Photoshelter Review 2023: Is It A Wise Choice?

Last Updated on   September 17 2023,
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Summary

Photoshelter is a photography-focused website builder and online hosting platform that provides tools and services to help photographers showcase, sell and deliver their images to clients. It offers customizable templates, built-in e-commerce capabilities, password-protected client proofing, and other features to help photographers manage their online presence.

Overall
86%
86%
  • Ease of Use - 86%
    86%
  • Features & Flexibility - 83%
    83%
  • SEO & Mobility - 89%
    89%
  • Help & Support - 84%
    84%
  • Pricing - 90%
    90%

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Ecommerce-ready
  • Integrations with many popular social and streaming media platforms

Cons

  • UI can be a bit unwieldy to use
  • Limited number of templates
  • Basic plan does not offer facility for client proofing

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Introduction to our Photoshelter Review

In this Photoshelter review, I outline the specifics of this photography site builder, including Photoshelter pricing, features, and Photoshelter alternatives.


Overview: Your Online Photography Site Builder

Professional photography has been a lucrative line of business since the 1800s. Since then, the practice was considered an art form. One would think that, with the inclusion of digital cameras in standard mobile devices, everyone would be their own photographer. Thankfully, this is not the case. Professional photographers with their own specific niches and genres of expertise continue to be in demand in the 21st century.  However, these days, rather than put an ad out, you can put your slate online to draw clients.

Fortunately, there are photography-centric site builders like Photo Shelter to help make things easier. But just how much easier does this builder make things for photographers? Better yet, how good a platform is it for creating highly appealing photo sites? And how does it measure up as a digital asset archive?

Read this article all the way through to learn of how to get a Photoshelter promo code.

Visit photoshelter.com


Ease of Use:

At present, Photo Shelter prides itself on being the site builder of choice for over 80,000 professional photographers worldwide. These pros are maximising the use of over 100 distinct tools to manage their online studios/shops.

This doesn’t come as a surprise given how easy Photo Shelter is to use, unlike Photoshelter alternatives. Indeed, you will have everything you need to run an online photography studio right at your fingertips. You have access to cloud storage, image uploading, gallery and lightbox organisation both for your professional archives. In addition, you get client proofing, even print sales and licensing done from a single platform. You don’t need to download anything more.

The programme is actually segmented into four sections: the website builder, the eCommerce dashboard, an image archive, and analytics. It is all easy to navigate, and even first-time users will have little to no problem learning how to use the different sections.

However, we do take issue with how clunky the user interface (UI) is for a site builder. Your design options are severely limited – unlike, say, Photoshelter alternatives like Squarespace which is considered in the top tier of digital asset archives – and you need to dig through the function bar to get into the builder interface. If you own a large volume of digital assets, there's also Photoshelter for Brands or Photoshelter Libris (former name) for company-size accounts.

Are you itching to use this platform? See the latest Photoshelter pricing and Photoshelter promo codes through this link.

Sign up for a 30-day trial


Features and Flexibility:

Out of the Box:

In this Photoshelter review, some customisation options are built right into the Photo Shelter UI, particularly where creating your public portfolio is concerned. You can fiddle with the settings to show off just several samples of your best works and enable anyone interested to get in touch with you through a contact form. But for truly interested (or preferred) clients, you have the option of creating “hidden” or password-protected galleries where you can display a more diverse array of photos that can best show off your capabilities.

Photoshelter Review of Themes and Templates:

For this Photoshelter review, you don't get much wiggle room when getting started with a ready-made Photo Shelter template. Even in the programme's premium editions, there are only nine ready templates that are pretty much WYSIWYG. In other words, you can’t edit them, and you can neither add nor remove elements to suit your style.

Are you interested in subscribing to this platform? Skip to Photoshelter pricing below and apply a Photoshelter promo code through this link.

3rd Party Integrations:

The platform compatible with many of the third-party tools favoured by most professional photographers, and you can interface almost seamlessly with some of them. With regard to online or network integrations, you can use it to interface with the following:

Social Media Platforms

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Instagram

Analytics Providers

  • Google Analytics

Streaming Media

  • Vimeo

Payment Portals

  • PayPal
  • Stripe

Hosting:

There is no need for a separate host as virtually all sites built are hosted on the platform’s own servers.

If you're interested in subscribing to this platform, check out Photoshelter pricing below.

You can save more if you get a Photoshelter promo code through this link.

See more Photoshelter features


SEO and Mobility:

In this Photoshelter review, what’s nice about Photo Shelter is how it takes much of the tedium out of making your site SEO-ready. The software generates image-level sitemaps almost automatically. In addition, it also generates ALT and TITLE tagging as well. Keywords, titles, and codes are all easily indexed, and sitemaps are automatically submitted to Google for search inclusion.

The layouts for PhotoShelter sites are all optimised for both desktop and mobile, so your online portfolio will look its best regardless of what browser or device people will be viewing it from. You can also work on your portfolios and galleries on the fly as Photo Shelter is available for Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile.

