Pixieset, Pixpa, Zenfolio, Format, and SmugMug are the best website builders for photographers who need client galleries and online sales, while Squarespace suits all-in-one business sites and Heya fits simple one-page and small sites. Paid plans start from $3 a month on Heya and $4.05 per month billed 2-yearly on Pixpa up to $20.00 per month billed annually on SmugMug, with free plans on Pixieset and Heya.
Heya is ours, so read its row with that in mind. Every other number comes from each company's own pages, checked on October 28, 2026.
The short answer
This table compares free options, starting paid prices, custom domains, client galleries, and print or store sales across all seven builders.
| Builder | Free plan or trial | Cheapest paid plan | Custom domain | Client galleries | Store and print sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pixieset | Free forever plan ($0/mo) | $8/mo billed annually ($10/mo monthly) | Supported | Included (3 GB to Unlimited) | Store included; 15% fee on lowest tier, commission-free higher |
| SmugMug | 14-day free trial | $20.00/mo billed annually | Supported | Included with unlimited JPEG storage | Print and digital sales from $23.50/mo billed annually |
| Zenfolio | Free trial (no credit card) | $7/mo billed annually ($9/mo monthly) | Included on all plans | Included on all plans (15 GB on Basic) | From $11.50/mo billed annually; 7% commerce fee per order |
| Format | 14-day free trial (no credit card) | $10/mo billed annually (normally $14/mo) | Supported; free first year on Pro/Pro Plus annual | 10 on Basic, 50 on Pro, 250 on Pro Plus | Commission-free store from Pro ($12/mo billed annually) |
| Pixpa | 15-day free trial (no credit card) | $4.05/mo billed 2-yearly (discounted from $9) | Free custom domain for year 1 | Included on all plans (3 GB to 100 GB) | Zero-commission store on all plans (3 to unlimited products) |
| Squarespace | 14-day free trial (no credit card) | $19 per month (Basic) | Free custom domain on Basic | Not stated (portfolios and memberships supported) | Selling on all plans; 2% store fee on Basic, no fee on Core, Plus, and Advanced |
| Heya | Free plan ($0, no time limit) | $3 a month (Pro Lite) | Included on Pro Standard ($6 a month, 1 custom domain per account, up to 5 sites) | Up to 200 images per site | Link a button to your store |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Not stated means the product's provided documentation did not specify that detail; prices keep the billing period stated by each provider.
Pixieset has a $0 per month free forever plan, with paid plans from $8 per month to $40 per month billed annually. The $28 per month Suite bundles Client Gallery, Website, Store, Studio Manager, and up to Unlimited storage.
SmugMug starts with a 14-day free trial, then costs $20.00 per month (Direct), $23.50 per month (Portfolio), or $37.00 per month (Pro), billed annually. SmugMug provides unlimited full resolution JPEG storage, and the Direct plan includes unlimited photo storage, Lightroom integration, and 24/7 live human support.
Zenfolio offers a no-credit-card free trial and plans at $7 per month, $11.50 per month, and $20 per month billed annually. You get a website, client galleries, and proofing, while selling prints with labs like Mpix starts on Professional.
Format gives you a 14-day free trial and annual plans at $10 per month (Basic), $12 per month (Pro), and $15 per month (Pro Plus). Pro includes unlimited pages, 1,500 high-resolution images, 50 client galleries, and a commission-free store.
Pixpa has a 15-day trial and 2-yearly plans from $4.05 per month (Basic) to $11.25 per month (Advanced). Every tier comes with 200+ templates, client galleries with proofing, a zero-commission store, and a free custom domain for year 1.
Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial and plans at $19 per month (Basic), $29 per month (Core), $49 per month (Plus), and $99 per month (Advanced). It includes the Fluid Engine editor, selling functionality on all plans, and a free custom domain on the Basic plan.
Ours is Heya, a no-code builder with a photographers template among 68 templates. It's $0 on Free (up to 3 sites), $3 a month on Pro Lite, or $6 a month on Pro Standard with up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account, plus Calendly embeds and buttons you can link to your store.
A photography site has two jobs: showing a portfolio to get bookings, and delivering private galleries or prints to paying clients. If you just need a public portfolio with sample work, pricing, social links, and a calendar, Heya (up to 200 files per site in WebP, plus Calendly embeds) or Format Basic (10 pages and 70 high-resolution images) can cover the basics.
If you deliver full shoots, Pixieset, SmugMug, Zenfolio, Format, and Pixpa all include client galleries, with features like proofing and favorites on Pixpa, proofing on Zenfolio, and favoriting and download limits on SmugMug Pro. For high volume, SmugMug provides unlimited full-resolution JPEG storage and Zenfolio includes unlimited JPEG storage on Advanced (starting at $20 per month, billed annually), while Pixieset and SmugMug also offer options for RAW files.
