you didn’t notice.
We wish you a better experience on your next photo book!
Very disappointed with my pastbook Photos printed very randomly, upside down, sideways that made no sense. Photos that were very clear on Facebook, printed so dark and some frames with no photo inside, very odd. All in all a shoddy job. Very expensive for what I received. Would like a return sticker or a discount. Please get back to me a.s.a.p.
Worst experience ever!
I had no any control over selection of pictures.
Many pictures which I never mind include – got in album.
Instead of pleasant surprise – you can get ugly divorce.
My wife really upset.
Huge waist of money.
Took to long to come.
STAY AWAY AT ANY COST.
Without having to do a think a great 200 page book was created for me. The photos came out spectacular considering I never posted anything but 72 dpi images, colors were great, the binding was as it should be. And the wrap around cover was gorgeous. It arrived in decent time. I think Ive covered the problems others seemed to have had. I want to order another book but with photos that I want in a particular order and not all from facebook. It seems I can do that so have to figure that out. Id highly recommend Pastbook.
We received the Facebook Book in the mail today. The front cover has my husband’s head cut off. There is a whole picture in book with this perfect picture. This is totally a BAD first impression. PLEASE fix this! I was going to give this to my husband for Christmas.
They told me oh you have 397 photos! Told me my price. I thought great I’ll have all my photos. But when I received my book, I didn’t even get half! To me this is misleading! They picked what photos to use! Very sad I didn’t get all my pictures!
The printing quality of this company is low. All of the photos in the book are the wrong colors, specifically skewed to the gray/blue spectrum. Photos of snow turned out gray. Bright blue skies looked cloudy. Sandy beaches turned out muddy brown. I complained about the poor image color and asked them to adjust the color spectrum, but they have no ability to correct for the problem. They offered to refund my purchase price, which I will now use to find a company that can actually print photobooks in the correct colors.
I have just received the 3 PastBooks that I ordered recently and I am appalled by the shoddy binding.
2 of the books fell apart the moment I opened them.
The pages have been flimsily glued to the spin of the cover and have simply fallen away from the spin the moment the book was opened and each page turned.
Gets no stars from me.
I got my book in one week and love it!
Pastbook is not shipping on time so anyone who orders a book will not recieve it in the time they tell you. I never got mine its been almost a month since I ordered it. They refunded me thankfully but that doesn’t excuse their bad customer service and reasoning that they just have to many orders to deal with right now. My advice order from another company if you want your book on time!
Mostly happy with my PastBook. The only complaint is that some of the photos were very dark compared to the originals on Facebook. Very happy with quick delivery and choice of cover. Thank you.
Hello Wendy, and thank you for your review! We’re happy to read that you were satisfied with your photo book and PastBook’s service. Regarding the Facebook photos – unfortunately, screens can play tricks with our eyes. An image that looks good on a computer screen may actually have color problems only noticeable when printed. The only way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to use advanced image editing software, such as Photoshop. We hope you the best for your future photo books.