The best digital picture frames

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We're taking more photos than ever before, but don't ever get a chance to show them off. A digital photo frame is the perfect way to display memories, even if a photo book is a nice option, too. Instead of settling on one image, you can curate your own slideshow gallery. The newest frames are WiFi-enabled, making it easy to add photos from your phone to the frame. Digital frames also make it possible to stay connected with family and friends, even over long distances.

The setup process and display quality of digital frames have also continued to improve. I've used and tested more than a dozen models over the last several years, and it's never been easier or cheaper to get started. From wall-mountable E Ink frames to large-screen options, these picks represent the best digital photo frames to choose from right now.

Our picks of the top digital photo frames

Best overall: Aura Aspen or Aura Carver - See at Amazon

Best budget: Akimart Digital Frame - See at Amazon

Best large: Pastigio 15.6" Digital Frame - See at Amazon

Best wall-mounted: Aura Ink - See at Aura

Best touchscreen: Cozyla Digital Frame - See at Amazon

Best with a calendar: Skylight Calendar 2 - See at Skylight

Best overall

Aura Frames have a design that's worthy of displaying people's fondest memories. The Aura Aspen 12-inch digital photo frame is simply stunning. It's in a class of its own with bright, accurate color and multiple orientations, and an easy, intuitive app.

The Aspen is a one-inch-thick, minimal frame that highlights your photos instead of drawing attention to itself. It may not completely fool people, but its paper-like matting is an elegant design. Instead of utilizing a touchscreen, there are two touch bars (one on the top and one on the side) for swiping through photos and videos. Tapping the bar favorites a photo, and displays a caption, if available.

The hardware is an important component of a digital photo frame, but the software and storage are the other parts. Aura alleviates concerns about storage with unlimited free uploads. After years of testing multiple Aura frames in my home, I've never run into a message about too many pictures or images not loading. There is an undisclosed amount of storage on the devices, so if your internet connection goes out, pictures won't disappear. The frames can also handle video with built-in speakers and display Apple's Live Photos, adding a hint of movement as the photos appear on the screen.

Aura's mobile app is easier to use than Instagram. You can select photos from your library to send to the frame, and within seconds, they'll show. Recent updates have brought email and texting options for sending photos to the frame. While Aura's sharing feature in the mobile app is robust and easy to use, if you'd rather not invite someone, you can give them the number or email address they can use to send pictures. The company also makes it easy to gift a digital frame to other people. You can preload pictures so they appear during setup.

Consider Aura's other frame sizes. Of course, the Aspen's 12-inch screen and $229 retail price might not fit everyone's home or budget. In that case, the Aura Carver is a fantastic stand-in with a 10.1-inch screen and a $149 retail price. It skips the faux-matting for a thicker grooved frame and can only be positioned in landscape orientation, which is its most significant drawback. Otherwise, the screen is crisp and vibrant. It has a gloss to it that looks best outside of direct sunlight, but its brightness should overcome that aspect. It's a great small digital frame that can fit nicely on a desk or a nightstand.

If money isn't a concern, the Aspen's size and versatility make it an excellent pick. Beyond the Aspen, the Walden extends that experience up to 15 inches. But if you don't have the cash to splurge or need a smaller frame for a certain area of the home, the Carver is also an excellent choice that's hard to be disappointed with.

Best budget

The Akimart Digital Frame is a great option for anyone looking to show off their photos without spending more than a $100. There are shortcomings of a budget digital photo frame, but its use of Frameo software helps make the experience top-notch.

Frameo is third-party software used by various manufacturers for photo frames. That means you could use the same app with different frames. You can think of it like Android for mobile phones. Frameo's interface is polished and tailored to photo-specific tasks, including uploading from your phone and letting others share their photos with your permission.

From unboxing to sending my first picture to the frame took under 10 minutes. The process is straightforward: scan a QR code to download the free Frameo app. The app works well, but because the Akimart Digital Frame is a touchscreen, you can also change settings and adjust brightness right on the frame.

At nearly every turn, I was surprised at how well this digital photo frame performed. It was responsive to touch and refreshed pictures quickly. Of course, there are a few downsides to the $59 product. The screen's colors and brightness weren't as good as the other frames in this guide. I noticed more glare and reflections on the screen because of its dimmer display. You won't want to put this frame in direct sunlight if you can avoid it, but otherwise it should perform fine. There are sacrifices to spending less on a digital frame, but in this case, those aren't significant enough to dismiss all of the conveniences if you have limited funds for an electronic frame like this.

Best large

If you want to make a statement with your photos, go with a large digital frame for extra impact. The 15.6-inch Pastigio Digital Frame set itself apart with an attractive display and easy-to-use software. Just make sure to give it enough room on a shelf or nightstand.

