AI photo booth vs 360 booth: which one for your event?

A 360 photo booth is a small round platform with a camera on a rotating arm. One or a few guests stand on the platform, the arm sweeps around them, and the software turns the clip into a short slow-motion video with music and effects. The result is made for Instagram Reels and TikTok.

An AI photo booth takes a normal photo, then uses AI to turn it into a new image in the style the guest picks: a royal wedding portrait, a movie poster, a boardroom headshot, a scene from a brand's campaign. The guest still looks like themselves, and the result can be printed or sent to their phone in seconds.

Read next: AI face swap · AI styles gallery

Swipe sideways to see the whole table.

This is usually the deciding question. A 360 booth gives guests a moment: a few seconds of video of them dancing, spinning or posing with friends. It is fun on the night and great on Reels, but it is rarely printed or kept.

An AI photo booth gives guests a keepsake: a portrait they would not otherwise have, which many print, frame or use as a profile photo. At weddings, older guests who would never step onto a 360 platform will happily take an AI portrait.

An AI photo booth kiosk needs about the floor space of a tall display stand and a normal power socket. It can sit against a wall, in a lobby or beside a stage, which makes it easy to fit into crowded halls and small venues.

A 360 booth needs the platform itself plus clear space around it for the rotating arm and for guests to step on and off safely, and it usually needs a lit backdrop. Check the venue's floor plan before booking one, especially at indoor weddings and exhibitions.

Read next: Turnkey AI photo booth kiosks

An AI booth can run self-service in kiosk mode: guests tap a style, take the photo and scan a QR code. Many events still keep an attendant to help guests, manage prints and keep the line moving, but it is not strictly required.

A 360 booth usually needs an attendant the whole time to manage the platform and keep guests safe while the arm rotates. Each video also takes longer from start to share, so the queue moves more slowly at busy moments.

With an AI booth, the brand or event can live inside the image itself: guests appear in the campaign's world, wearing the product, or in a scene that matches the theme, with the logo in the frame. Delivery by WhatsApp, QR code, SMS or email means photos are posted the same night, and branded delivery pages can collect contact details.

With a 360 booth, branding usually comes from overlays, music and the backdrop. The video format is excellent for short-form social platforms, but less useful on LinkedIn or in print.

Read next: Brand activations · Virtual try-on

Both booths share results online, so venue Wi-Fi matters. With DG Photobooth, capture, frames and printing keep working without internet, and AI jobs are queued and delivered as soon as the connection returns, so a dropped connection delays results rather than losing them. Keep a mobile hotspot as a backup either way.

Read next: Offline AI booth mode

Rental prices for both vary by city, hours and extras, so compare written quotes for the same booth time. For an AI booth, check whether prints, a custom frame and an attendant are included. For a 360 booth, check the platform size, the backdrop and whether video editing and music are part of the package.

If you run events yourself, an AI booth can run on hardware you already own with software from $1 per day, or as a complete kiosk from $2,850 to $4,400 including a year of software.

Read next: How much does an AI photo booth cost?

• How much floor space and how many power sockets does the booth need?
• Is an attendant included for the whole event?
• How do guests receive their photo or video, and how long does it take?
• What happens if the venue internet drops?
• Can the frame, overlay or style match our theme, names or logo?
• Are prints included, and how many?

• You want every guest to leave with a keepsake, printed or on their phone.
• The event has a theme or sponsor you want in the photo itself.
• Space is tight, or the booth needs to run without staff.
• Corporate guests who would rather post a portrait than a dance video.
• Guests of all ages, including those who would not step onto a platform.

Read next: Corporate events · Weddings & social events

• The crowd wants to dance and film Reels: parties, sangeet and mehndi nights, club events.
• You have floor space and an attendant for the platform.
• Short-form video is the main goal for the event's social channels.

At large weddings and brand activations, the two work well together: the 360 booth for the dance floor, the AI booth for portraits and prints. Place them apart so each has its own queue, and use the same frame design and event name on both so every share carries the same branding.

Read next: AI photo booth in Lahore · AI photo booth ideas