See more Photoshelter SEO features


eCommerce Tools:

In this Photoshelter review, this is what makes Photo Shelter a great choice for both photographers who are just making a foray into the digital market and those who have had an online presence for a while: you can actually sell prints or offer services through a web store you can build on the platform.

Everything you need is actually at your fingertips: the ability to interface with eCommerce platforms like Printique, EZPrints, and – for those in the UK – Loxley Colour; built-in stock pricing calculator, multiple languages and currency support, as well as integration with popular payment platforms like PayPal and Stripe.


Support and Resources:

Along with a regularly updated blog that shares fresh ideas and practical solutions for professional and amateur photographers, Photo Shelter’s online resource page features an annual photography guide and practical guides to different aspects of photography and eCommerce.


Photoshelter Pricing:

Photo Shelter rates are surprisingly reasonable compared to more pricey Photoshelter alternatives.

Take note the Basic Photoshelter pricing offers just 4Gb of cloud storage, Standard offers 100Gb, and Pro offers an unlimited amount – which is one key reason why it’s the plan that is also the most popular.

Photoshelter Review pricing
photoshelter-pricing

If you think Photoshelter pricing is too steep, you can also use Photoshelter promo codes through the link below.

Photoshelter Free trial/refund policy/money-back guarantee:

The platform offers a free 30-day trial period, after which you’ll have to cancel or upgrade to any of the three paid plans. Unfortunately, there terms of service page states there is no money-back guarantee. Moreover, you don't get a refund if you cancel your subscription.

>>Check the latest Photoshelter pricing and Photoshelter promo codes<<


Conclusion and Recommendation to our Photoshelter Review:

What is it best for?

Photographers who want to establish a strong online presence or create an online hub where clients can view their portfolios, order prints, or make inquiries about services.

What is it not best for?

Conventional bloggers.

Photoshelter Alternatives:

Here's a list of the best Photoshelter alternatives to create a website;

Platform Key Features Price (Basic Paid Plan) My View
🥇 Squarespace Beautiful templates, social media integration, SEO tools $12/month Check Pricing Squarespace is a great all-around portfolio builder with excellent design aesthetics. Try For Free
2. Format Client proofing, online store, themes optimized for artists $6/month Check Pricing Format is great for professionals, offering client proofing and online store features Try For Free
3. Smugmug Unlimited photo uploads, eCommerce capabilities, privacy controls $7/month Check Pricing SmugMug is an excellent choice for photographers, offering unlimited photo uploads. Try For Free
4. Pixpa E-commerce, client proofing, blog, custom CSS $7/month Check Pricing Ideal for creatives who need a blend of portfolio and e-commerce Try For Free
5. Adobe Portfolio Integration with Creative Cloud, clean templates, automatic optimization Included with Creative Cloud ($20.99/month) Check Pricing Ideal for existing Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers Try For Free
6. Wix Extensive customization, large app market, ADI feature Free to start, paid plans from $14/month Check Pricing Best for maximum creative control Try For Free
7. Weebly User-friendly, built-in SEO tools, advanced website analytics Free to start, paid plans from $6/month Check Pricing Good for beginners with small portfolios Try For Free
8. Duda Collaboration tools, excellent templates, widget personalization $14/month Check Pricing Great for collaborative portfolio building Try For Free Check Pricing
9. Zenfolio Client access pages, built-in marketing tools, unlimited storage $5/month Check Pricing Best for professional photographers who want client access features Try For Free
10. WordPress.com Massive flexibility, huge template selection, powerful blogging features Free to start, paid plans from $4/month Check Pricing Best for those who want maximum flexibility and blogging capability Try For Free
  • Photoshelter vs Squarespace: If you’re looking for more flexibility in terms of design, Squarespace would be one of the best Photoshelter alternatives.
  • Photoshelter vs Smugmug: Smugmug is a fully customisable platform that has more attractive pre-made layouts. You have the ability to modify your site using CSS.
  • Photoshelter vs Zenfolio: Zenfolio lets you upload HD videos while Photoshelter does not have this capability.

Photoshelter Review Final Word:

If you’re a professional photographer who wants to maximise an online presence to reach out to a wider clientele, PhotoShelter would be your best bet. Not only does it provide an extensive amount of storage for your files, but it also gives you the tools to create a working web store as well as a detailed portfolio.

Try for free


FAQ:

How much does a Basic subscription to Photo Shelter cost?

The most basic paid plan for Photo Shelter will set you back $10.00 monthly and comes with 4Gb of cloud storage.

Are eCommerce tools part of the UI?

Yes, you can use the platform to create your own web store or use it to interface with several popular eCommerce sites. Currency, language, taxation, and shipping support are all built-in.

Can I use Photo Shelter for free?

A 30-day free trial is offered, but you will either need to cancel at the end or upgrade to a paid plan. Also, get more savings in paid plans with a Photoshelter promo code.


That's all for now:

Thank you for reading our Photoshelter review! Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our ever-growing blog of review and comparison articles of eCommerce platforms, SEO software, screen capture tools, webinar and conferencing software, education platforms, website builders, and more such as;

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