If you want to scan old photos into digital images or convert old film and home movies to digital format, choosing a reliable company is essential. One popular option is ScanCafe, but is it the best choice? There’s no better way to find out than to check out ScanCafe customer feedback. 

Capture has preserved memories for over 12 million families, so we understand the importance of customer satisfaction. That’s why we put together this guide to ScanCafe reviews so you can determine if they are the best choice for you. 

Keep reading to learn about ScanCafe services, evaluate reviews, compare them with alternatives, and ultimately decide if they are the best choice for your family photos, home movies, and film reels. 

Jump to:

• Understanding ScanCafe’s Offerings
• What Customers Are Saying: ScanCafe Reviews
• ScanCafe vs. Competitors
• Capture.com’s Take on ScanCafe

What Does ScanCafe Offer?

ScanCafe is a digitization service with over 15 years of experience and claims to have scanned over 150 million memories. They offer photo, photo slide, APS negative, and 35mm negative scanning services as well as VHS, S-VHS, Hi8, MiniDV, and Betamax conversion and 8mm and Super 8 mm film transfer. 

They can also digitize reel-to-reel audio and convert audio cassettes to digital. In addition, they offer data extraction for memory cards, CDs and DVDs, and floppy discs. They charge $28 for videotapes and $0.30 per foot of film, but they tend to focus primarily on photo scanning. 

In fact, they also offer photo restoration services including color correction, scratch removal, cropping, dust removal, and red-eye removal. They say they create high-resolution images with JPG and TIFF files that have a high 600 DPI resolution allowing for 2x enlargement. 

Their photo scanning pricing structure is $0.48 per photo up to 8” x 10” or a value kit is available starting at $0.34 per scan. Their value kit contains plastic bags to protect your memories during transit. However, these prices don’t include photo restoration, which is available for an additional charge. 

While their photo editing, scanning process, and digitization of family memories sounds fantastic, do their customers agree? 

What Customers Are Saying: ScanCafe Reviews

By looking at customer experiences with ScanCafe photo scanning services and other digitization and photo restoration options, you can learn more about their services and if they fulfill their promises. 

ScanCafe has a 3.1 out of 5-star rating on Yelp, based on 305 reviews. On SiteJabber, it holds a lower 2.0-star rating from 22 reviews. While it is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, it currently has an A+ rating. On Trustpilot, ScanCafe has a 3.8-star rating with more than 3,200 reviews.

Positive Customer Reviews of ScanCafe

Here are some common praises among ScanCafe reviews:

• Helpful and responsive customer service – Many customers appreciate the knowledgeable and friendly staff, who guide them through the process and promptly address concerns.
• Good pricing and discounts – Several reviewers mention fair pricing, especially when using promotions or bulk order discounts.
• High-quality scans and image enhancement – Customers report that digitized photos, slides, and negatives turn out clear, with some saying ScanCafe brought old or damaged images back to life.
• Reliable handling of originals – Multiple reviewers say their original photos, slides, and negatives were returned in perfect condition.
• Convenient online access and storage – Some customers mention that they can access their scanned images online, and ScanCafe also offers external storage options like USB drives.
• Faster-than-expected turnaround time – While ScanCafe provides an estimated processing time, some customers were pleasantly surprised to receive their orders sooner than expected.

Great for large digitization projects – Many long-term customers have used ScanCafe for multiple projects, sending in thousands of photos, negatives, or slides over the years.

Negative Customer Reviews of ScanCafe

While many customers have positive experiences with ScanCafe, there are also common complaints mentioned in reviews. Below are some of the negative ScanCafe reviews:

• Long turnaround times – Many customers expected faster processing but reported waiting several months for their orders. Some were not informed of delays until they reached out.
• Inconsistent scan quality – Some reviews mention images appearing too dark, washed out, or not enhanced as expected, requiring additional editing by customers.
• Missing or damaged originals – A few customers reported lost or damaged photos, slides, or negatives. Some said items were returned out of order or improperly packed.
• Unhelpful customer service – Some customers found customer service to be slow, unresponsive, or unwilling to offer solutions for issues like missing items or poor scan quality.
• Unexpected costs and restrictions – Customers mentioned extra fees for services they assumed were included, unclear gift card policies, and restrictions on using discounts.
• Poor restoration results – Several reviewers were disappointed with the image restoration process, saying the edits were minimal or did not improve the images as advertised.
• Website and ordering confusion – Some users found the website difficult to navigate, especially when selecting services, reviewing orders, or downloading their digital files.

