When I first started my photography business, I researched all of the possible online gallery service options that I could find. Pixieset, Pic-Time, CloudSpot, Smugmug, ShootProof, and more besides. I set out to investigate which services offered the best FREE plans, because as a newbie, I was on a budget.
Pic-Time Free Plan
Comparing different platforms, I discovered that Pic-Time offered a fabulous free version of their service.
With 10GB of storage and unlimited galleries, it was a definite win in my book. Pic-Time does not offer any form of CRM.
Pic-Time galleries are visually pleasing and offer an easy to use client experience.
CloudSpot Free Plan
CloudSpot offers 10GB of free storage but does not allow for high resolution downloads. Clients can only download web size files under CloudSpot’s free plan. CloudSpot also limits CRM projects to a maximum of three, before an upgrade is required.
On both CloudSpot and Pic-Time, the free plan incurs a 15% commission for print shop or store sales.
What Worked in the Beginning
Before I shot weddings, my gallery sizes were fairly small. I didn’t need unlimited galleries or 100GB of storage. 10GB of free storage provided on the Pic-Time free plan was more than enough for my budding business. After I would create a client gallery, Pic-Time allowed me to set an expiration date for each project. I would give my clients a couple month window to download and backup their images, after which I could simply delete their gallery from Pic-Time, freeing up storage for other projects. That worked very well for me in the beginning!
However, once I started shooting weddings, I needed a lot more space for galleries. A wedding alone was over 10GB, not to mention the storage used by my other projects. I started researching better options. I had heard of CloudSpot, and several photographers that I followed highly recommended CloudSpot as a fantastic platform.
I compare CloudSpot and Pic-Time’s plans below and show which one provides the better offering.
Pic-Time Plans
Pic-Time’s free plan offers 10GB of storage and unlimited client galleries. It also incurs a 15% commission on print product and store sales.
CloudSpot Plans
CloudSpot’s free plan offers 10GB of storage but does not allow for High-Resolution digital downloads. It includes up to 3 client galleries before an upgrade is required, and incurs a 15% commission for print products and store sales.
In my book, Pic-Time is the obvious winner when it comes to the free plan.
Pic-Time and CloudSpot Paid Plans
For $7/month Pic-Time offers 20GB of storage and unlimited client galleries. However, Pic-Time still incurs a 15% commission on print and product sales. From what I can tell by reviewing Pic-Time’s pricing plans, a commission is incurred despite the plan. The commission does decrease with each upgrade but is still something to consider, especially if you plan to utilize the print shop or store features.
For $12/month CloudSpot offers 100GB of storage, 0% commission on print and product sales, and unlimited client galleries.
Comparing CloudSpot and Pic-Time’s most basic paid plan, CloudSpot definitely comes out on top.
Another fabulous feature about CloudSpot is their newly released CRM that comes FREE with any paid plan. This is definitely a huge win for photographers who are not interested in paying $200-400 per year on automated CRM like Honeybook. CloudSpot makes any of their paid plans that much more worth the investment.
Boiling It All Down
If you are a beginner and need a way to deliver your client galleries seamlessly and for free, then I would suggest using Pic-Time all the way.
However, when it’s time to upgrade and invest in a platform that will create an incredible client experience for a fraction of the cost, CloudSpot is the way to go 110%!
To be honest, I am unimpressed by CloudSpot’s free plan, primarily because clients cannot download their images high res. However, any of CloudSpot’s paid plans are more than worth the investment and pay for themselves many times over.
If you are ready to join CloudSpot, use this link for 20% off your first year! For no extra cost to you, I will get a small commission if you choose to use my link to purchase a CloudSpot subscription.
I hope this was helpful, friends! As always, leave me comments or questions below, and I will respond soon!
Joyfully,
Lauren