How Much Does a Funeral Slideshow Cost in 2026?
A funeral slideshow costs anywhere from free to $800+ depending on how you make it. DIY in PowerPoint or Google Slides is free but takes 2-5 hours. Online slideshow makers run $15-$50 and take about 15 minutes. Funeral homes charge $75-$300 as an add-on service. Freelancers on Fiverr charge $50-$200. Professional video producers charge $200-$800+.
Here's the full breakdown.
The quick breakdown
| Option | Cost | Time needed | Skill level |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY (PowerPoint / Google Slides) | Free | 2-5 hours | Moderate |
| Online slideshow maker | $15-$50 | 15-30 min | Low |
| Funeral home add-on | $75-$300 | 1-3 days | None (they do it) |
| Freelancer (Fiverr, etc.) | $50-$200 | 1-3 days | None |
| Professional video producer | $200-$800+ | 3-7 days | None |
DIY: Free, but it costs time
If you're comfortable with PowerPoint or Google Slides, you can absolutely do this yourself for nothing. Google Slides is free with any Google account. PowerPoint comes with most PCs or you can use the free web version.
The catch is time. Getting photos organized, placed on slides, sized correctly, adding captions, picking a consistent look. It adds up. Expect 2-5 hours for something that looks polished. And that's time you may not have during one of the hardest weeks of your life.
This option makes the most sense if you have a family member who's comfortable with presentations and has the bandwidth to take it on.
Online slideshow makers: $15-$50
These are tools built specifically for memorial slideshows. You upload your photos, fill in some information, choose a theme, and the slideshow gets assembled for you. Most give you a free preview so you can see it before paying.
The main advantage is speed. You can have a finished slideshow in 10-15 minutes. The output is usually a PowerPoint file that works on any computer, which is what funeral homes prefer.
The trade-off is less customization than doing it from scratch. But for most families, the time saved is worth far more than the cost.
Funeral home add-on: $75-$300
Many funeral homes offer slideshow services as part of their packages or as an add-on. You provide the photos (usually on a USB drive or via email) and they put it together.
Pricing varies a lot. Some include a basic slideshow in their service package. Others charge $100-$300 depending on the number of photos and how customized you want it. Ask upfront so you're not surprised on the invoice.
The upside: it's one less thing to worry about. The downside: you often don't see it until the day of the service, and making changes last-minute can be stressful.
Freelancers: $50-$200
On platforms like Fiverr, you can find people who specialize in memorial slideshows and tribute videos. Many are quite good. You send photos and details, they send back a finished product in 1-3 days.
The risk here is turnaround time. If you need it in 24 hours, rush fees apply and availability isn't guaranteed. If you have 3-5 days, it's a solid option. Read reviews and look at their sample work first.
Professional video producers: $200-$800+
This is the premium option. A professional videographer or production company creates a cinematic tribute video with motion graphics, custom music editing, and sometimes even video clips alongside photos.
The result can be genuinely beautiful, something the family will watch again for years. But it takes time (usually 3-7 business days), costs the most, and requires the most back-and-forth on revisions.
What most families actually do
In our experience, most families end up in one of two camps:
- A tech-savvy family member volunteers to make it in PowerPoint (free but time-consuming, and that person often gets stressed).
- They use an online tool or the funeral home's service to save time during a week where time is the scarcest resource.
The hidden cost: your time
During the week after someone passes, your time is stretched impossibly thin. There are arrangements to make, people to call, paperwork to handle. Any option that gives you back a few hours is usually worth it. The "cheapest" choice isn't always the best choice when you account for the most expensive resource you have that week.