As you can see, while some ScanCafe reviews mention great results for their photo and slide scanning or other services, the negative reviews are pretty bad. To see if they really are a bad choice to scan or restore pictures, home movies, and film reels, it’s a good idea to compare ScanCafe vs. the competition. 

ScanCafe vs. Competitors

To determine who does a better job between ScanCafe vs. Capture, LegacyBox, iMemories, and other digitization services, it’s important to compare different factors including reviews. 

Turnaround Time

Turnaround time is one of the biggest LegacyBox complaints, for example, but ScanCafe isn’t much better. ScanCafe estimates a processing time of 4 to 6 weeks. In contrast, Capture offers a faster turnaround, delivering digital files and original media within 30 days. iMemories also emphasizes prompt service, though specific timeframes may vary.

Pricing

Then when it comes to the best prices, ScanCafe doesn’t do much better, at least not without a discount or gift card. For videotapes and film, iMemories is more expensive while most other services are cheaper, but for photos ScanCafe has decent pricing that’s slightly lower than Capture and significantly lower than LegacyBox’s costs. 

However, you have to consider also that ScanCafe charges extra for a digital download while you get that free with Capture including a 60-day backup and upload to Google Photos. Furthermore, while ScanCafe has better security with video monitoring in their facility and weight upon arrival and prior to shipping, the fact that your precious memories have to travel all the way to India isn’t very comforting. 

Service Offerings

When it comes to services, ScanCafe does offer audio digitization like LegacyBox. They also offer photo restoration services on their own, which is something that their competitors don’t offer. On the other hand, Capture offers touchless photo album scanning that’s unavailable with any of ScanCafe, iMemories, or LegacyBox competitors. 

That means that we scan each photo in your album to create a high-quality digital image without anyone ever having to remove or risk damaging the print or paper photo. Plus, Capture includes glare removal, cropping, and color correction with photo album scanning and photo scanning and it’s included in the price, unlike ScanCafe which charges separately for photo restoration. 

Customer Reviews

Finally, when it comes to ScanCafe, Capture, LegacyBox, and iMemories customer reviews, Capture has an A+ BBB rating, iMemories has a 4.0 on SiteJabber, and even LegacyBox reviews are better than ScanCafe despite common complaints. 

So, when it comes down to it, ScanCafe probably isn’t the best company to convert photos to digital or preserve your home movies and film reels. 

Capture.com’s Take on ScanCafe

Whether you choose Capture, ScanCafe, or another option, we want you to preserve and protect your memories. That’s why we think it’s important to provide you with objective information, including comparisons of ScanCafe vs. competitors. 

If you want to know how to digitize old photos, videotapes, and films, then ScanCafe is only one of many options. In our opinion, they claim to offer some fantastic photo scanning and restoration services, but ScanCafe ratings and reviews tell another story with common complaints about quality, turnaround time, customer service, and pricing. 

As an alternative to ScanCafe digitizing, Capture offers complete protection for your memories including a 100% satisfaction guarantee and a state-of-the-art tracking and security system. Plus, we get your memories back to you in less than 30 days. 

While we think that ScanCafe’s facilities are good for offering video monitoring, we know that most customers would prefer sending their memories to our facility in Georgia or even where LegacyBox is located in Tennessee instead of across the world to India. 

Plus, whether you want to convert movie film, color slides, or old video camera footage, Capture offers high-quality digital file results. We do our best to preserve every scanned image, foot of film, or second of home movie footage in the highest possible quality, for every customer. 

Protect Your Memories with a Reliable Service

Digitizing your memories is an investment in preserving them for the future. Whether you’re safeguarding old photos, home movies, or 8mm film to digital conversions, choosing the right company makes all the difference. This is why we bring you a ScanCafe review. ScanCafe has its strengths, which we clearly see from all the positive ScanCafe reviews and praises. However, customer feedback raises concerns about inconsistent quality, long turnaround times, and hidden costs. If you want a service that prioritizes quality, security, and customer satisfaction, it’s worth exploring alternatives. A reliable provider should offer transparent pricing, excellent restoration options, and a track record of delivering results that exceed expectations. Make sure to choose a company that not only converts your media but also treats your memories with the care they deserve.