Yearbooks have officially entered the app era. No longer limited to bulky hardcovers or clunky design software, today’s yearbooks are interactive, mobile, and in many cases—alive with video, real-time updates, and social-style timelines.
Whether you’re looking for a fully digital memory experience or a powerful design platform to help you build a custom yearbook, the best apps today do far more than just preserve pictures.
They help bring memories to life—and they make the creation process faster, easier, and more collaborative than ever before.
In this article, we break the yearbook app landscape into two main categories:
- Digital Yearbook Apps – Built for mobile viewing, video sharing, and modern memory-keeping
- Yearbook Creation Tools – Platforms for building and designing yearbooks (print or digital)
Let’s start with the digital-first options changing how students relive their school year.
Article Contents
Best Digital Yearbook Apps
1. YearBoxx – The Only Mobile-First, Video-Integrated Yearbook App
YearBoxx is the only yearbook app that truly feels like it belongs in 2025.
Built from the ground up for smartphones, it delivers an experience that’s more like a social memory feed than a static photo book.
Students and schools can upload photos, tag events, share videos, and even continue updating their profiles after graduation.
Instead of waiting months for a printed book, memories in YearBoxx are added in real-time throughout the year.
Think of it as a personal, living time capsule—organized by events like prom, sports games, and graduation. And since the app is mobile-native, the entire yearbook lives right in your pocket.
What Makes YearBoxx Stand Out
- Mobile-first design made for how students actually engage with memories
- Photo and video uploads in real time
- Timeline layout to organize events as they happen
- No contracts and flat pricing ($6.99 per student)
- White-glove support and training for advisors
- Lifetime access—students can update it after they graduate
Best for
Schools that want a truly modern, engaging, and long-term memory experience for students.
2. Treering (Hybrid App)
Treering offers a mix of print and digital features. While its core model focuses on customizable printed yearbooks, the platform also includes a digital companion where students can preview and personalize their own pages before ordering.
Although it doesn’t offer video uploads or real-time social-style features, Treering is a great entry point for schools not quite ready to go fully digital.
Features
- Custom pages for each student
- Google Photos integration
- Digital preview and online order management
- Eco-conscious mission: a tree planted for every book sold
Best for
Schools that still want printed yearbooks but want to add a light digital component.
Best Yearbook Creation Tools
If you want full creative control over your yearbook layout—or if you plan to design first and then print or share digitally—yearbook creation apps and software give you the flexibility to build things your way.
These tools are often used by schools with yearbook teams, design classes, or advisors who want a more hands-on approach to the creative process.
Here are the top yearbook creation tools of 2025:
1. Canva for Education – Fast, Free, and Collaborative
Canva has become a favorite among teachers and students for all kinds of classroom projects, and it’s no surprise it works well for yearbooks too.
With Canva for Education, educators get access to premium features at no cost. Students can collaborate on the same project, whether they’re in the classroom or working from home.
It’s not a dedicated yearbook app—but it doesn’t need to be. Canva’s ease of use, massive library of templates, and real-time editing make it perfect for yearbook creation.
You can design every page from scratch or start with a template, then export the final design for printing or digital sharing.
Why Canva Works for Yearbooks
- Free for educators and students
- Dozens of ready-made yearbook layouts and pages
- Real-time collaboration on shared folders
- Export as high-res PDF or share digitally
- Accessible from any device
Best for
Schools or clubs that want to design their own yearbook from the ground up without paying for expensive software or services.
2. Adobe Express – Simple Yet Powerful Design for Yearbook Projects
Formerly known as Adobe Spark, Adobe Express is another beginner-friendly tool for creating photo-driven projects—including yearbooks.
It offers drag-and-drop tools, templates, and cloud access, all with a more design-forward look than many free tools.
While it’s not as robust as InDesign, it strikes a good balance between simplicity and polish. Students can easily learn the interface, and it integrates well with other Adobe tools if you’re already in that ecosystem.
Highlights
- Clean, intuitive interface for visual storytelling
- Web-based, so it works across devices
- Templates for photo books and memory pages
- Good middle ground between Canva and full Adobe software
Best for
Schools that want a design-first tool with Adobe polish but without the complexity of pro tools like InDesign.
Choosing the Right Yearbook App in 2025
Yearbook creation in 2025 doesn’t look anything like it did ten years ago—and that’s a good thing. Today, you have options.
- If you want a fully digital, smartphone-first experience with video and photo sharing, YearBoxx is the clear leader.
- If you still want a printed book with modern tools, Treering blends both worlds.
- If you’re all about hands-on design and control, Canva or Adobe Express let your students or team build a yearbook from the ground up.
No matter which route you take, the goal is the same: to capture memories in a way that’s meaningful, engaging, and lasting. Thanks to these yearbook apps, that’s easier than ever.
