picdrop or CloudSpot.
These two get compared because both send a client a gallery, and they stop being alike immediately afterwards. picdrop is a review tool for professional workflows: agencies, editors and commercial shoots where somebody has to approve frames. CloudSpot is a client-facing delivery platform that also wants to run your studio. Choosing between them is really a question about who opens the link.
We make Xposure, a third option. It gets one paragraph, at the end.
picdrop
The better fit when
- Your client is an art director or picture editor approving frames, not a couple choosing favourites.
- You need yes, no and maybe flags rather than a single favourite heart.
- You want to draw and comment directly on an image during a review.
- You work with a team and need seats, shared inboxes and per-member permissions.
CloudSpot
The better fit when
- You sell prints or digital files and want the store attached to the gallery.
- You want invoicing, contracts and scheduling on the same bill as galleries.
- Your clients are consumers, and the gallery is part of the product they paid for.
- You want one platform for the whole job rather than the best tool for one stage of it.
Which is better, picdrop or CloudSpot?
picdrop is the better review surface. Colour flags for yes, no and maybe, drawing directly on an image, and per-file comments are made for a picture editor working through a shoot, and its team seats and shared inboxes suit an agency rather than a sole trader. CloudSpot is the better business tool: galleries a couple will enjoy, plus invoicing, contracts, scheduling and a print store on the same subscription. The deciding fact is that picdrop states plainly it does not sell photos and has no plans to, so if any part of your income comes from prints or digital sales it cannot be your delivery platform.
What does every plan cost, by storage?
Per month, billed monthly, each in its own currency. Further right stores more. The tier you outgrow into is the bill you will pay in a year.
| Plan | Stores | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| picdrop | ||
| Free | 1 GB | Free |
| Pro | 500 GB | €14.99 |
| Advanced | 1 TB | €39.99 |
| Business | 3 TB | €99.99 |
| CloudSpot | ||
| Free | 5 GB | Free |
| Entry | 15 GB | $7 |
| Lite | 100 GB | $17 |
| Pro | 500 GB | $34 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | $50 |
Sources: picdrop.com/web/pricing and cloudspot.io/pricing. Both can change their prices at any time.
How do picdrop and CloudSpot compare, side by side?
| picdrop | CloudSpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | €14.99 a month billed monthly | $7 a month billed monthly |
| Free plan | 1 GB. Up to 3 galleries, basic collaboration. | 5 GB. Up to 3 galleries, JPEG only, 15% commission. |
| Charges for | Storage | Storage |
| Fee on sales | No commission: picdrop has no store and does not sell photos | 15% on Free and Entry; 0% from Lite upward |
| Billed in | Euros | US dollars |
| Top tier | 3 TB | Unlimited |
What does neither of them do?
Neither is aimed at a photographer who wants a portfolio site and client delivery in one place: picdrop says outright that it does not offer websites, and CloudSpot is a gallery and studio product rather than a public portfolio. Note too that CloudSpot takes 15% of store sales on its Free and Entry tiers, so a commission-free store starts at Lite.
For the record, we make Xposure: a portfolio, client galleries and bookings on one plan from $9 a month. Argued properly in Xposure or picdrop and Xposure or CloudSpot.
More with these two.
Moving galleries from another platform? Read how switching works, one gallery at a time.