Paying for a dedicated photography platform makes sense once you sell prints, send private client galleries, or publish straight from Adobe Lightroom. SmugMug ($23.50 per month billed annually on Portfolio), Zenfolio ($11.50 per month billed annually on Professional, working with Miller's, Mpix, Bay Photo, and Fujifilm), and Pixieset handle print and digital fulfillment automatically.
Watch the store fees, though. Pixpa takes zero commission on all four plans ($4.05 to $11.25 per month billed 2-yearly), and Format has a commission-free store from Pro ($12 per month billed annually for 15 products). Zenfolio charges a 7% commerce fee per order plus download fees, Pixieset charges 15% on its lowest tier, and Squarespace takes 2% on its $19 per month Basic plan.
Out of these seven builders, only Pixieset and Heya have free plans with no time limit. SmugMug, Format, and Squarespace give you 14-day free trials, Pixpa gives 15 days, and Zenfolio has a no-credit-card trial. Pixieset's $0 per month free forever plan lets you try its Client Gallery (starting at 3 GB storage) and Store (with a 15% commission fee) before moving to paid plans from $8 per month billed annually.
Our $0 Heya Free plan gives you up to 3 sites with up to 5 pages each at yourname.heya.bio, and Pro Lite is $3 a month for up to 20 pages per site and no badge. Heya Pro Standard is $6 a month and includes 1 custom domain per account across up to 5 sites, with up to 20 pages per site and no badge.
If you just want a clean portfolio page to show your best shots and take booking inquiries, you can start on Heya without an account and pick the photographers template from our 68 templates. Your draft saves in your browser on a computer or phone, and you only sign in with Google when you're ready to publish.
You can upload up to 200 images per site (up to 20 MB each, resized to 2048 pixels on the long edge and converted to WebP), pick from 42 fonts and 14 theme presets, and link up to 29 social networks. For bookings and inquiries, you can embed a Calendly scheduling page or link a button to a Google Form or Tally form, plus embed YouTube, Vimeo, or Google Maps.
Open the photographers template in the editor or see what it includes.
We compared Pixieset, SmugMug, Zenfolio, Format, Pixpa, Squarespace, and Heya using each platform's published pricing, storage tiers, gallery features, and ecommerce fees as checked on October 28, 2026. The facts come from format.com/pricing, pixieset.com/pricing, pixieset.com/website, pixpa.com/pricing, smugmug.com/plans, squarespace.com/pricing, squarespace.com/websites, zenfolio.com/pricing, heya.page/pricing, heya.page/docs.
Plans change often. If a number here is out of date, email hello@heya.page and we'll fix it.
Pixieset and Heya are the two builders here with free plans that don't expire. Pixieset's $0 per month plan includes Client Gallery (starting at 3 GB storage) and a Store with a 15% commission fee. Heya Free costs $0 with no credit card for up to 3 sites (up to 5 pages per site) at yourname.heya.bio with a small "Made with Heya" badge.
Heya Pro Lite costs $3 a month for a simple portfolio with up to 20 pages per site and no Heya badge. If you need client galleries and online stores, Pixpa starts at $4.05 per month billed 2-yearly, Zenfolio starts at $7 per month, billed annually, and Pixieset starts at $8 per month when billed annually.
Pixpa, Format, Pixieset, and Squarespace all let you sell without commission fees. Pixpa charges zero commission across all plans starting at $4.05 per month billed 2-yearly, and Format is commission-free starting on its $12 per month billed annually Pro plan. Pixieset is commission-free above its lowest tier, while Squarespace charges no fees on online store transactions on its $29 per month Core plan.
SmugMug provides unlimited full resolution JPEG storage, with unlimited photo storage included on the Direct plan ($20.00 per month, billed annually). Zenfolio includes unlimited JPEG storage on Advanced (starting at $20 per month, billed annually), and Pixieset has an Unlimited photo storage tier for Client Gallery. Format Pro Plus ($15 per month billed annually) also gives you unlimited high-resolution images and unlimited website pages with 1 TB of storage.
Yes, Pixieset and SmugMug both support RAW files, while Zenfolio doesn't store them. Pixieset lets you upload up to 1,000 GB of RAW photos and has a $12 per month Photo Editor add-on for RAW editing, batch editing, and culling. SmugMug offers a RAW storage add-on for up to 1 TB at $10 per month, plus $6 per month per extra TB.
Yes, Heya is a good fit if you want a simple portfolio ($0 on Free, $3 a month on Pro Lite, or $6 a month on Pro Standard with 1 custom domain per account) with up to 200 images per site and an embedded Calendly booking page. You can also link buttons to a Google Form for inquiries or to your online print store.
More from Heya: Free portfolio website builders, Portfolio website, Photography website template and Guides.
Related guides: Pixieset alternatives.
Start building your portfolio with Heya's photographers template in your browser with no account required, and publish for $0 on Free or $3 a month on Pro Lite.