Bandzoogle vs Format (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Format grades higher than Bandzoogle: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Format grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bandzoogle
Website builder for musicians with music, merch and ticket sales
Format
Portfolio website builder for photographers and other creatives
Which one is for you
Pick Bandzoogle if
- Fits if you are a musician who wants a site that sells tracks and merch
- Works for a band that wants a single-page press kit
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have a big catalogue, since Lite caps 10 tracks and Standard caps 50
- Skip it if you want to sell merch on Lite, as that needs Standard
- Pricey if you sell tickets, which need Pro at $18.33 a month
- Watch out: merch stores and the press kit are separate plans from the website plans
Pick Format if
- Fits if you deliver proofs and files to clients from your own site
- Works for photographers who edit in Lightroom Classic and sell prints or downloads
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Basic, at 10 pages, 70 images and 3 client galleries with no store or video
- Skip it if you work from an Android phone, as the app is iPhone only
- Pricey if you want email on your own domain: Google Workspace is $100 a year extra, and the domain $30 a year after year one
- Watch out: the $12 and $15 Pro prices need a checkout code, end October 31, 2026 and cover the first year only
- Not for you if you want a free plan; there's only a 14-day trial
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABandzoogleFair | 2.4GPAFormatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CLite is $9.16 a month billed annually, between the $6.75 and $12.00 lines for website builders. Pro, with unlimited pages and tickets, is $18.33. | BBasic is $10 a month billed yearly ($14 monthly), right at this category's cheaper quarter. It's capped at 10 pages and 70 images with no store, so many will move to Pro at $17. Pro's $12 offer needs a code, ends October 31, 2026 and covers the first year only. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether a card is needed. No free plan. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no card needed. Students can ask for a free year. |
| Features | CMusic-focused templates, music and merch sales, a domain and hosting, promotion tools and print-on-demand merch. Pages, tracks and photos are capped below Pro. | CIt does the portfolio job fully: 90+ themes, Flex Block layouts, proofing galleries, file transfers, hosted video and a commission-free store. That's a smaller job than a general builder does, and Basic leaves out the store, video and image storage. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build and style your own site. | CThere's an iPhone app but no store rating on record. Themes set the layout, but you're still building a site, page by page and gallery by gallery. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the listing shows no integrations. | BWeb and iPhone, with a Lightroom Classic plugin, Stripe, PayPal, Weglot, Google Workspace and Google Analytics. There's no Android app and no desktop app of its own. |
| Best for | a website builder for musicians who sell music and merch | photographers' portfolios with client galleries |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bandzoogle and Format. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bandzoogle starts at $6.37 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Format starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3.
Format scores higher, and starts $3.63 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 14 score higher than Bandzoogle for less, and 5 score higher than Format for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bandzoogle also covers online store, digital downloads, print on demand and ticketing.
- Format also covers no-code and file sharing.
At a glance
| Bandzoogle | Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $6.37 per month, billed annually ($6.95 billed monthly) | $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Bandzoogle | Ideaform Inc. |
| Price read from | bandzoogle.com | format.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bandzoogle
- Page, track and photo counts are capped on Lite and Standard; only Pro is unlimited.
- Merch selling needs Standard or higher, and ticket sales need Pro.
- There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
- The merch stores and the press kit are sold as separate plans from the website plans.
Format
- The $12 and $15 a month shown for Pro and Pro Plus need a checkout code, end October 31, 2026 and cover the first year only.
- Basic has no store, hosted video, image storage or custom fonts, and stops at 10 pages and 70 images.
- A domain costs $30 a year after a free first year on annual Pro and Pro Plus; Google Workspace email is $100 a year extra.
- There is no free plan, and the mobile app is for iPhone only.
Key features
Bandzoogle
- Music-focused templates
- All website and EPK templates are open on every plan, with design tools, a music player, a blog and a tour calendar.
- Sell music and merch
- Sell downloads on every website plan, merch from Standard and tickets on Pro, with the vendor stating 0% commission on its merch plans.
- Domain and hosting
- Website plans include a custom domain, hosting and unlimited bandwidth.
- Promotion tools
- Mailing list, smart links, SEO tools and press kits, with advanced music promotion tools on the Pro plan.
- Print-on-demand merch
- The Merch Table plans ship items through print-on-demand and can mix physical and digital products.
Format
- Themes and Flex Block layouts
- Pick from more than 90 themes and switch without losing content, build custom layouts on a snap grid with Flex Block, and edit CSS and HTML on Pro and Pro Plus.
- Client galleries and file transfers
- Workflow, included free with every plan, adds proofing galleries with passwords, file transfers of 2 to 10 GB, contacts and moodboards; contracts and CRM Light need Pro.
- Commission-free store
- Sell physical products, digital downloads up to 100 MB and services through PayPal or Stripe with no Format commission: 15 products on Pro and 1,000 on Pro Plus.
- Hosted video
- Upload video straight to the site so visitors see no third-party ads: 15 minutes on Pro and 120 minutes on Pro Plus.
- Lightroom plugin and iPhone app
- Publish galleries from Lightroom Classic with the Format Publisher plugin, or upload and rearrange photos from the iPhone app.
- SEO and translation
- Edit page titles, meta descriptions and image alt text, and connect Weglot to translate the site into other languages.
Plans
Bandzoogle
Lite Website$9.16
per month, billed annually ($11.00 billed monthly)
10 pages, 10 tracks, 100 photos, basic selling tools and music downloads.
Standard Website$14.16
per month, billed annually ($17.00 billed monthly)
20 pages, 50 tracks, 500 photos; sell music and merch.
Pro Website$18.33
per month, billed annually ($22.00 billed monthly)
Unlimited pages, tracks and photos; sell music, merch and tickets, with advanced analytics.
EPK$6.37
per month, billed annually ($6.95 billed monthly)
A single-page electronic press kit with hosting, music players and a tour calendar.
Merch Table Lite$6.37
per month, billed annually ($6.95 billed monthly)
Store for up to 5 custom products, print-on-demand shipping, 0% commission.
Merch Table Pro$20.79
per month, billed annually ($24.95 billed monthly)
Detailed sales reports, bundles, pre-orders and discounts, 0% commission.
Format
Basic$10
per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly)
$120 a year. 10 pages, 70 images, 3 client galleries and 2 GB file transfers; no store, hosted video, image storage or custom fonts.
Pro$17
per month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)
$204 a year. Unlimited pages, 1,500 images, 100 GB storage, 15 video minutes and 15 store products. Shown at $112.20 for a first year with a code until Dec 2, 2026.
Pro Plus$26
per month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly)
$312 a year. Unlimited images, 1 TB storage, 120 video minutes, 1,000 products and priority support. Shown at $171.60 for a first year with a code until Dec 2, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Bandzoogle
No public discounts listed.
Format
- Annual discount
Save about 29% with yearly billing
Pro costs $204 a year against $24 a month billed monthly; Basic is $120 a year against $14 a month and Pro Plus $312 against $36.
- Education
A free year for students
Format's Student Program gives students a free year on the platform, requested through its education page; it also offers free access to partner schools.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bandzoogle or Format?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bandzoogle is cheaper to start with: $6.37 a month, against $10 a month for Format. Bandzoogle starts at $6.37 per month, billed annually ($6.95 billed monthly), and Format starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Bandzoogle or Format?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Bandzoogle nor Format has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Bandzoogle and Format run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Format lists an iOS app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.