Xposure vs Format
Format is a polished portfolio builder for creatives with client proofing and manual workflows. Xposure is built specifically for photographers, combining clean galleries, a fast portfolio, and an automated online scheduling manager with deposits in one flat-rate pricing plan.
Quick verdict
Format is broader (designers, illustrators, photographers) and template-rich. Xposure is photographer-only with EXIF metadata, watermarked previews, and a built-in booking/scheduling engine that collects deposits automatically. Choose Xposure if you want a unified platform that acts as both a portfolio/gallery and a self-serve scheduling system for client sessions.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Xposure | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio website with custom domain Format includes the domain free for the first year only. | Every paid plan (from €8 ($9)/mo) | Pro & Pro Plus ($17+/mo) |
| Template variety | Curated, opinionated | Hundreds of layouts |
| Native client galleries Both bundle proofing in the standard plan. | ||
| Number of client galleries | Unlimited on every paid plan | 50 on Pro, 250 on Pro Plus |
| Storage for client delivery Format's own comparison table lists image storage as unavailable on Basic. | 20 GB to 2 TB by plan | None on Basic, 100 GB on Pro, 1 TB on Pro Plus |
| PIN / password protection on galleries | ||
| Watermarked previews, clean downloads | ||
| Sell digital downloads | Unlimited products | 15 products on Pro, 1,000 on Pro Plus |
| Platform fee on digital sales | 0% on Pro & Studio | 0%, but product-capped |
| Online booking with deposits & contracts Xposure includes a live calendar booking tool with automatic deposit payment and contracts. Format Workflow allows manual contracts and invoices but has no client-facing online booking scheduler. | Manual contracts only (via Workflow) | |
| Two-way Google Calendar sync | Via Format Workflow | |
| EXIF-aware photo presentation Camera/lens/settings rendered automatically. | - | |
| Page-load speed | Sub-1s on most galleries | Depends on template |
| Targeted at | Photographers only | Creatives broadly |
Format pricing and plan details checked on 2026-09-17 against their own pricing page. Competitor pricing changes, so treat this as a snapshot rather than a quote. For every plan and what each one includes, see the full Format pricing breakdown.
A website builder that also does galleries
Format sells portfolio websites first and client delivery second, which is why its limits are counted in images rather than gigabytes. Basic allows 70 high-resolution images and includes no image storage at all; Pro allows 1,500 with 100 GB.
Both ceilings bind independently, so comparing Format on storage alone misses the image cap and comparing on image count alone misses that the entry plan cannot hold a gallery. If the portfolio is the point and delivery is occasional, that structure works. If you deliver every week, it does not.
Check which tier has what you need
Gallery password protection, client contracts and the CRM tools are all listed as unavailable on Basic. If protecting a client delivery is part of your workflow, Basic is not a candidate regardless of its price.
Client galleries are also capped: 10 on Basic and 50 on Pro, with file transfers metered separately at 2 GB and 5 GB. Those are three different limits doing three different jobs, and the transfer allowance is usually the first to bite.
Template range against opinionated design
Format's template library is far larger than ours and always will be, because breadth is the product. If you want to design your site rather than pick one, that is a real advantage and worth paying for.
We take the opposite position: one gallery aesthetic, tuned for photographs, with nothing to configure. Which is better is genuinely a matter of what you enjoy spending your evenings on.
Pick Format when
Where Format pulls ahead
- You're a multi-discipline creative (illustration, design, photography) and want one site for everything.
- You want extreme template variety and don't mind picking from hundreds of layouts.
- You like that the Pro plan includes a custom domain free for the first year.
- You sell a small, fixed catalogue and the 15-product store on Pro is plenty.
Pick Xposure when
You want the cleanest delivery
- You want an automated booking engine where clients select slots from a live calendar, sign contracts, and pay deposits in one flow.
- You're a photographer specifically and want a tool that displays EXIF metadata on every photo.
- You sell digital photo packages and want 0% platform fee on Pro (€18 ($21)/mo) with Stripe Connect payouts, and no cap on how many products you list.
- You want a single opinionated design instead of evaluating hundreds of templates.
- You care about fast page loads on image-heavy galleries.
- You deliver more than 50 client galleries a year, which is where Format's Pro plan runs out.
- You prefer transparent year-over-year pricing without "free first year" discount cliffs.
Try Xposure free
Spin up a portfolio and a client gallery in minutes, and move your work across on your own schedule.
- Free plan, forever
- No card required
- 14-day Pro trial
