Photo Book Prices: 6 Providers Compared
From 19.95 € to 28.99 € for the same A4 hardcover: we have set the starting prices, paper types, extra pages and shipping costs of the main German photo book providers side by side.
The providers in detail
CEWE
CEWE FOTOBUCH Large, hardcover
Formats & prices
- Digital print matt (200 g/m²) – from 19.95 € A4 portrait, 26 pages, hardcover
- Digital print premium matt – Surcharge 170 g/m², finer surface
- Photo paper premium matt – from 52.95 € 370 g/m², layflat binding
Extra page: 2.49 € per 4 pages
Pros
- Seven paper types – from digital print up to 382 g/m² genuine photo paper
- Up to 202 pages, more than most competitors
- Recycled paper available as an option
- Hardcover, softcover and booklet in the same format
Cons
- Full range of features only in the desktop software
- The starting price only applies to the cheapest paper option – genuine photo paper starts at 52.95 €
- Not an affiliate link: we earn nothing from this provider
Pixum
Photo book Large portrait (21 × 28 cm)
Formats & prices
- Small square (15 × 15 cm) – from 9.95 € Cheapest way in
- Large portrait (21 × 28 cm) – from 19.95 € A4 reference format
- XXL square (30 × 30 cm) – from 49.95 € Large format for weddings
Extra page: Depends on format
Pros
- Nine formats from the 15 × 15 cm book to the 38 × 29 cm XXL landscape
- Genuine exposed FUJIFILM photo paper available
- Classic binding up to 202 pages, layflat up to 130 pages
- Small square book from just 9.95 €
Cons
- Shipping at 5.49 € is dearer than at CEWE and posterXXL
- The large landscape format (28 × 21 cm) only starts at 32.95 €
ifolor
Photo book Deluxe A4, hardcover
Formats & prices
- Photo book Spiral – from 9.40 € A6 to A4, spiral binding
- Photo book Deluxe – from 20.95 € A5–A3, 26–132 pages, 170 g/m²
- Photo book Premium photo paper – from 29.95 € 340 g/m² photo paper, layflat
Extra page: Not stated
Pros
- Premium line with genuine 340 g/m² photo paper and layflat from 29.95 €
- Spiral book from 9.40 € and booklet from 10.95 € as cheap entry points
- Formats up to A3 available
Cons
- The Deluxe paper, at 170 g/m², is thinner than at CEWE and posterXXL (200 g/m²)
- Maximum of 132 pages
- Permanent discount promotions make the real list price hard to see
- Not an affiliate link: we earn nothing from this provider
Saal Digital
Photo book 21 × 28 cm
Formats & prices
- Photo book 28 × 19 cm – from 19.99 € Cheapest landscape format
- Photo book 21 × 28 cm – from 24.99 € A4 reference format, layflat included
- Professional Line 30 × 30 cm – from 99.99 € Hand-finished cover, faux leather or linen
Extra page: Not stated
Pros
- Genuine exposed FUJIFILM Crystal Archive HD paper as standard – no digital print
- Layflat binding at no extra charge in all books
- Professional Line with cover in faux leather, linen, cork or wood-effect
Cons
- No cheap digital-print entry segment
- Professional Line only starts at 63.99 €
- Shipping 5.99 €
- Not an affiliate link: we earn nothing from this provider
myphotobook
Photo book hardcover A4
Formats & prices
- Photo booklet A6 landscape – from 7.99 € Cheapest way in of all providers compared
- Hardcover A4 – from 27.99 € 24 to 250 pages, 200 g/m²
- Real-photo book A4 – from 34.99 € Genuine photo paper, up to 120 pages
Extra page: Not stated
Pros
- Up to 250 pages – more than any other provider compared
- Photo booklet from just 7.99 €
- Real-photo book on exposed paper from 34.99 €
Cons
- A4 hardcover 8 € dearer than at CEWE and Pixum
- No layflat binding for the standard hardcover
- Shipping 5.99 €
posterXXL
Photo book hardcover portrait L (21 × 28 cm)
Formats & prices
- Softcover square S (10 × 10 cm) – 12.99 € 24 pages, +0.31 € per extra page
- Hardcover portrait L (21 × 28 cm) – 28.99 € 24 pages, +0.72 € per extra page
- Hardcover square XL (30 × 30 cm) – 49.99 € 24 pages, +1.14 € per extra page
Extra page: 0.72 € per page
Pros
- The only provider that openly states the price per extra page for every format
- Cheap small formats from 12.99 €
- Shipping only 4.99 € – the lowest of all providers compared
- Layflat and gloss paper bookable as options
Cons
- Most expensive A4 entry price of all providers compared
- Maximum of 120 pages
- Only 24 instead of 26 pages included in the base price
What does the photo book really cost?
Starting price plus shipping for an A4 hardcover in the basic configuration.
| Provider | Book price | Shipping | Total from | Pages incl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEWE | 19.95 € | 4.99 € | 24.94 € | 26 |
| Pixum | 19.95 € | 5.49 € | 25.44 € | 26 |
| ifolor | 20.95 € | n/a | — | 26 |
| Saal Digital | 24.99 € | 5.99 € | 30.98 € | 26 |
| myphotobook | 27.99 € | 5.99 € | 33.98 € | 24 |
| posterXXL | 28.99 € | 4.99 € | 33.98 € | 24 |
Prices incl. VAT, as of 14 Sep 2026. ifolor does not publish shipping costs on an overview page – they only appear during checkout. Promotional discounts are not included.
