Cheap Polaroid Instant Camera? 5 Best Budget Picks 2026

The cheapest instant camera to own is the one with cheap film. Camera plus 100 shots starts at $118.99; the best value on film is the $79.95 Instax Mini 13.

Every pick here costs under $120. We ranked them on what you pay over the first 100 pictures, because on every Instax and Polaroid camera here, 100 shots of film costs more than the camera does. Three of the five picks are Kodak cameras that print on paper instead of film: they are cheaper to run, and the prints show it.

Cheapest to buy vs cheapest to own

Camera prices were checked on October 5, 2026. Most are Amazon prices; the Kodak Smile is Kodak’s own store price. “Camera + 100 shots” is the camera price plus the per-shot figure times 100. Film and paper come in packs of 8 to 60, so your real spend rounds up to whole packs. Per-shot figures use regular pack prices, never a sale: Instax Mini and i-Type checked October 5, Polaroid Go, Zink and 4PASS checked September 9 and 10.

The order changes once you count film. The Printomatic costs $9.96 less to buy than the Instax Mini 13. After 100 shots it is $51.96 less. The Now Generation 3 shows why full-size Polaroid is not a budget format: 100 shots of its film cost $237, more than any camera on this list.

Best cheap instant camera: Instax Mini 13

The Mini 13 is the cheapest way to shoot real instant film without giving up anything that matters. It was $79.95 on October 5, 2026, and Instax Mini film runs $0.91 a shot, so the camera plus 100 shots comes to $170.95. For that you get automatic exposure, a selfie mirror, a close-up mode for 0.3 to 0.5 m with parallax correction, and a 2 second and 10 second self-timer. The wrist strap doubles as a wedge stand that tilts the camera up for timer shots.

There is nothing to set. Twist the lens to turn it on and press the button. It runs on two AA batteries, good for about 100 shots, which you can buy anywhere. PCMag’s Jim Fisher scored it 4 and called it the quintessential entry-level instant camera. The limits: the flash fires on every shot and cannot be turned off, there is no tripod socket, and there is no exposure control.

Its Amazon listing has only 19 ratings so far, averaging 4.5, which is too few to read much into. The Instax Mini 12 is the same camera without the self-timer. It was $82.94 on the same day, $2.99 more, with 4.6 from 1,554 ratings. Buy the Mini 12 if the Mini 13 is out of stock in the color you want. Our Instax Mini 12 vs Mini 13 comparison picks the Mini 13.

Cheapest Polaroid to run: Polaroid Go Generation 3

If it has to say Polaroid on the front, the Go is the affordable way in. It was $82 on October 5, 2026, under its $89.99 list price. Go film costs $1.36 a shot, the only Polaroid film under $2, so the camera plus 100 shots comes to $218. A full-size Now Generation 3 with 100 shots of i-Type would come to $366.99, about $149 more.

The saving comes from a smaller picture. A Go print is 66.6 x 53.9 mm with a 47 x 46 mm image, which is smaller than the 62 x 46 mm image on an Instax Mini print, and Mini film is still 45 cents a shot cheaper. That is why our Polaroid Go vs Instax Mini 12 comparison picks the Instax. Buy the Go for the Polaroid look, the size and the brand, not to save money against Instax.

It weighs 252 g and has a selfie mirror, a self-timer and double exposure, and it charges over USB-C. Exposure is automatic, with no way to adjust it, and TechRadar’s Jon Stapley warned that bright sun overexposes it easily. The flash switches itself back on before every frame. Amazon buyers rate it 3.8 from 224 ratings. The discontinued Go Generation 2 rates higher, at 4.2 from 1,313, and was $79.99 on the same day. Polaroid Go vs Polaroid Now covers what you give up against the full-size camera.

Lowest total cost: Kodak Printomatic

The Printomatic is the cheapest camera here to own: $69.99 for the camera and $0.49 a print, or $118.99 with 100 prints. It is a digital camera with a printer inside. It prints on Zink paper, which has the color built into the sheet and needs only heat, so there is no ink or film. Each 76 x 51 mm print has a sticky back, and with a microSD card (not included) it also keeps a digital copy.

