UNITED STATES—Let me just start by saying; I’m not the kind of person who remembers to back up files regularly. Like a lot of people, I’ve got thousands of photos and videos sitting on my laptop, my phone, a couple of old hard drives, and even a folder on Google Drive I haven’t looked at since 2018.
I finally bought The Photo Stick after a small tech disaster — and now I’m sharing my real experience to help others who might be wondering if it’s actually worth it.
Quick Summary:
I used The Photo Stick to back up over 10 years of photos and videos from my laptop. The process was straightforward, and I was surprised by how many forgotten memories it recovered. While I had a positive experience, I did notice some limitations — like unnecessary files being backed up and the lower storage model filling up quickly.
It’s a great option for anyone who wants a simple, offline solution without dealing with cloud subscriptions. That said, it’s not perfect for everyone. Some users have reported issues like duplicate files or compatibility quirks, especially on older systems.
If you’re looking for alternatives with more flexibility or mobile support, here are some top picks based on ease of use, value, and features:
Top 5 Alternatives to The Photo Stick
- ✅ ThePhotoStick Omni – Best for phones and tablets (USB-C, Lightning, and USB-A support)
- SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive – Reliable option for iPhone and iPad users with automatic backups
- Picture Keeper – Similar software-based backup with more control and cross-platform options
- Google Photos – Free cloud-based backup (with storage limits) and smart organization
- WD My Passport SSD – For tech-savvy users wanting high-speed, manual backups with tons of space
The “Oh Crap” Moment That Pushed Me to Buy It
Back in April, I knocked a glass of juice onto my laptop while working from the couch. I grabbed it fast enough to save it from short-circuiting, but it got me thinking, what if next time I’m not that lucky?
Worse, a few months earlier, my sister lost years of baby photos from her old MacBook when the hard drive died. The recovery company quoted her over $900 to attempt a data rescue — and even then, they said there were no guarantees.
So yeah, that was my wake-up call. I wanted something easy, something I didn’t have to “set up,” and something that wouldn’t shove me into a monthly subscription plan. That’s when I remembered those ads for The Photo Stick.
Where I Bought It & What I Paid
After doing some comparison shopping, I bought The Photo Stick 64GB from the official site for $49.99. They were running a “Buy One, Get the Second 40% Off” promo, so I got one for my parents too. No subscription. Free shipping. I figured if it actually worked, it would be a steal.
It arrived in about 10 days — which was honestly faster than I expected, considering I’m in the UK and it was coming from the U.S. It came in a padded envelope, no import fees, no fancy box. Just a basic blister pack and the stick.
First Impressions: Simple but Not Fancy
It looks like a regular USB stick — maybe a bit chunkier. There’s a little cap over the connector (which I nearly lost within five minutes), and a tiny keyring loop at the end.
The build is decent. It feels lightweight but not super durable. I wouldn’t toss it in a backpack without a case. You’d definitely want to keep this dry. That’s one thing I noticed: it’s not waterproof, so don’t get too adventurous with it.
First Test: Plug-and-Play? Mostly.
I plugged it into my Lenovo laptop (running Windows 10). It showed up immediately as a USB drive. I clicked the little launcher file, and a screen popped up with a green “GO” button.
Here’s what happened:
- I clicked GO.
- The scan started.
- .. my antivirus threw a warning.
Not ideal. But I looked it up and apparently some antivirus programs don’t like autorun files from external drives. I allowed it through, and the scan continued.
Within about 30 minutes, it said it had found 9,742 files — which blew my mind. That included folders I didn’t even remember creating. Some were saved screenshots from an old game. Others were memes (yes, I backed up memes, apparently). But also — buried in there — were vacation photos from 2013 I thought I’d lost.
My First Mistake: Not Filtering Files
One mistake I made early on was just running it without using manual settings. It backed up everything — including low-res images from old apps, duplicate pics from downloads, and even thumbnails.
Because of that, it filled up the drive with junk fast. I was using the 64GB model, and it was already 90% full after one run.
I ended up deleting everything and starting over, this time using manual mode, where you can tell it what folders to scan and what file types to ignore. MUCH better results the second time.
This time, it focused on .jpg, .png, .mov, and .mp4 files — and left out weird system files.
The Results: Surprisingly Thorough
After re-running the scan, it found around 5,800 usable photos and videos and organized them into dated folders on the drive. Some of the photos went back to my university days — a few I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. I spent a solid hour just going down memory lane.
It also automatically skipped duplicates, which was awesome. And when I re-ran it a week later, it only copied new stuff I’d added since the last run.
I also plugged it into my iMac just to check — and it worked fine there too (running macOS Mojave). It took a bit longer to load the app, but it scanned and backed up without issue.
Minor Annoyances
To be real, it’s not perfect. Here are a few things that bugged me:
- No progress bar— You see a file count ticking up, but no real ETA or progress percentage.
- No mobile version— The standard Photo Stick doesn’t plug into phones. (They sell a mobile version called Photo Stick Omni, but I didn’t test that.)
- A bit slow on older machines— When I tried it on my mom’s older Windows Vista laptop, it froze once halfway through scanning. Worked fine after restarting though.
Why It Still Won Me Over
Even with those quirks, I’m genuinely happy I bought it. It backed up thousands of photos that I honestly didn’t even realize I’d forgotten about. It gave me peace of mind knowing that if my laptop dies tomorrow, I’ve got a physical copy of everything important.
And for my parents? Lifesaver. They had photos from 2006 sitting on a dusty desktop in the attic. I showed them how to use the stick, and now they’ve got all their grandkids’ baby pictures backed up — without needing to log into anything or use the cloud.
Final Verdict
If you:
- Are bad about backups
- Don’t want to pay for monthly cloud storage
- Have a ton of photos scattered across old computers
Then yes, The Photo Stick is worth it — especially the 64GB or 128GB version. It’s not a miracle device, but it absolutely gets the job done.
If you’re super tech-savvy and already use organized folders or automatic cloud backups, it might feel too basic. But for regular folks (like me), it’s a quick and painless solution to a very real problem.
Would I Buy It Again?
Yes, and I already did — one for myself and one for my parents. It’s now part of my digital routine. I back up once a month, and it takes less than 10 minutes.
Better safe than sorry.
