How much storage will you need?

The first question is always the same: which package do I need? The recommender on the pricing page gives you a number once you tell it what kind of party you are holding and how many guests are coming. Here is the arithmetic behind it, so you can judge whether that number fits your party.

What a photo takes up

A photo from a modern phone is typically 3 to 4 MB. That is why the packages work out at roughly 150 photos per 500 MB.

We do not change the resolution of the photos. What your guest took is what you get - and that is why the numbers look the way they do.

Eighty guests is not eighty photos

The most common miscalculation. Guests do not share one photo each.

Some share nothing. Some share three. And five to ten of them - usually the ones closest to you - share twenty or thirty each. Those are the ones filling the space. They are usually also the ones with the best photos.

That is why the suggestion is built on what similar events actually used, rather than an average multiplied by a guest count.

Video is the big one

This is where to pay attention. A single video can take up as much room as a great many photos. A five-minute speech, a couple of songs from the dance floor, and half your storage has gone to something nobody watched more than once.

That is why the recommender has a switch for video. If you expect guests to be recording - speeches, dancing, singing - turn it on and you get a larger suggestion. That suggestion is not us trying to sell you a bigger package; it is the same calculation with a different kind of usage.

What happens if you hit the ceiling

The most important section, and the reason you can safely pick the smaller package.

We do not cut an upload off halfway through. As long as there is room left in your package, guests can keep uploading - even if that last file tips you over the limit. We allow up to 25% more than the size of your package, so nobody loses the photo or video they are in the middle of sharing.

Once usage reaches the size of your package, new uploads are turned away. And you can upgrade mid-party: you only pay the difference up to the new package, not the whole thing again.

And it is a few clicks: pick the new package on your dashboard, pay, and the room is there immediately. Your guests can upload again without doing anything themselves - no scanning again, no reloading. No waiting, and nobody has to set anything up for you.

Pro tip: Pick the package that matches what you expect, not your worst case. You can always upgrade, and you can watch your usage on your dashboard as the party goes.

The free package is a real package

500 MB is around 150 photos. For a smaller gathering, a birthday or a lunch that is enough - and you get every feature with it. The only thing paying changes is that the Live Wall stops showing our logo.

If you are unsure, start there. If it turns out to be too little, you upgrade along the way and pay only the difference.