The low running cost comes with two catches. There is no screen, so every shot prints a few seconds after you take it, good or bad. The prints are also the weakest on this list. Buyers and reviewers describe them as washed out or pink-tinted next to real film, and quality drops sharply indoors. Tom’s Guide called both the digital and printed results merely average, and ByteTier scored it 5.7 out of 10.

It manages about 25 prints a charge, and only 5 sheets of paper come in the box, so plan on a 50-sheet pack ($24.37) straight away. Its Amazon listing shows 3.9 from 26,595 ratings, a count that may cover several colors. A slider switches between color and black and white, and there is nothing else to learn, which makes it a reasonable first camera for a young child.

If the look of the print matters to you, the Mini 13 costs $52 more over 100 shots. See Kodak vs Polaroid and Instax vs Zink for how the prints compare.

Best for choosing what prints: Kodak Smile

The Smile fixes the Printomatic’s biggest flaw. It has a color screen on the back and a separate print button, so you spend $0.49 only on the shots you want. It was $99.99 at Kodak’s own store on October 5, 2026, where only the white version was in stock. With 100 prints that comes to $148.99, $30 more than the Printomatic.

The slide-open body is the power switch and covers the lens, and at 122 x 79 x 23 mm it is thin enough for a pocket. Prints come out in about 35 seconds, a charge lasts about 40 prints, and the flash can be set to on, off or auto. It has a self-timer, and a photo booth mode puts two shots on one sheet.

The camera side is basic. The sensor is 5 MP, with Kodak’s 10 MP figure reached by interpolation. Internal memory holds only two to five photos, so a microSD card is close to essential. You press the shutter and then OK to keep a shot, which catches out anyone you hand it to. It charges over micro-USB, the flash is weak beyond about two meters, and print quality is only fair in dull light. Tech Advisor found it hard to recommend, citing low print quality and limited features. Tom’s Guide recommended it as a pocketable instant camera for under $100.

Amazon buyers rate it 4.4 from 2,078 ratings, the best score of the Kodak cameras here. The praise centers on the screen stopping children from burning through paper. Instax vs Zink shows how its prints compare with film.

Best camera and phone printer: Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro

The Mini Shot 2 Retro does two jobs. It is a camera with a 1.77-inch screen, so you choose what to print, and over Bluetooth it also prints photos from your phone through the Kodak Photo Printer app. It was $114.99 on October 5, 2026. Its 4PASS prints cost $0.42 each, the lowest of the five picks, for $156.99 with 100 prints.

4PASS is a dye-sublimation process. Paper and ribbon come together in one cartridge, so there is nothing to load wrong, and the print gets a laminate layer. Prints measure 53 x 86 mm, close to the 86 x 54 mm of an Instax Mini print. Tom’s Guide said it reproduces color faithfully and had the best low-light performance of any instant camera it tested. It has a selfie mirror and a self-timer.

The weak point is the battery. It lasts about 20 prints, and there is no battery-level indicator, so it can run flat without warning. Each print takes about 60 seconds, and there is no double exposure.

Amazon buyers rate it 4.3 from 4,962 ratings, the best of Kodak’s current hybrid cameras. Kodak’s Mini Shot 4 Era prints larger 4PASS photos for $0.30 each and was $118.99 at Kodak’s store, but its Amazon listing had only 6 ratings, too few to judge it by. For more on how Kodak’s two print types differ, see Kodak vs Polaroid.

Why the Instax Mini SE is not a pick

The Mini SE is the cheapest Instax camera, with a $69 list price, and it takes the same $0.91 film as the Mini 13. On Amazon it is sold as Renewed only. On October 5, 2026, new stock was at Walmart for $64, with a 10-pack of Mini film in the box.

It also gives up more than the Mini 13. Instead of automatic exposure it has a brightness dial and a fixed 1/60 s shutter, so a shot at the wrong setting overexposes in bright light. There is no selfie mirror, no close-up mode and no self-timer. In Instax Mini SE vs Mini 12 we picked the Mini 12 over it, and the same reasons put the Mini 13 above it here.