Understanding photo book costs
The starting price says little
Every provider advertises a “from” price, and it always applies to the cheapest combination of format, paper and page count. As soon as you make the book thicker, choose better paper or upgrade the cover, the picture changes completely. A CEWE A4 photo book costs 19.95 € in digital print – the same size on premium photo paper starts at 52.95 €. That is more than two and a half times as much for a book with the same number of pages.
Extra pages are the biggest cost factor
The 24 to 26 pages included in the base price are enough for roughly 80 to 120 photos. If you want to fit in more, you pay per page – and it adds up quickly. At posterXXL every page in the A4 hardcover costs 0.72 €, at CEWE it is 2.49 € for four pages. A book with 60 pages instead of 26 is therefore around 21 € dearer at CEWE, i.e. roughly twice as expensive as the basic version. Check this figure before you choose a provider – it is rarely shown prominently.
Digital print, photo paper and layflat
The most important quality difference lies in the printing process. With digital print the pages are printed on paper weighing 170 to 200 g/m² and the book is bound conventionally. With a real-photo book genuine photo paper is exposed – 340 to 382 g/m², so almost twice as thick. Such books are practically always made with layflat binding in which the double-page spreads lie completely flat. Saal Digital works exclusively this way, which puts its higher starting price of 24.99 € into perspective: at CEWE you pay more than double for this quality.
How many pages do I need?
Allow four to six pictures per double-page spread. A two-week holiday with 80 selected photos fits on 26 to 40 pages and so stays close to the base price. If you document a whole year or a wedding, you quickly end up at 80 to 120 pages. Then it is worth looking at the maximum page count: myphotobook allows 250 pages, CEWE and Pixum 202, posterXXL only 120. And beware: with layflat binding the maximum drops noticeably, at Pixum from 202 to 130 pages.
Do not forget shipping costs
On books costing around 20 €, shipping makes up roughly 20 per cent of the final price. posterXXL and CEWE are ahead at 4.99 €, Pixum charges 5.49 €, Saal Digital and myphotobook 5.99 € each. If you order several books – say the same book for parents and grandparents – shipping per copy falls considerably: posterXXL charges only 1.50 € for each additional copy.
What we do not rate
Here we compare only verifiable prices and technical details from the providers. We do not make our own assessment of print quality, colour fidelity or workmanship – for that we would have to order books from all six providers and test them under identical conditions. Details of paper weight and printing process come from the providers’ own pages and are a reliable guide, but they are no substitute for a quality test.
Frequently asked questions about photo book costs
In 2026 an A4 photo book with a hardcover and 24 to 26 pages costs between 19.95 € and 28.99 €. CEWE and Pixum are cheapest at 19.95 € each, posterXXL is dearest at 28.99 €. Shipping of 4.99 € to 5.99 € comes on top. If you want genuine exposed photo paper instead of digital print, you pay from 24.99 € (Saal Digital) up to 52.95 € (CEWE premium photo paper).
That depends heavily on the format. posterXXL states its prices most transparently: 0.31 € per page for the 10 × 10 cm softcover, 0.72 € for the A4 hardcover and 1.14 € for the 30 × 30 cm XXL book. CEWE charges in blocks of four and asks 2.49 € for four additional pages, i.e. roughly 0.62 € per page. An A4 book with 60 instead of 26 pages therefore costs about 41 € instead of 19.95 € at CEWE.
Digital print is the standard process and considerably cheaper. The paper usually weighs 170 to 200 g/m². Genuine photo paper is exposed like a classic photographic print, is much thicker at 340 to 382 g/m² and is almost always bound with a layflat binding. It is worth it if the book is picked up often or contains double-page panoramas. Saal Digital supplies photo paper as standard; at CEWE, Pixum and ifolor it is an optional extra.
With a layflat binding, double-page spreads lie completely flat without you having to press the book open. The gutter therefore swallows no image content – important for panoramic photos across two pages. Saal Digital supplies layflat at no extra charge, at posterXXL it costs a surcharge of 0.52 € per page, and at CEWE it is tied to the photo paper variants. The downside: layflat books have a lower maximum page count, for example 130 instead of 202 pages at Pixum.
As a rule of thumb, allow four to six pictures per double-page spread. For a two-week holiday with 300 photos, of which about 80 should go in the book, 26 to 40 pages are enough. The 24 to 26 pages included in the base price therefore cover most projects. If you are documenting an entire childhood or a wedding, look at the maximum page count: myphotobook allows 250 pages, CEWE and Pixum 202, posterXXL only 120.
Yes. Photo book providers run promotions of 20 to 50 per cent almost constantly, especially in autumn ahead of the Christmas trade and in January. At ifolor, discounts of 10 to 20 per cent are practically built into the price permanently. Important: many codes only apply to the product price, not to shipping, and often exclude premium paper variants. Always check the final amount in the basket rather than the advertised percentage.
Pixum states 3 to 5 days of production for standard photo books and 4 to 6 days for XL and XXL formats. posterXXL states 3 to 5 days of production plus 2 days of shipping, so 5 to 7 days in total. Before Christmas these times lengthen considerably – allow at least two weeks.
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