Ranking the 7 Best Gallery Website for Dog Photographers
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of various online dog photography websites use to show and sell their images.
Finding the right website is about more than just uploading photos and sending the link – it’s about providing a seamless experience for the customer which leads to more sales overall.
So, join me as we explore the top 7 photography gallery websites for dog photographers, whether you shoot dog sport events or dog portraits, and break down their key features.
Why use a gallery website for dog photography?
If you are photographing dogs professionally, whether at dog sport events or in private portrait sessions, you need a way to sell those images.
Some who are just starting out might look for free or cheap options to “proof” their images (commonly known as proofing galleries) and then send the downloads via email or a cloud service (or even USB or CDs!), but once their business grows they need a system that is more hands-off.
The gallery platforms I’m presenting in this comparison are ones that I feel work for dog photography, including dog sport events such as agility, dock diving, dog disc/frisbee, Fast CAT, nose work or scent work, barn hunt, etc.
All of these platforms allow you to share photos that you have taken and the customer can buy digital downloads and other products you define directly from the gallery, eliminating the back-and-forth you might need with a different proofing or sales method.
This is a win-win for you and your customer!
Notes:
- I have only personally used Pixieset, CloudSpot, and Sunshine Photo Cart. The rest of this information is based on online research. If anything is incorrect based on your own experience, please contact me!
- I am currently using Sunshine Photo Cart on my WordPress installation. The link included in this article is an affiliate link, which means if you purchase Sunshine through the link I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. This goes towards creating more free resources like this!
Gallery platforms that were compared
The websites I compared were:
- Pixieset (https://pixieset.com), founded in 2013 in Vancouver
- CloudSpot (https://www.cloudspot.io), launched in 2015 in an incubator start-up in California
- ShootProof (https://www.shootproof.com), launched in 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia
- SmugMug (https://www.smugmug.com), started in 2002 in California and acquired Flickr in 2018
- Zenfolio (https://zenfolio.com), founded in 2005 in California
- Pixpa (https://www.pixpa.com), founded in 2013 in India
- Sunshine Photo Cart
There were other websites I found that I do not include in the comparison because they are geared towards weddings or are not suited for dog photography. These include: Pic-Time, Zno, Photonesto, Pixellu, Lightfolio, and PhotoShelter.
Features to look for in your gallery website
The different functionalities of each platform will vary, and you might see some features included in only the highest paid levels and not others.
Here are the features I was looking for when I was comparing these gallery websites:
- Cost, including monthly fees, annual fees, and commission fees
- Storage space, such as the number of GB for your photos or videos
- Ease of use from the photographer’s perspective on the back-end of the website
- Branding and customization, such as being able to use your own logo and domain
- Customer experience, such as the ease of purchasing an image from the website
- Marketing and sales, including features like analytics and automated emails
Below, I’ve summarized the 7 websites in each of these categories.
Costs
Let’s kick things off with a look at the costs of these gallery websites.
Monthly and annual costs can vary based on the level of features from each website, so it’s important to consider the value you get for your investment. A small extra cost per month or year is not going to matter if your photos are easier to purchase and you have better marketing. You will easily make up the difference in the costs.
The exception being commission fees with SmugMug taking 15% of your profits and Zenfolio taking 7% of your profits – the more you make, the more you pay! Note that SmugMug does include the credit card processing fee (typically 2.6-2.9%) in their 15% commission.
ShootProof comes out on top in this category with a range of pricing options, starting from $0 to $30 per month and $0 to $300 annually. What sets ShootProof apart is its wealth of features – and no commission fees, even on its free plan.
Pixpa is in a close second with the lowest annual cost on our list and enough features to successfully run your business, albeit nothing fancy.
Winner: ShootProof
Runner-up: Pixpa
Cost comparison table for gallery websites
| Provider | Monthly cost | Annual cost | Commission fee |
| Pixieset | $0-$50 | $0-480 | 15% on free, then none |
| CloudSpot | $0-$45 | $0-$408 | 15% on free, then none |
| ShootProof | $0-$30 | $0-$300 | None |
| SmugMug | $28-$45 | $225-$384 | 15% commmission |
| Zenfolio | $9 – $40 | $84-$264 | 7% commission |
| Pixpa | $8-$26 | $48-$216 | None |
| Sunshine Photo Cart | N/A | $279/year plus costs of WordPress site | None |
Storage space
Now, let’s dive into storage space.