Cheapest instant film, ranked

Running cost is mostly about which film or paper a camera takes. Here is every format our budget picks use, plus the others for comparison, at regular pack prices.

The two Kodak papers are not film. Zink and 4PASS print a digital photo, and the cameras that use them keep a digital file. Instax and Polaroid expose a chemical print through a lens, and there is no digital copy. Kodak’s larger 4x4 4PASS paper is cheaper still, at $0.30 a print. On this list, Instax Mini is the cheapest real film by a wide margin, at well under half the price of i-Type.

Is a “Polaroid” under $50 worth it?

Not if you want a real instant print. The cheapest printing camera in our database is the Kodak Memo Shot Era, $39.99 at Kodak’s store on October 5, 2026. It is closer to a label maker than an instant camera. It prints small 69 x 46 mm black-and-white pictures on thermal paper, 30 to a roll, from a 2 MP sensor, and a photo taken on the camera cannot be saved or sent to your phone. We found no per-roll price for the paper, so we cannot give a cost per shot. The Instax Pal was $37, but it is a small digital camera that needs a separate Instax printer to print anything.

Amazon also sells kids’ print cameras well under $50. We have not covered them, so we cannot say how they compare. The cheapest color-printing cameras we cover start at $64 new, for the Instax Mini SE at Walmart, and $69.99 on Amazon.

How we chose

We have not tested most of these cameras in person yet. The picks come from each camera’s published specs, prices and Amazon ratings checked on October 5, 2026, and from named professional reviews, including PCMag, TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom’s Guide. Our method is on the How We Test page.

We ranked on the cost of the camera plus 100 shots, then on how good those shots are likely to be. That puts the Mini 13 first: it is not the cheapest to own, but it is the cheapest camera on real film that does not cut corners. We included Kodak’s paper-printing cameras because they win on running cost, and we say plainly where their prints fall short. The Polaroid Flip is our pick for the best Polaroid, but at $210 plus $2.37 a shot it is not cheap, so it sits in our best Polaroid camera guide. Cost per shot always uses the regular film or paper price, never a sale.

At a glance

Prices and ratings checked October 5, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest instant camera available?

Of the current cameras in our database that print in color, the cheapest is the Instax Mini SE, which was $64 new at Walmart with a 10-pack of film on October 5, 2026. On Amazon it is sold as Renewed only. The cheapest new on Amazon was the Kodak Printomatic at $69.99. The Kodak Memo Shot Era was $39.99 at Kodak's store, but it prints small black-and-white thermal pictures.

What is the cheapest Instax camera?

The Instax Mini SE, with a $69 list price. On October 5, 2026, new stock was $64 at Walmart with a 10-pack of film, and Amazon sold it as Renewed only. The Instax Mini 13 was $79.95 on Amazon and adds automatic exposure, a selfie mirror, a close-up mode and a self-timer.

What is the best budget Polaroid camera?

The Polaroid Go Generation 3, at $82 with film at $1.36 a shot. The cheapest current full-size Polaroid is the Now Generation 3 at $129.99, which takes i-Type film at $2.37 a shot. Discontinued Now Generation 2 stock was $99.88.

Why is Instax so much cheaper than Polaroid?

Mostly the film. At regular prices on October 5, 2026, Instax Mini film cost about $0.91 a shot and Polaroid i-Type about $2.37. Over 100 shots that is about $91 against $237.

Is there a cheaper version of a Polaroid camera?

The Polaroid Go uses smaller Go film at $1.36 a shot, against $2.37 for the full-size i-Type film. For a similar instant print for less, an Instax Mini camera shoots film at $0.91 a shot.

Related reading

• Instax vs Polaroid: Which Instant Camera Should You Buy? (2026)
• Polaroid Go vs Instax Mini 12: Which Should You Buy? (2026)
• Instax vs Zink: Which Instant Print Should You Choose? (2026)
• Kodak vs Polaroid Instant Cameras: Which Should You Buy? (2026)
• Best Instant Camera 2026: 7 Picks for Every Budget