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Album hosting and renewal

Your album is hosted free for a year from send — here's the timeline after that, what renewal costs, and how to never lose a photo.

Last reviewed 4 min read

On this page7 sections
  1. The hosting timeline
  2. What renewal costs
  3. More room: the 500-photo pack
  4. Business events
  5. Never lose a photo
  6. Common questions
  7. Related articles

Every paid event's album is hosted for a full year from the day you send your invitations — included, nothing extra to buy. After that, keeping it online is a simple opt-in renewal, and nothing is ever deleted without months of warning and a long download window. Here's the whole timeline.

The hosting timeline

  • Before you send: the clock hasn't started. Your Photos section says "Your album year starts when you send" and spells out the prices below, so nothing is a surprise.
  • At send: your album goes live with a one-year hosting clock. The Photos section shows a quiet "Album hosted until [date]" line all year.
  • 30 days before the date: the line becomes a gentle "Album hosting ends soon" nudge with a renew button. You'll also get reminder emails at 30, 7, and 1 day before.
  • After the date: the album goes offline — guests see a calm "This album's hosting has ended" note instead of photos, and the upload page tells them the album is offline and doesn't take new photos. Nothing is deleted: you keep a 90-day window to download everything or renew, and renewing brings the album straight back online.
  • 90 days after that: if you haven't renewed, the photos are permanently removed, and we email you a final closing note. This is the only point at which photos are actually deleted.

Your card is never charged automatically — renewal is always a button you press, paid by regular checkout like any other InviteBird purchase (see Payments, receipts, and refunds).

What renewal costs

  • $9.99 a year for the standard 100-photo album.
  • $25 a year once you've added the 500-photo pack (the bigger album costs a little more to keep online).

Renew from the banner in your Photos section — Renew hosting — any time: early while it's still live, during the 90-day window, whenever. Each renewal adds another 365 days.

Buying and renewing are for the event owner. If you're a co-host, the banner says "Ask the event owner to renew hosting" instead of showing the button.

More room: the 500-photo pack

The 500-photo pack is a $25 one-time upgrade that grows this event's album from 100 to 500 photos. You'll be offered it right in the Photos section as the album fills (see Managing and downloading photos); after buying it, your album shows "500-photo album active." As with renewal, only the owner can buy it; a co-host is told to ask the event owner. A full 500-photo album has no bigger pack to offer, so the banner just reads "Your album is full" until you remove a photo.

There's also a post-event Keepsake bundle ($34.99) that packages an extra hosting year, the 500-photo pack if you don't have it yet, and a printable guest-book PDF in one go — a tidy option if you want all three.

Business events

Events covered by a business plan work differently: their albums have no hosting clock at all. The album stays live for as long as the business subscription is active, with the larger photo allowance included — nothing to renew per event. See Plans and pricing.

Never lose a photo

Two habits make the timeline worry-free:

  1. Download the ZIP early. Download all in your Photos section bundles every approved photo at full quality — do it right after the event and the hosting clock stops mattering.
  2. Watch for the 30-day emails. They arrive at 30, 7, and 1 day before the date, each with time to renew or download calmly.

Even in the 90-day offline window, the Download all photos button keeps working for you as the host — offline means guests can't see it, not you've lost it.

Common questions

Will I be charged automatically when the year ends? No, never. If you do nothing, the album simply goes offline at the year mark and photos are removed 90 days later. Renewal only happens when you press the button and pay.

Guests say the album is gone — what happened? The hosting window likely ended. Open your Photos section: if the banner says "Your album is offline," one renewal brings it back exactly as it was, photos and all.

Can I renew before the year is up? Yes — Renew hosting appears all year, and each renewal adds 365 days.

The photos were deleted — can they be recovered? No. After the 90-day grace window closes, removal is permanent, which is why the reminders start a month ahead. If you downloaded the ZIP, you have everything at full quality.

Does renewing re-open guest uploads too? Renewal brings the album back online with the same settings it had, so uploads work again if you had them on.

How do I check my album's date? Open your event's Photos section — the hosting banner shows "Album hosted until [date]" (or the offline notice with your download deadline).

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