Format vs Portfoliobox (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Format grades higher than Portfoliobox: 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.
Format
Portfolio website builder for photographers and other creatives
Portfoliobox
Portfolio website builder with a built-in AI editor and a free plan
Which one is for you
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
Pick Portfoliobox if
- Fits if you want a small portfolio of up to 30 images online without paying
- Works for artists who want an AI assistant to draft pages
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 30 images, since that is the free plan's cap and Personal stops at 150
- Pricey if you need the store, bookings, custom email or analytics, all on Professional at $15.90
- Watch out: removing Portfoliobox branding is Professional only
- Watch out: monthly plans do not include a domain, and domains renew at the standard rate after year one
- Watch out: prices exclude VAT
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFormatFair | 2.0GPAPortfolioboxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$8.90 a month yearly for Personal and $15.90 for Professional, against a category middle of $12 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no card needed. Students can ask for a free year. | CA free plan, but 30 images, 3 products, a Portfoliobox subdomain and its branding is a cap you will hit. |
| Features | 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. | CGallery layouts, an AI editor, custom domain, hosting and SEO tools. Store, bookings, invoices, custom email and analytics are Professional only. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo rating on record. You build the pages yourself, with the AI assistant to help. |
| Platforms and 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. | CWeb only, and no integrations are on record. |
| Best for | photographers' portfolios with client galleries | a portfolio site for artists and photographers |
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: Format and Portfoliobox. How we grade
Price against what you get
Format starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Portfoliobox starts at $8.90 a month and scores 2.0.
Format scores higher, and starts $1.10 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, 5 score higher than Format for less, and 22 score higher than Portfoliobox 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
- Format also covers file sharing.
- Portfoliobox also covers invoicing, quotes and estimates, appointment booking and online store.
At a glance
| Format | Portfoliobox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) | $8.90 per month, billed yearly ($12.90 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 30 images, 25 pages, a Portfoliobox subdomain, Portfoliobox branding and 25 AI requests a month. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Ideaform Inc. | Portfoliobox |
| Price read from | format.com | portfoliobox.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Portfoliobox
- The free plan caps at 30 images and keeps Portfoliobox branding and a subdomain.
- Custom email, analytics and removal of branding are Professional-only.
- Monthly plans do not include a domain; domains renew at the standard rate after the first year.
- Prices exclude VAT, which depends on the billing country.
Key features
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.
Portfoliobox
- AI editor
- An assistant built into the editor creates pages, galleries and menu entries from written requests, with monthly request caps by plan.
- Gallery layouts
- Full-bleed, grid, masonry, slideshow and lightbox layouts for showing images.
- Store with no commission
- Professional includes an e-commerce store where Portfoliobox takes 0% commission.
- Bookings, invoices and quotes
- Professional adds appointment bookings, invoices and quotes, with up to 1,000 of each.
- Custom domain
- Personal and Professional include a custom domain; yearly plans cover registration for the first year on eligible extensions.
- Hosting, SSL and SEO tools
- Included on every plan, with meta titles, descriptions and a sitemap.
Plans
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.
Portfoliobox
Free$0
30 images, 25 pages, 3 products, a Portfoliobox subdomain and mobile-responsive layouts.
Personal$8.90
per month, billed yearly ($12.90 billed monthly)
150 images, 50 pages, 100 blog posts, custom domain and 250 AI requests a month.
Professional$15.90
per month, billed yearly ($22.90 billed monthly)
1,000 images and pages, store with 0% commission, bookings, invoices, quotes, custom email and analytics.
Ways to pay less
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.
Portfoliobox
- Annual discount
Yearly billing and a first-year domain
Yearly costs $8.90 and $15.90 a month against $12.90 and $22.90 monthly, and yearly plans include a new domain for the first year.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Format or Portfoliobox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Portfoliobox is cheaper to start with: $8.90 a month, against $10 a month for Format. Format starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly), and Portfoliobox starts at $8.90 per month, billed yearly ($12.90 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Format or Portfoliobox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Portfoliobox has a free plan. Format does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Format and Portfoliobox 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.