Photos that pop. Because of its larger size, one of the things I immediately noticed and appreciated about the Pastigio was its ability to auto-crop images to fit its size. Your results in this area will depend on the types of photos you use and their resolution, but this frame handled all of my pictures quite well. Even though this wasn't the brightest frame I tested, it was bright enough to make colors pop and reduce glare. The viewing angle and overall appearance were good, especially for the frame's price. The Pastigio 15.6 uses the same Frameo software as the budget Akimart frame. The benefit of a bigger screen, however, is that Frameo's collage feature is better utilized. It makes more sense to show off up to six images at once.

Versatile display options. The back of the Pastigio 15.6 has a removable stand for dual orientation. It also has four mounting holes for a TV or monitor arm. And if you don't mind a dangling power cable, there are two holes for wall mounting the frame. However, if you are looking for a big art experience, you may want to consider a dedicated art-style TV, which can display your own photos as well as famous paintings and photographs. I've covered the best frame TVs, and there are some worthy options available now.

Best wall-mounted

Most of these digital photo frames have holes on the back and mounting options, but that doesn't mean you should or that they're good for that purpose. Nearly all electronic photo frames need to be tethered by a power cord, hanging in plain sight, which is a non-starter for most people. The Aura Ink frame solves this problem with a battery capable of providing three months of life. It hangs on the wall wire-free.

E Ink is a display technology that mimics paper for better visibility in the sun and less eye strain. It flashes to refresh its pixels and only consumes power when the image changes. Otherwise, there's very little power draw for the automatic backlight, which turns off at night or when no one is in the room. If you've seen a color Kindle or other e-reader, you know that the color aspect can be lacking. Aura has done special work behind the scenes to make the Ink frame look better, but up close, you can still see some pixelation, and small details can blur together.

I've continually been drawn to all the incredible benefits of the Aura Ink. It looks like a printed photo, much more than any other digital frame. It has a display that pops in the sunlight, instead of becoming hard to see. The physical frame is sleek and gives off hints of an electronic design, yet it still includes light and motion sensors that work seamlessly across a room. There are also stealth buttons on the side to change photos without having to grab your phone. Despite the drawbacks, including a steep price,

The E Ink technology won't be for everyone. The Ink can't do videos or rapidly change images. It's also quite expensive, for a relatively small frame. But if what you're looking for is a digital frame you can hang on the wall without having to hide a cord, this option is stunning. It can also be quite good, with the included stand for displaying in portrait or landscape orientations on a tabletop.

Note: I tested the 13-inch SwitchBot AI Art Frame too, but it can only hold 10 pictures, and its screen didn't deliver the same level of detail as the Aura Ink. The AI Art Frame is neat for displaying certain pictures or posters, but right now it doesn't work as well as a photo frame.

Best touchscreen

A well-rounded option that’s responsive to touch, features a bright, high-quality display, and comes with an easy-to-use mobile app. We tested the Cozyla 10.1-inch digital photo frame and it's hard to go wrong with this option if you need a small and relatively compact option for your work desk or anywhere else around the house. It's also available in larger 17 and 32-inch sizes.

The digital photo frame supports basic features such as auto-rotation, slide shows, auto brightness, and a sleep mode. It goes a little bit further than other frames with unlimited free storage and the ability to connect to Google Photos for easy transfer. You can also use the company’s mobile app for iPhone or Android, upload via the website, and email pictures to the frame.

One of the more interesting features available is the AI photo enhancement. I tried it a few times with mixed results. Sometimes it made colors more vivid, among with other tweaks, but more often than not I thought the results were less appealing than the original, with unnatural appearances or smoothing. If AI isn’t your thing, then you don’t need to use it.

I also wasn’t crazy about the prominent light sensor right in the front, on the white matting. It makes it even less believable as a “real” picture frame. However, for the convenience it provides, it may be a fine trade-off. Like the Aura frames, it also relies on cloud storage and does not have an SD port for memory cards.

Best with a calendar

Hard to beat as a communal family appointment center. The Skylight Calendar 2 will sync with Google, Outlook, Cozy, and other online services to pull in everyone’s events. It’s a great way to get an overview of which time slots are taken and what days are free. To go even further into home management, Calendar 2 can handle to-dos and kids’ chores.

Calendar 2 looks just like a photo frame. However, its software is geared toward productivity rather than simply memories. To that point, you need Skylight’s $79 yearly subscription to enable photo screensavers and general photo frame functionality. With the subscription, you also get meal planning, rewards, and a special email address for additional data imports.

If your priority lies just beyond photos, but you’re still looking for an all-in-one unit, then the Calendar 2 should be on your radar. Right now, it’s hard to find a device like this that does calendars and photos equally well. Cozyla also offers its own Calendar design; it has a slightly higher upfront cost but no annual subscription.

Read our full Skylight Calendar 2 review.

Our best digital picture frames compared

What to look for

WiFi vs non-WiFi digital frames

If you haven’t looked at digital photo frames since their early days, you may still think of them as requiring manual photo transfer using an SD Card or USB flash drive. Some of them still offer that option, but most of them use WiFi to transfer pictures right from a mobile phone. Unless a digital frame will be used in a very specific way that requires a memory card, prioritize WiFi.

Storage: cloud vs local

One reason to have an eye towards local storage is for privacy. Still, in the age of online services, cloud syncing is the way to go. We’ve read through Frameo’s, Aura’s, and Cozyla's terms of service, and they’re all very standard terms that let companies use your photos to sync them, but they aren’t using them for any other purpose. If this aspect of using a digital frame is important to you, then you’ll want to dig into a company’s specific privacy policy.

App experience

Each of the frames we tested has apps for iPhone and Android. If you’re looking at a different option, then you’ll want to check that there is an app for your phone. The Aura app is among the most polished, with an easy-to-understand interface. I didn’t feel lost or confused by apps from Frameo or Cozyla, but they were a little busier and took a little time to fully get acquainted with them.

Orientation and mounting

While a lot of digital frames can be used in either landscape (horizontally) or portrait (vertically) orientations, not all can. Even if a frame doesn’t rotate, nearly every frame will still display all the photos, just with blank space on the side, which is called pillar-boxing

E Ink vs LCD

Right now, most people will want a more traditional LCD digital frame. This type of screen is bright and colorful and can accommodate videos and fast slideshows. E Ink is a more static technology that powers frames with a battery and lets them hang on a wall without a dangling cord. The other reason to heavily consider an E Ink frame, if you can stomach the cost, is for very sunny areas. E Ink is much more visible, with less glare in bright light.

How we tested

When we test digital photo frames, we evaluate each frame based on display quality, ease of use, sharing features, and overall design. We consider both hardware and software.

These frames need to look nice, but ease of use and sharing capabilities are also key. To get a gauge on the display quality, we used the same set of pictures on all the frames and turned the brightness up to 100%. Then we compared image quality side-by-side with an iPhone 17 Pro and directly with the other frames, evaluating color reproduction, resolution, and viewing angles.

We used photos with elements like a neon light, a famous landmark at dusk, a laptop with a hard-to-define color, and a several-week-old puppy. We looked at photos with people to get a sense of skin tones, but don’t show those here for privacy reasons.

The photo frames were evaluated in a bright, sunny room with direct light and monitored throughout the day and at night in the dark. We looked at their design, sensors, materials, and general appeal.

In terms of the software, we used as many sharing options as we could, adding photos to the frames in various ways. The most tedious part is going through all the settings and features offered. A lot of the features overlap, but each of these companies does things just a little differently. For example, all of them can be used for free out of the box, but Frameo software frames require a monthly or yearly subscription fee if you want longer videos (up to 2 minutes), online backups, or the ability to upload up to 100 photos at once to a frame.

Meet the expert behind the guide:

Tyler Hayes, contributor: I spend my time writing about technology and covering the latest consumer electronics. My first digital frame was a Kodak model with an odd aspect ratio back in 2006. It required transferring pictures in a specific resolution from an SD Card. Since then, I’ve had dozens of various ones from different brands, which have all gotten progressively better.

FAQs

Are digital photo frames worth it?

Most people won’t be fooled into thinking a digital frame is a real printed photo. But the point of this product is convenience and the ability to display all the photos you take regularly. With a wide range of sizes and prices, there should be an option that fits your budget if you want to display digital slideshows.

How does a smart display compare to a digital picture frame?

While you can display photos on most kinds of screens, the benefit of choosing a digital photo frame is its software features. These products are designed to display images, so they make it easy to upload images and rotate through them with various settings.

Do digital frames need WiFi?

Having WiFi makes it easier to connect a phone or tablet to a digital picture frame. While you don’t need to have WiFi to use some of them, not having the feature will make adding photos more tedious, so you likely won’t show off as many pictures or add new ones as often.

Can multiple people send photos to a frame?

Many digital photo frames offer sharing via a mobile app or an email address that delivers pictures directly to the frame. Whether it’s only people in your family or a group of friends, there are plenty of ways to have people directly add pictures to your photo frame without needing to manage every image.

What is the best digital photo frame for families?

Any of the frames we tested with software by Frameo, Aura, or Cozyla all offer sharing functionality, so everyone in the family can add their own memories. Frameo and Cozyla will display calendar dates if you want a visual indicator. If you’re looking for a dedicated calendar, your best bet is to look at specific products like the Skylight Calendar 2.

Are Aura frames worth it?

Aura makes great frames, but they do tend to be among the more expensive options. Part of the value Aura offers is free, unlimited photo storage. How many pictures to display is just never a question or concern. If one of the company’s products fits your budget, you can get high-quality hardware, an easy-to-use interface, and free photo sharing.