The best Samsung Frame TV photo apps in 2026, compared
SmartThings, Samsung’s free official app, is fine for putting a single photo on The Frame. Frame Photos is the strongest dedicated photo app: albums, 4K collages, fast slideshows, multi-TV control, and tested support for every model year 2017–2026. Frame Crop is a solid one-time-purchase alternative with an artwork and crop heritage, while Frame TV Pics and the Samsung Art Store serve narrower jobs.
Competitor facts on this page were checked against the live App Store listings in July 2026. Where a listing does not state something, we say so rather than guessing.
What each app is built for
These five are not five versions of the same thing. Each was built for a different job. Knowing the job makes the choice easy.
SmartThings
Samsung’s official whole-home app
SmartThings is Samsung’s free app for setting up and controlling Samsung devices across your home, and it can add your own photos to The Frame’s Art Mode. It needs a Samsung account and an internet connection, and its photo tools stop at the basics: a crop step and limited mat options, with no albums, collages, or slideshow control beyond the TV’s built-in rotation. If a photo lands on the TV once in a while, that is often enough. See the full Frame Photos vs SmartThings comparison for the details.
Frame Crop
One-time-purchase crop and art tool
Frame Crop is a $7.99 one-time paid app with no subscription listed, a model many Frame owners appreciate. Its heritage is preparing artwork: it crops and processes images, browses Smithsonian Open Access, Wikimedia Commons, and Unsplash, and its listing describes direct upload to Samsung Frame TVs (and Hisense CanvasTV) plus slideshow support. Collages are not mentioned in the listing, and no Frame model years are stated. It is actively updated. See the full Frame Photos vs Frame Crop comparison.
Frame TV Pics
Photo formatter that pairs with SmartThings
Frame TV Pics is free with ads, with a $3.99-per-year in-app purchase to remove them. It styles photos for The Frame: soft frames, mats with color recommendations, captions and signatures, dual-portrait layouts, and over 1,000 Unsplash images. But it does not send anything to the TV itself. Its App Store listing states that Samsung’s SmartThings app is required to transfer images to the Frame TV, so it works as a formatting companion rather than an uploader.
Samsung Art Store
Curated art subscription on the TV
The Samsung Art Store is not a photo app at all: it is Samsung’s subscription to licensed artwork, built into The Frame itself, at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year as of mid-2026. It is the right product when you want museum and gallery pieces on the wall, and it coexists happily with any photo app: your own photos and Art Store pieces both live in Art Mode.
Frame Photos
Dedicated photo app for The Frame
Frame Photos is built around one job: your own photos on The Frame. It uploads directly over your home WiFi with no Samsung account, previews 16 real Samsung matte colors and 6 mount styles before sending, auto-converts HEIC, JPEG, and PNG, syncs real albums with one button, builds collages from 13 templates at 4K, runs an app-driven slideshow from 15 seconds to 3 minutes per photo, and rotates photos across every Frame in the house with Party Mode. Every model year from 2017 to 2026 is tested, including the legacy 2017–2021 art interface that trips up many apps. One Apple purchase covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac; the Android app is coming to Google Play. Built by Siebrand Dijkstra, an indie developer and Frame owner.
How do the apps compare side by side?
On price, Frame Photos sits between the free official app and the Art Store subscription: free to try, then a one-time $9.99 unlock or $2.99/month. On features, it covers the widest span in this table: direct WiFi upload, albums, collages, slideshow control, and every Frame model year 2017–2026, all tested. "Not mentioned" below means the app’s live listing does not state it.
| App | Price model | Direct upload over WiFi | Albums & collages | Slideshow control | Model years stated | Android |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SmartThings | Free (Samsung account) | Via Samsung account + internet | TV’s built-in rotation | Not stated per year | ||
| Frame Crop | $7.99 one-time | Collages not mentioned | Slideshow yes, per listing | Not stated | Apple App Store | |
| Frame TV Pics | Free with ads; $3.99/yr ad removal | No: transfer via SmartThings | Not stated | Apple App Store | ||
| Samsung Art Store | $4.99/mo or $49.99/yr (mid-2026) | Curated art, not your photos | Art Mode rotation | Built into recent Frames | Runs on the TV itself | |
| Frame Photos | Free to try; $9.99 one-time or $2.99/mo | Local WiFi, no Samsung account | Albums + 13 collage templates at 4K | 15 sec – 3 min + Party Mode | Every year 2017–2026, tested | Coming to Google Play |
Competitor cells reflect each app’s live App Store listing as checked in July 2026; Art Store pricing is as reported by third-party sources at that time. Frame Crop and Frame TV Pics were verified via their Apple App Store listings.
