TL;DR: My Social Book auto-creates photo books from your Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox in under 3 minutes, with dates, captions, and likes preserved. Mixbook gives you the best drag-and-drop editor in the photo book world but requires hours of manual work. Pick MSB for speed and social media memories. Pick Mixbook for total design control.
At-a-glance comparison
| Feature | My Social Book | Mixbook |
|---|---|---|
| Photo sources | Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox (auto-import) | Manual upload from computer or phone |
| Creation time | Under 3 minutes | 2-5 hours typical |
| Social media metadata | Yes (dates, captions, likes, locations) | No |
| Design editor | Auto-generated layout; preview and edit before ordering | Full drag-and-drop with 500+ templates |
| Max page count | 450 pages | Up to 500 pages (varies by format) |
| Book size | 21 cm x 25 cm | Multiple sizes (up to 14" x 11") |
| Cover options | Hardcover or softcover | Hardcover, softcover, layflat |
| Starting price | From $33 (softcover, 25 pages) | From ~$30 |
| Trustpilot rating | 4.7/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Best for | Social media users, family yearbooks, busy parents | Design-focused projects, weddings, custom albums |
How they compare
Photo sources and book creation
This is where the two services differ the most. My Social Book connects directly to your Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox account. It pulls your photos automatically, organizes them by date, and generates a finished book layout in under 3 minutes. You don't download anything. You don't upload anything. You don't sort anything. The system handles it all.
Mixbook works the traditional way. You select photos from your computer or phone, upload them, and place them on pages yourself. If your photos live on social media, you'll need to download them first, then re-upload them to Mixbook's editor. For a few dozen photos, that's fine. For years of social media content, it's a long afternoon.
My Social Book also preserves the social context around each photo: the date it was posted, the caption you wrote, the number of likes it got, and the location. Mixbook treats every uploaded image as a standalone file with no metadata attached.
Customization and design
Mixbook wins this category, and it's not close. The Mixbook editor is arguably the best in the entire photo book industry. You get full drag-and-drop control, hundreds of backgrounds, stickers, text boxes with custom fonts, and the ability to move and resize every element on every page. If you have a specific creative vision, Mixbook can execute it.
My Social Book takes a different approach. The system generates your layout automatically with a clean, chronological design. Before you order, you can preview every page, remove posts you don't want, add or remove content, and customize the cover. But you won't be rearranging page layouts or changing individual photo sizes. The trade-off is clear: you give up pixel-level design control and get back hours of your time.
Book quality and formats
Both services produce well-made books. My Social Book offers a 21 x 25 cm format in hardcover (glossy or matte) or softcover, with books ranging from 25 to 450 pages. That's enough to hold years of social media content in a single volume.
Mixbook offers more variety in sizes and bindings. You can choose from several dimensions, and the layflat binding option (pages lie completely flat when opened) is a real advantage for panoramic photos or double-page spreads. Paper quality is excellent across both services. Mixbook has a slight edge in format flexibility; My Social Book has the edge in how much content you can fit in one book.
Pricing
Base prices are comparable. My Social Book starts at $33 for a 25-page softcover and $53 for a hardcover. Mixbook starts around $30 for basic formats. Both run frequent promotions.
The real cost difference is your time. A Mixbook project typically takes 2 to 5 hours of design work. My Social Book generates your book in under 3 minutes. If you value your time at anything above zero, that gap matters. Most My Social Book customers also receive discounts of 40% or more, which makes the per-book cost very competitive.
Who should choose My Social Book
- Your photos are on social media. If your best memories live on Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox, MSB pulls them directly without any downloading or uploading.
- You don't have hours to spend on a photo book. The entire process takes under 3 minutes. Connect, preview, order.
- You want your captions, dates, and likes preserved. No other photo book service keeps this social context intact.
- You're creating a family yearbook. Hundreds of pages of chronological memories, built automatically. No weekend design project required.
- You've been meaning to make a photo book for years but never got around to it. The #1 reason photo books don't get made is the time investment. MSB removes that barrier.
With 700,000+ books printed over 12 years and a 4.7 Trustpilot rating, My Social Book has the track record to back up the promise. See your free preview in under 3 minutes.
Who should choose Mixbook
- You love the design process. If laying out pages, picking fonts, and fine-tuning every detail sounds like a great Saturday, Mixbook's editor is the best in the business.
- You're making a wedding or special event album. For milestone occasions where creative control matters more than speed, Mixbook delivers.
- Your photos are from a camera, not social media. If you're working with DSLR or professional photos, Mixbook's manual upload workflow makes more sense.
- You want layflat pages. Mixbook's layflat binding is perfect for panoramic shots and double-page spreads. My Social Book doesn't offer this format.
- You need multiple book sizes. Mixbook offers more size options for different use cases.
Mixbook is an outstanding product. If design freedom is your top priority and you're happy to invest the time, you'll enjoy every minute of the process.
FAQ
Can My Social Book import from the same places as Mixbook?
They work differently. My Social Book imports directly from Facebook, Instagram, and Dropbox with no manual steps. Mixbook requires you to upload photos from your device. If your photos are on social media, MSB saves you the download-and-reupload step entirely.
Which service is faster?
My Social Book is dramatically faster. Your book is generated and ready to preview in under 3 minutes. A typical Mixbook project takes 2 to 5 hours of active design work. The speed difference is the core distinction between the two.
Does Mixbook preserve social media captions and dates?
No. Mixbook treats uploaded photos as standalone images. Only My Social Book preserves the original post dates, captions, likes, and locations from your social media accounts.
Which has better print quality?
Both produce high-quality books. Mixbook offers more format options, including layflat binding and a wider range of sizes. My Social Book delivers a solid hardcover or softcover product that 700,000+ customers have been happy with. For most people, print quality is comparable.
Can I use both services?
Absolutely. Many people use My Social Book for their annual family yearbook (because building a 200-page book manually every year isn't realistic) and Mixbook for special events like weddings where total design control matters. There's no reason to pick just one. You can also explore other options in our Shutterfly alternatives roundup.
Ready to see your book?
If your photos are on Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox, you can see what they look like as a printed book in under 3 minutes. No design work. No commitment. Just connect your account and let the book build itself. Create your free preview now.
