The Absolute Best Photo Booths to Buy (Ranked)

In the world of photo boothing, there seem to be endless possibilities and plenty of opinions on what people think makes “the best photo booth.” While it’s ultimately a subjective question, and down to personal opinion, there are a lot of factors that can be weighed when deciding whether one photo booth is better than another, especially if you are just getting started. I’ll explore what these factors are, and how you can decide what’s best for your goals. Btw, we are talking about literal ‘photo’ booths here (open-air that is), 360 ‘booths’ ‘enclosed’ booths or any other kinds are not part of this post. Also, this post is not going to cover software or go into much detail on hardware specifics, since most photo booths let you build-your-own experience with just the shell and some optional components. But we’ll tackle that in a future post.

To the budget-conscious reader: Don’t make the same mistake I did, spending thousands of dollars trying to ‘save money’ only to repeat the entire purchasing process a year later to buy quality equipment that better served my needs. Remember, this is a business you are operating, so you should treat it like one from the very start. Your photo booth is core to your business, so don’t neglect to spend the right amount of money to purchase something that will fit your needs properly.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s look at what makes for the best photo booth. (Note: The best photo booth is great for anyone looking to up their photo booth game, beginners and experts alike). Then we’ll have a look at options on a scale of good to great (and what I recommend avoiding at all costs).

What makes for the best photo booth?

The best photo booth is one that will stand the test of time and can be used at a variety of events. What does this mean exactly? Well, have a look at your market. What is in demand and can be found at every party? Mirror booths were super trendy for a while and accomplish all the same net goals of a more standard photo booth but may not be the best option (or a good option at all) for a number of reasons (more on that in a bit). However, if in your market, mirror booths are what people want, then start there! After all, product-market-fit is one of the most important factors for any business, and if you give people what they are already asking for, you will likely have much more success from the start. However, I digress.

A good photo booth should have the following attributes:

Build Quality

The last thing you want is to spend money on a hunk of metal/plastic/wood thinking you saved pennies, only to have the thing fall apart on you. Solid manufacturing means a physically solid booth that can be setup and torn down thousands of times without showing much wear.

Reputable Manufacturer

This is usually tied to build quality, but not always. A reputable manufacturer is someone the community/industry recognizes as providing solid equipment consistently. It also means they support the equipment post-purchase to some degree (at least offering options to purchase common hardware replacements directly when needed). It also means you can build your fleet of booths as you scale, without worrying about having to change the aesthetic all over again due to the company going out of business.

Transportability

Since the world of photo boothing is all about bringing the booth TO your client’s event, the ideal photo booth will not only pack down nicely, but can be easily transported in a dedicated case or bag(s). Trust me, you don’t want to be making multiple trips back and forth to your vehicle, especially when there’s a .5 mile walk to the site location (it happens). Don’t want to have a two person team at the start? Then don’t even think about buying a mirror booth.

Brandability

If you are serious about breaking into corporate, having a photo booth with branding potential will give you a leg up. The ability to vinyl wrap or update built-in digital screens in your booth can make a huge impact and allows you to charge a premium.

Market Fit

As mentioned earlier, product-market fit is super important. Buying something because it’s cheap, or a friend told you ‘it’s a good booth’ is not a good enough reason. What are successful companies in your area currently providing? What do you see at every event? Usually following the crowd is a good indicator, but there may also be a new, unexplored trend emerging. Either way, keep an eye out so you know what makes the most sense for you.

Booth Aesthetics

You may laugh and think “people don’t care what it looks like” – and you’d be dead wrong. Sure, many owners make this mistake and brush it off, but it’s their loss. If your booth screams AMATURE, then your client and their guests will think the same of your business. If your booth plays the part AND looks the part, then you have additional incentive for clients to book you.

Equipment Support

Some booths are built specifically for one purposes (such as iPad kiosk booths) and only fit a particular screen size. Other booths have different faceplate options fitting anything from an iPad to a Surface Pro. And still, others have support for internal (or external) flash, DSLR/Mirrorless camera integration, printer arms, and more. When planning which booth to buy, you should keep in mind what types of events you’ll be doing, and what platforms and software you plan to use. (Stay tuned for a future post comparing different software options and which are best). Strictly IOS based options are super beginner friendly, but may limit what you can offer. A better option might be a booth that can be setup with just an iPad, but also as the option to add a DSLR/mirrorless camera, or swap the iPad with a Surface to open the door to better photos, more software and more technical capabilities in the future.

Affordability

I use this term lightly, because what some may deem affordable, others might say is unaffordable. While all of the booths that made my list are going to be more expensive than a budget Alibaba or DIY photo booth, they should be viewed as an investment in your business (and will provide you with payback many times over the cost of the booth). However, for the purpose of this comparison, I include affordability, because it does impact the buying decision. Affordability only includes consideration for the primary photo booth shell, not printer stands, cases, or all the internal components that might be needed.

Now that you know what makes for a ‘good photo booth’ let’s have a look at some of the popular options out there. I’ve rated each one on a scale of 1 to 10 based on my attributes above, with the list sorted based on the total accumulated points (10 cameras is considered a perfect score). Market Fit is not included in the totals, since that, well, depends on your market!

And if you are wondering which booths I personally use, it depends on the scenario, but my go-to booths are Minbooth and Mobibooth.

Best Photo Booths by Ranking