Project Life confuses a lot of people right now, and for good reason. Becky Higgins discontinued the paper card kits years ago, then retired Digital Project Life, the browser tool for building pages on a computer, in February 2024. The mobile app itself is still around and still gets updates, but the ecosystem it grew out of, the kits, the templates, the whole "pocket scrapbooking" system, is a shadow of what it used to be.

This guide covers both: what actually happened to Project Life, and seven ways to build your photo book in 2026 without hunting for discontinued card packs.

First: where did your Project Life pages go?

Nothing you already made has been deleted. Digital Project Life, the desktop and browser platform for laying out pocket-style pages, was retired in February 2024. Becky Higgins says existing kits still work, but no new digital kits are being sold or added. The paper side, printed cards, page protectors, and albums, has also thinned out a lot as the company shifted its focus to the mobile app.

The app itself is the piece that survived. It's still free on iOS and Android, and still lets you build pages and order prints or a photo book from your phone. So if you're searching "Project Life app discontinued," the accurate story is: the kits and the desktop tool are gone, the app isn't. Either way, if you're here, you're probably tired of a system built around buying more card packs. Here's what else is out there.

What to look for in a Project Life alternative

• No dependency on discontinued kits -- you shouldn't need to keep buying digital or paper add-ons that might vanish again.
• Automation vs. manual layout -- some alternatives keep the hand-arranged, card-and-journaling feel; others do the layout for you.
• Photo source -- can it pull from your camera roll, or from Facebook and Instagram, without exporting anything first?
• What it keeps -- dates, captions, and locations matter if you want the book to read like a real timeline.
• Print quality and format -- decide if you want the same small, casual feel or a proper hardcover book.
• Preview before you pay -- you want to see every page before ordering.

7 best Project Life alternatives in 2026

1. My Social Book

Best for: turning a year of Facebook or Instagram posts into a book without laying out a single page

Project Life asked you to journal and arrange your own pages. My Social Book takes the opposite approach: connect your Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox account, and it builds the book for you in chronological order, with dates, captions, likes, and locations already attached. There's no card kit to buy and nothing to discontinue on you later, since each book comes straight from your own content.

You get a real hardcover or softcover book, 21 x 25 cm (about 8.3 x 9.8 inches), 25 to 500 pages. Before you order, you preview every page, remove anything you don't want, and pick a cover.

Pros:

• Automatic layout from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox
• Keeps dates, captions, likes, and locations
• No kits or subscriptions to track
• Full page preview before ordering
• Trustpilot TrustScore 4.6 / 5 (2,700 reviews, September 2026)

Cons:

• Not built for hand-arranged, card-style pocket pages
• One source per book -- Facebook and Instagram content ships as two separate books, not one

See your book in minutes -- start from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox

2. Chatbooks

Best for: staying close to Project Life's small, frequent-book habit

If what you liked about Project Life was building something regularly instead of one giant yearbook, Chatbooks is the closest match still standing. It connects to Instagram or your camera roll and prints a small softcover book automatically once you hit a photo count, similar in spirit to how Project Life pages accumulated over a year. The books are smaller and simpler than a full photo book, with limited customization.

Pros: automatic, recurring book habit; pulls from Instagram or camera roll; affordable per book.

Cons: small format, minimal editing control, no pocket-page or card-style layout.

3. Mixbook

Best for: scrapbookers who want to keep designing their own pages

Mixbook is the better fit if the hand-crafted part of Project Life, choosing cards, arranging journaling, picking layouts, is what you actually miss. Its drag-and-drop editor is one of the most capable in the photo book space, with templates that feel closer to a modern scrapbook than a mass-produced book. Building a full book still takes real time, the way Project Life did.

Pros: deep manual design control, strong template library, good print quality.

Cons: manual upload only, no direct social media import, time-consuming for a full year of photos.

4. Shutterfly

Best for: the widest range of formats and sizes

Shutterfly covers nearly every book size and cover type, and runs deep discounts often enough that the sticker price rarely matters. An auto-fill option lays out a book with less manual work than a fully custom design, though the editor pushes upsells hard and can't pull from Facebook or Instagram.

Pros: very wide format selection, frequent deep discounts, optional auto-layout.

Cons: heavy upselling at checkout, no social media photo import.

5. Snapfish

Best for: the lowest price on a standalone book

Snapfish sits at the budget end, with softcover books starting around $20 and frequent promos that push that lower. The editor is basic but does the job for a casual, one-off book, the modern equivalent of Project Life's cheaper card kits.

Pros: low starting prices, frequent sales, wide range of sizes.

Cons: dated editor experience, no automatic layout or social media import.

6. Artifact Uprising

Best for: upgrading the look and feel beyond a pocket-page scrapbook

Artifact Uprising trades Project Life's colorful card aesthetic for thick, matte paper and minimalist layouts, closer to a gift book than a page-by-page scrapbook. The price reflects that: several times more than a basic Project Life kit ever cost, and still fully manual.

Pros: premium paper and print quality, clean minimalist design.

Cons: higher price point, manual upload only.

7. Blurb

Best for: something more ambitious than a yearly scrapbook

Blurb is overkill if you just want a Project Life replacement, but its BookWright software gives you real layout control and prints formats Project Life never touched, including trade books and magazines you can sell through Blurb or Amazon. For a quick yearly book it's more tool than you need; for a bigger project built from years of journaling, it's one of the few options that can hold it.

Pros: professional-grade layout software, unique sellable formats.

Cons: steep learning curve, overkill for a simple annual book.

Project Life alternatives comparison table

Related photo book comparisons

More options for comparing photo book services:

• Shutterfly alternatives
• Mixbook alternatives
• Chatbooks alternatives
• Snapfish alternatives
• Blurb alternatives
• Best photo book from Instagram
• Make a book from Facebook

Frequently asked questions

Is the Project Life app discontinued?

No, the Project Life mobile app is still active and updated on iOS and Android. What was discontinued is Digital Project Life, the separate browser and desktop tool for laying out pages on a computer, retired in February 2024.

What happens to my existing Project Life pages and kits?

Anything you already made or purchased is still yours to use. Existing digital kits remain usable, no new ones are being released, and nothing is deleted from your account.

Can I move my Project Life photos into a different service?

There's no direct import. Export them and move the folder into Dropbox for a service that reads Dropbox directly, or use a service that connects straight to Facebook or Instagram with no export step.

What's the closest thing to Project Life's original pocket-page style?

Mixbook, since its editor supports the same card-and-journaling layout. If you'd rather skip the manual design work, look at My Social Book or Chatbooks instead.

Can I make books from both Facebook and Instagram?

Yes, but as two separate books, not one. My Social Book builds each book from a single source, so you'd order one book from Facebook and another from Instagram rather than a single book pulling from both at once. If most of your memories live on one platform, that's usually enough; if they're split evenly, you may want a book from each.

Facts about competitors checked on September 28, 2026. Prices and features change; confirm on each company's site before ordering.

Create your book from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox