With the advent of digital technology, memory preservation services have gained popularity. They offer a means to safeguard precious moments captured in outdated or fragile formats such as VHS tapes, photo albums, and film reels. These services make a digital copy of this old media and provide users with a better way to enjoy their digitized memories. This article dive deep into one popular service, Legacybox, and compare it to a long list of superior alternatives.

Memory preservation services are a boon to those who hold their past dear. They offer a reliable way to protect and store memories that might otherwise be lost to fires, floods, and the ravages of time. By converting old formats to digital, these services ensure easy accessibility and sharing of memories “ whether it's a wedding video, a childhood photo, or a recording of a loved one's voice.

The market is filled with numerous companies offering these services, each with its own features and benefits. The challenge for consumers is to decide which service best meets their needs. This article aims to help readers make an informed decision by comparing well-established Legacybox with its major competitors.

Legacybox: Services & Features

Legacybox is a memory preservation service that has been in operation since 2007. The company is known for its digitization services, which include converting VHS, film, negatives, slides, audio cassette tapes, and photos to digital formats. They offer three delivery options. These include a DVD set, a thumb drive, and a digital download option made available in the last couple of years.

Legacybox's key feature was its innovative delivery box. Customers can purchase this box, with the price of digitization paid in advance, and use it to send their old media to their facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Legacybox does not allow customers to visit this location in person, but each box provides clear instructions about how to sort, count, and prepare your shipment. However, allegations of Legacybox deception lead to this Inside Edition documentary by Deborah Norville.

Comparing Legacybox with Competitors

Southtree & Kodak Digitizing Box

It's a little confusing, but Legacybox operates two other brands out of the same facility. One is called Southtree, which is technically the parent company to Legacybox. The second brand is some type of licensing agreement with Eastman Kodak to use Kodak Digitizing Box. All brands have the same pricing model, services, and frustrating long processing times. In contrast to what's claimed on their websites, customer reviews reveal many complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau.

Legacybox vs. iMemories

iMemores and Legacybox both provide digitization services for preserving old photos and videos, but they operate on different models and pricing structures. iMemories charges a unit price to digitize each piece of old media received instead of having to bundle specific amounts of photos, tapes, or reels shipped in a prepaid Legacybox. Like Legacybox, iMemories charges extra to make DVD sets, thumb drives, or using their online option.

Legacybox vs. DVD Your Memories

Unlike Legacybox which does not allow any customer to visit their facility, DVD Your Memories offers a few drop off locations in southern California. There, customers can deliver photos, tapes, and reels for conversion to a DVD or USB thumb drive. DVD Your Memories charges unit fees per item digitized, with printed photos up to 8x10 scanned at $0.49 each.

Legacybox vs. ScanDigital

ScanDigital provides quality conversion of photos, tapes, and reels to digital. They return your files on a USB thumb drive, or even upload them to your personal account. Unlike Legacybox that makes the customer prepay a digitizing fee to convert a fixed amount of media, ScanDigital charges a unit fee per item digitized, with VHS tape conversion costing $28.00 per cassette.

Legacybox vs. DigMyPics

DigMyPics has provided quality digitization of photos, tapes, and reels for nearly two decades, similar to Legacybox. The company will return files on a set of DVDs, a USB thumb drive, or make them available with a digital download. DigMyPics also charges a unit fee per item digitized, with printed photos up to 8x10 scanned at $0.49 each.

Legacybox vs. ScanCafe

Like Legacybox's volume capacity, ScanCafe claims to have hand scanned over 200 million images. The company charges unit prices to digitize photos, tapes, and reels, with photo scans starting at $0.48 each. ScanCafe charges additional fees to transfer the digital files to USB thumb drives, external drives, or make them available as a digital download.

LegacyBox vs. ScanMyPhotos

ScanMyPhotos and Legacybox offer similar services in terms of photo and video digitization, but they differ notably in their pricing structures and the range of services. ScanMyPhotos appeals to customers with its a la carte pricing structure, which allows customers to pay per photo or video. However, charging $29.95 to convert one VHS to DVD is an expensive way to digitize a collection of video memories.

Legacybox vs. FotoBridge

FotoBridge and Legacybox both offer digitizing of photos and other media, but they differ in terms of pricing and service offerings. FotoBridge offers free standard shipping, both ways, on all orders. Their all-inclusive packages include digital downloads and the option to add DVDs or thumb-drives at a minimal cost. Like scanning photos without having to remove them from the album, FotoBridge offers a wider variety of specialty services than Legacybox.

Legacybox vs. Heirloom

Heirloom and Legacybox have significant differences in the quality of service they provide their customers. Third party evaluation of their services on Google Reviews, TrustPilot, and the Better Business Bureau provides the evidence. Rather than hustling a cardboard box, Heirloom is more interested in solving the problems that customers have with their old media. This is why the company is the leader in transferring content from outdated DVDs to the cloud. Among their many digitizing services, Heirloom also rescues photos & videos from plastic discs made by Legacybox, iMemories, YesVideo, Costco, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and countless others.

Heirloom: Dynamic Digitizing

Amidst the multitude of digitizing choices, a common trend persists “ the majority of companies continue to convert camcorder cassette tapes, printed photos, and film reels to DVDs. Heirloom's innovative cloud application allows customers to stream & share all content from any device. Here are the other ways that Heirloom leaves all digitizing companies behind:

Veteran Owned & Operated

Heirloom was founded by two United States Navy veterans, Geoff Weber and John Rahaghi. They actively recruit fellow veterans to continue leveraging their superior technical training as members of the Heirloom team. Willing to die to defend something much greater than themselves, these vets certainly know what it means to serve.

Drop Off at Any UPS Store

It's easy to use an Heirloom box to drop off media for digitizing at the nearest UPS Store. Like processing an Amazon return, customers are speedily provided a printed receipt. They begin receiving tracking updates by email until their shipment arrives at Heirloom.

Transparent Unit Pricing

Heirloom sorts, counts, and sends an itemized quote within one day of receiving each shipment. Customers contact a customer success agent with any questions, or to customize this quote. Heirloom customers pay only for what they want, with no hidden fees.

Neurodiverse Workforce

Digitizing hundreds of different media types requires great attention to detail. No one is perfect, as evidenced by hundreds of Legacybox complaints. This is why Heirloom is honored to recruit, train, and empower a highly focused team of digitizers with autism to perform these tasks with a 90% reduction of errors compared to neurotypicals.

Don't Pay for Blank Tapes

Heirloom charges a fee to digitize each camcorder cassette received, which may include a free repair to put the tape back on the spool. Occasionally, a digitizer may find a VHS tape with no usable signal, even after hours of playback. In these cases, Heirloom makes a transferable credit for each blank tape in the form of a gift card.

Ready for the best?

Heirloom is the digitizing leader due to its unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and top-notch technical services. This veteran-run company understands the value of your memories. Heirloom goes the extra mile to ensure a seamless and delightful experience. From the moment you engage with the company, their customer service sets them apart. Are you ready for Heirloom to preserve your memories for countless generations?

Written by Geoff Weber