Which app should you use?
Use SmartThings if you want one photo on the TV without installing anything new. Use Frame Photos when your own photo library is the point: albums, collages, slideshows, more than one Frame, or an older 2017–2021 model. Pick Frame Crop for a one-time purchase focused on cropping artwork and photos, Frame TV Pics for its framing styles alongside SmartThings, and the Art Store for curated art rather than your photos.
Just one photo, no extra app
SmartThings
Samsung’s official app is free and can add a personal photo to Art Mode. If you set up the TV with it, you may already have it installed.
Your whole photo library, albums, and slideshows
Frame Photos
Real albums with one-button sync, 13 collage templates rendered at 4K, and an app-driven slideshow from 15 seconds to 3 minutes per photo.
A one-time purchase with an artwork and crop focus
Frame Crop
A $7.99 paid app with direct upload and slideshow support per its listing, plus art browsing from Smithsonian Open Access, Wikimedia Commons, and Unsplash.
Decorative framing styles, transfer handled by SmartThings
Frame TV Pics
Soft frames, mats with color recommendations, and captions. Its listing states SmartThings is required to transfer images to the TV.
Curated art instead of your own photos
Samsung Art Store
A subscription to licensed artwork built into the TV: $4.99/month or $49.99/year as of mid-2026. It complements a photo app rather than replacing one.
An older 2017–2021 Frame
Frame Photos
The legacy 2017–2021 art interface is tested explicitly: the model-year range most listings do not address at all.
More than one Frame in the house
Frame Photos
Saved TVs with status and wake-on-LAN, plus Party Mode rotating photos across every selected Frame simultaneously.
What are the best apps for Android users?
Today, SmartThings is the practical Android option: it is free on Google Play and can add personal photos to Art Mode with a Samsung account. The Frame Photos Android app for phones and tablets is coming to Google Play but is not live yet. Frame Crop and Frame TV Pics were verified via their Apple App Store listings, so we cannot vouch for Android versions of either.
When the Frame Photos Android app ships, mixed and Android-only households get the same workflow as Apple users, direct WiFi upload, the matte editor, albums, collages, and Party Mode, with the $2.99/month plan covering cross-platform cloud sync. See pricing for how the one-time unlock and the monthly plan differ.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free way to put photos on a Samsung Frame TV?
SmartThings is Samsung’s official free app and can add personal photos to Art Mode with a Samsung account. Frame Photos is free to try: finding your TV, connecting, browsing photos already on it, and the full matte editor cost nothing, and your first 4 uploads are free. It is also currently free for a limited time, and early downloads keep full access.
Can I make photo collages for The Frame?
Frame Photos builds collages from 13 templates and renders them at 4K before sending. Among the other apps compared here, the Frame Crop and Frame TV Pics listings do not mention collages, and SmartThings and the Samsung Art Store do not offer a collage builder for personal photos.
Is Frame Photos an app that runs on the Samsung TV?
No. Frame Photos runs on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac (an Android phone and tablet app is coming to Google Play) and talks to The Frame over your home WiFi. Nothing is installed on the TV, so there is no TV-side app to update or sign in to.
What if I want more than 50 photos rotating on my Frame?
Manage them as albums instead of individual uploads. Frame Photos syncs an album to the TV with one button: it adds new photos, removes old ones, and configures the slideshow. And its Fast Slideshow rotates photos app-driven from 15 seconds to 3 minutes each, so large albums stay fresh without hand-managing the TV’s storage.
Try the strongest pick on your own Frame
Frame Photos is free to try: find your TV, preview a matte, and send your first 4 uploads to your own Frame before you pay. The one-time unlock is $9.99 for unlimited uploads, albums, collages, fast slideshow, and Party Mode.