Xposure vs Pixieset
Pixieset is the most widely-used platform for client galleries, but it splits its website, galleries, and client booking tools into separate subscriptions. Xposure is the unified, photographer-first alternative: portfolio, client galleries, and a full session booking manager are combined in one flat price.
Quick verdict
Pixieset is the safe, feature-broad default but requires subscribing to multiple separate apps (Client Gallery, Website, Studio Manager) or paying for their expensive Suite plan ($28 to $55/mo). Xposure combines a portfolio, client galleries, and a full booking engine into a single unified price (from €8 ($9)/mo). Choose Xposure if you want all-in-one pricing, built-in bookings/contracts at no extra charge, EXIF-aware photo presentation, and faster next-gen page loads.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Xposure | Pixieset |
|---|---|---|
| Client galleries with PIN protection | ||
| Photo proofing & favourites | ||
| Sell digital prints & downloads (0% commission*) Both pay out to your bank. *0% on Xposure Pro and Studio, 10% on Starter. | ||
| Custom domain | Every paid plan | All upgraded plans (from $8/mo) |
| White-label galleries | All paid plans | All upgraded plans |
| EXIF-aware photo presentation Camera/lens/settings rendered automatically. | - | |
| Watermarked previews, clean downloads | ||
| Built-in print store / lab fulfilment | Built in, through our print lab | |
| Online session booking with deposits Xposure's Studio Manager is included at no extra cost. Pixieset requires an extra Studio Manager subscription or upgrading to their Suite plan. | Via Pixieset Studio Manager (extra cost) | |
| Contracts & e-signatures at booking | Via Pixieset Studio Manager (extra cost) | |
| Two-way Google Calendar sync | Via Pixieset Studio Manager (extra cost) | |
| Standalone invoicing | - | |
| Client questionnaires Xposure sends them off the booking itself: so many days after it is confirmed, before the session, or after it. | Every paid plan | Via Pixieset Studio Manager (extra cost) |
| Page-load speed | Sub-1s on most galleries | Heavier, varies by gallery size |
| Pricing model & add-ons Xposure includes galleries and bookings in every plan (Starter from €8 ($9)/mo). Pixieset requires separate purchases for Client Gallery ($8-$40/mo billed annually) and Studio Manager, or their Suite bundle ($28-$55/mo billed annually). | Unified flat rate (no extra charge for booking manager) | Separated add-on apps or expensive Suite plan |
Pixieset 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 Pixieset pricing breakdown.
What you are actually choosing between
Pixieset is not one product. Client Gallery, Website and Studio Manager are three subscriptions, and the Suite bundle exists because most working photographers end up wanting more than one of them. That structure is the single biggest difference here, and it is not visible on the gallery pricing page you probably landed on first.
The practical effect is that a Pixieset quote tends to grow between the moment you decide and the moment you pay. A photographer who wants galleries, a portfolio site and a way to take bookings is buying three things. Xposure is one plan, and bookings, contracts and deposits are in it from the entry tier.
The free plan costs 15%
Pixieset's free tier is genuinely usable for a small number of galleries, which is why so many photographers start there. It also takes 15% of anything you sell through it, where every paid plan takes nothing.
That fee is invisible until you make a sale, and it compounds quietly. At a few hundred euros of print or download sales a year it already costs more than the cheapest paid plan would have. If you are on free and selling anything at all, work out the fee before deciding the free tier is saving you money.
Where the storage ladder bites
The tiers run 3 GB free, then 10 GB, then 100 GB. There is nothing in between, so the moment a working photographer outgrows Basic the bill doubles. Whether that happens depends less on how much you shoot than on how long you leave delivered galleries online.
That is worth modelling honestly before you commit, because it is the decision you cannot easily reverse: galleries your clients already have links to are the ones you least want to take down to save a tier.
Pick Pixieset when
Where Pixieset pulls ahead
- You want to choose your print lab yourself from several partner labs, or fulfil some products yourself.
- You need standalone invoicing, not just deposits and balances collected against a booking.
- You're a wedding photographer running a print-heavy studio and want everything in one dashboard.
- You're already on Pixieset and the switching cost outweighs the benefits.
Pick Xposure when
You want the cleanest delivery
- You want a single unified subscription for your portfolio website, client galleries, and booking manager instead of paying for Pixieset's separate app subscriptions or their expensive Suite plan.
- You want clients to book a session, sign your contract, and pay a deposit in one unified flow (the Studio Manager) without paying extra.
- You want photo EXIF (camera, lens, settings) rendered on every image automatically.
- You care about page-load speed for image-heavy galleries (Next.js server-side rendered).
- You want a simple, flat-rate starting price of €8 ($9)/mo (Starter) or €18 ($21)/mo (Pro) for all core tools.
- You prefer a single opinionated, modern gallery aesthetic over managing template grids.
Pixieset compared with other platforms, without us in the middle: Pixieset vs Pic-Time, CloudSpot vs Pixieset, ShootProof vs Pixieset, Zenfolio vs Pixieset, Picflow vs Pixieset, and SmugMug vs Pixieset.
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