Gallery platforms like Pixieset, Cloudspot, ShootProof, and Zenfolio offer unlimited photo storage on their top-tier plans. If you are using a WordPress site with Sunshine Photo Cart, your storage is determined by your hosting plan.
However, ShootProof doesn’t provide unlimited storage, even on the highest tier. Instead, their top option has 1,250 GB of storage with the option to archive your older galleries for a small fee, which is a system I tend to use anyway to keep my gallery website clean.
SmugMug and Zenfolio stand out for their unlimited storage options and video storage capabilities, allowing you to share your videos and even sell them on your gallery website.
Winner: SmugMug
Runner-up: Zenfolio
Storage comparison table for gallery platforms
| Provider | GB storage | Number of galleries | Video storage |
| Pixieset | 3GB – unlimited | Unlimited | 0 – 5 hours |
| CloudSpot | 10GB – unlimited | 3 on free; Unlimited on paid | N; add video link youtube/vimeo |
| ShootProof | 5GB – 1250GB (and archive for a fee) | Unlimited | N |
| SmugMug | Unlimited | Unlimited | Y |
| Zenfolio | 15 GB – Unlimited | Unlimited | Y and sales gallery (4k only in pro) |
| Pixpa | 20GB – Unlimited | Unlimited | N |
| Sunshine Photo Cart | Determined by your site hosting | Unlimited | N |
Ease of use
The back-end features that each website or platform offer can significantly impact your workflow.
Being able to apply watermarks automatically on upload (and not while you are editing them beforehand) and automatically offering different download sizes to customers (instead of having to resize and upload different versions) are some of the key features in this category.
An Adobe Lightroom plugin on your platform is also a nice feature to have if you edit your photos before posting them. If you work with other photographers or have editors or virtual assistants, you might need multiple user access to your gallery website.
If you shoot large events and sort the images by dog name or handler name, then bulk gallery uploads to your gallery website are essential. With this feature, I personally trust desktop uploaders or FTP more than a browser drag-and-drop upload.
ShootProof’s takes the lead, closely followed by Zenfolio which also has a desktop uploader and a LR plug-in. Uniquely, Sunshine Photo Cart, hosted on your own WordPress website, offers a bulk FTP photo upload option.
Winner: ShootProof
Runners-up: Zenfolio (for Lightroom plug-in) and Sunshine Photo Cart (for FTP bulk gallery uploads)
Ease of use comparison table for gallery websites
| Provider | Watermarking | Different download sizes | Lightroom plugin | Multiple user access | Bulk Gallery Uploads |
| Pixieset | Y | Y | Y | N | N |
| CloudSpot | Paid only | Paid only | Y | N | Y via browser drag and drop |
| ShootProof | Y | Y | N | Y, limit not specified | Y via desktop uploader |
| SmugMug | Y | Pro only | Y | Pro only, for 1 assistant | Y via browser drag and drop |
| Zenfolio | Y | Y | Y | Up to 30 | Y via desktop app |
| Pixpa | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| Sunshine Photo Cart | Y | Y | N | Y as website users | Y via FTP |
Branding and customization
Maintaining your brand identity is crucial. Sometimes, seeing the brand name of the gallery website provider on your website can confuse your clients.
Sunshine Photo Cart, being self-hosted, offers the highest level of customization, allowing you to fully integrate your galleries with your WordPress website.
Other platforms, including ShootProof, Pixieset, and Zenfolio, also offer various customization features. For stand-alone providers, ShootProof shines with branding.
It allows you to use your own domain, add your branding elements, and remove the gallery provider’s branding. Meanwhile, SmugMug does not allow you to remove their name from your website.
Winner: Sunshine Photo Cart
Runner-up: ShootProof
Branding comparison table for gallery platforms
| Provider | Use your own domain | Add your own branding | Remove provider branding | Website attached |
| Pixieset | paid plans | paid plans | paid plans | Y |
| CloudSpot | Y | Y | paid plans | N |
| ShootProof | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| SmugMug | Y, but just to forward | Y | N | Y |
| Zenfolio | Y, but just to forward | Y | Pro or Advanced only | Y |
| Pixpa | Y | Y | Y (but you have to email to ask) | Y |
| Sunshine Photo Cart | Y | Y | Y | It is your website! |
Customer experience
Delivering an exceptional customer experience is key.
