What does it cost to digitize your home videos?
Ten two-hour tapes cost $169.99 to $339.97 at regular prices at the four services here that publish every charge, with the cheapest way to get the files back and shipping where it's priced. Southtree is cheapest. With the codes and sales advertised on October 28, 2026, ten tapes come to at least $75.00 at Southtree, with part of the bill not priced, or $150.00 at Kodak Digitizing with every charge known.
| Service | Total | Per item |
|---|---|---|
| Southtree cheapest 10-tape box, one output included: $169.99 | $169.99 | $17.00 |
| DVD Your Memories 10 tapes at $29.99: $299.90 · 10% off 6 or more tapes: −$29.99 · Thumb drive, "start at" $20: $20.00 | at least $289.91 | $28.99 |
| Kodak Digitizing 10-item kit: $299.99 | $299.99 | $30.00 |
| Larsen Digital 10 tapes at $25.00: $250.00 · Digital file for each tape ("as low as"): $50.00 | at least $300.00 | $30.00 |
| ScanDigital 10 tapes at $28.00: $280.00 · Round-trip ground shipping: $24.00 | at least $304.00 | $30.40 |
| iMemories 10 tapes at $29.99: $299.90 · SafeShip kit, with shipping to iMemories: $29.99 | $329.89 | $32.99 |
| Legacybox 10-item kit: $319.98 · Storage option (the cheapest for this kit): $19.99 | $339.97 | $34.00 |
| Walgreens | Only a "starting at" price is published ($34.99), so no total can be worked out. | |
Totals include the cheapest way each service offers to get digital files back, and shipping where the service prices it. "At least" means part of the bill is priced only as "starting at" or not at all. Film is priced by the reel at Legacybox and Kodak Digitizing, and by the foot or per 50 ft elsewhere.
Three ways to do it
- Send them away. 8 services compared on one page, with what each charges for tapes and film reels, and Legacybox against iMemories.
- Do it yourself. A capture device from $49.90, free recording software, and an hour at the VCR for every hour of tape: what it takes and when it's cheaper.
- Make it look better. Enhancement from a service, or software from $59.95 to Topaz Video: what restoration costs per tape.
Quick answers
How much does it cost to convert VHS to digital?
At the services priced here, one two-hour tape costs from $39.99 (Southtree) and ten from $169.99 (Southtree) to $339.97 (Legacybox) at regular prices, files and shipping included where they're priced. Advertised codes and sales bring ten tapes down to at least $75.00 at Southtree, with part of the bill not priced, or $150.00 at Kodak Digitizing with every charge known.
Is it cheaper to digitize VHS tapes yourself?
In money, from 3 tapes: the Hauppauge USB-Live2 costs $49.90 at its maker's store, less than the cheapest service charges for 3 two-hour tapes, and free software such as OBS Studio records with it. You also need a working VCR and a Windows PC, and the capture runs while the tape plays: 3 hours of tape take 3 hours.
Do services charge more for long tapes?
Southtree and ScanDigital say their price is the same whatever the tape's length, and Southtree takes up to six hours on one tape. DVD Your Memories charges $29.99 up to 2 hours and $10 for each additional 2 hours.
What does it cost to make old videos look better?
iMemories adds its AI Enhancement for $9.99 a tape ($4.99 with its code). Software you run yourself costs from $59.95 once (VideoProc Converter AI) to $299 a year (Topaz Video), and open-source tools such as Video2X are free.
Prices checked against each service's own pages on .