ShootProof stands out with a visually appealing gallery website including the most easy-to-use interface, but does not have the ability to purchase from multiple galleries at once like Sunshine Photo Cart, SmugMug, or Zenfolio do.
Mobile apps are available for ShootProof, Pixieset, CloudSpot, SmugMug, and Pixpa, providing convenient access for clients on the go.
If you want to use credits or gift cards (for example, if you sell pre-pay packages like I do), then Sunshine Photo Cart, Zenfolio, and Pixieset are your best choices.
Overall, ShootProof provided the best customer experience in my search, with Zenfolio coming in second.
Winner: ShootProof
Runner-up: Zenfolio
Customer experience comparison table for gallery websites
| Provider | Favorites list | Automatic print fulfillment | Coupons | Gift cards | Mobile apps | Purchase from many galleries (not subfolders) at once |
| Pixieset | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N |
| CloudSpot | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N |
| ShootProof | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N |
| SmugMug | Pro only | Y | Pro only | N | Y | Y |
| Zenfolio | Y | Pro or Advanced | Pro or Advanced | Pro or Advanced | N | Y |
| Pixpa | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N |
| Sunshine Photo Cart | Y | N | Y | Credit in account | N | Y |
Marketing and sales features
To effectively market and sell your photography from dog portraits or dog events like agility, certain features can make a significant difference.
Collecting customer emails for gallery access and retargeting purposes was offered by all gallery platforms reviewed, except for SmugMug.
ShootProof takes the top spot in this category with its advanced marketing features and automated email workflows.
Sunshine Photo Cart also offers automated email notifications and advanced analytics, but it is still in its early stages of development. I expect much more to come in 2024!
Winner: ShootProof
Runner-up: Sunshine Photo Cart
Marketing comparison table for gallery platforms
| Provider | Email to access | Analytics/reporting | Email marketing (abandoned carts) |
| Pixieset | Y | Y | N |
| CloudSpot | Y | Paid only | N |
| ShootProof | Y | Paid only | Y |
| SmugMug | N | Pro only | N |
| Zenfolio | Y | Pro and Advanced | Advanced only |
| Pixpa | Y | Y | Y (but seems manual) |
| Sunshine Photo Cart | Y | Y | Y |
The winner – ShootProof!
After carefully analyzing and comparing various platforms, I ranked each gallery provider website from 1-7 where 7 points was the winner and 6 points was the runner-up. Note that these are personal opinions and your opinion may vary – that is okay!
ShootProof emerges as the winner, offering a combination of cost-effectiveness, ease of use, branding options, customer experience, and marketing features.
| Provider | Cost | Storage Space | Ease of Use | Branding | Customer Experience | Marketing and Sales | Total |
| ShootProof | 7 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Sunshine Photo Cart | 5 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 31 |
| Zenfolio | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 27 |
| Pixpa | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 21 |
| CloudSpot | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| SmugMug | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 18 |
| Pixieset | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
Sunshine Photo Cart, a WordPress plug-in, is an excellent option for experienced WordPress users seeking complete customization. This is the option I personally use and would highly recommend it.
Pixpa is a great choice if you need a simple, clean system for your dog photography business for a low annual cost. CloudSpot is my favorite for amazing mobile apps.
Zenfolio and SmugMug also offer notable features, such as video storage, making them worth exploring depending on your specific needs and preferences, but keep in mind the downsides mentioned in this article such as the commission taken from your sales and the lack of branding ability.
Conclusion
Remember, while this comparison provides valuable insights, it’s essential to sign-up for free trials and consider your unique requirements before making a decision. A single gallery platform might fit all of the special needs of your own business!
Choosing the right photography gallery website is crucial to making sales from dog portraits or dog sport events. Finding the right gallery website will not only enhance your business but also elevate the overall experience for your valued customers.
Check out the Fetching Profits podcast episode on this topic:
Do you need more help with your photography business? Contact me for a complementary 15-minute discovery coaching call to see if private coaching could help!
