Format vs Showit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Format grades higher than Showit: 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
Showit
Drag-and-drop website builder with an optional WordPress blog
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 Showit if
- Fits if you want to place things freely on the page and run a WordPress blog behind it
- Works for photographers and small studios who care about layout
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a blog on the cheapest plan, because the $22 plan has none
- Tight if you can't test properly: the trial blocks domain connection and the WordPress admin
- Pricey if your blog grows, with $63 at 100K visits and $119 at 200K
- Watch out: blog migration works only from WordPress and Squarespace, and Basic Starter allows only pre-installed plugins
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFormatFair | 2.0GPAShowitFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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$22 a month billed annually ($27 monthly), right at the category's dearer-quarter mark. The $27 plan is the first with a blog. |
| 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 14-day trial with no card, but no domain connection or WordPress admin during it, and no free plan. |
| 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. | CFree-form design, a WordPress blog, backups and SEO controls. Gaps: no blog on the base plan, visit caps, and migrations only from WordPress and Squarespace. |
| 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 store rating on record. A builder where the work is designing the site yourself. |
| 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, with WordPress as the one integration. |
| Best for | photographers' portfolios with client galleries | free-form site design with a WordPress blog |
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 Showit. 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. Showit starts at $22 a month and scores 2.0.
Format scores higher and starts $12 a month lower. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 5 score higher than Format for less, and 43 score higher than Showit 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.
At a glance
| Format | Showit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) | $22 per month, billed annually ($27 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Ideaform Inc. | Showit |
| Price read from | format.com | showit.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.
Showit
- During the free trial you cannot connect a domain or reach the WordPress admin.
- Blog plans cap monthly blog visits, and traffic above 200K needs a custom arrangement.
- Blog migrations are only available from WordPress and Squarespace.
- The Basic Starter Blog plan allows only the pre-installed plugins.
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.
Showit
- Free-form drag-and-drop design
- Place elements anywhere on the page without code, with templates, fonts, galleries, pop-ups and animations.
- WordPress blog
- Design blog posts and the WordPress theme in Showit; the blog can use thousands of WordPress plugins on Advanced plans.
- Blog migration
- Free migration from WordPress or Squarespace is included on the Advanced Blog plans.
- Hosting and backups
- Hosting with HTTPS is included; blog plans add backups, daily on Basic and every 10 minutes on Advanced.
- SEO controls
- The editor lets you set on-page SEO details for each page.
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.
Showit
Showit$22
per month, billed annually ($27 billed monthly)
Website builder with hosting and 20 GB of media storage, no blog.
Showit & Basic Starter Blog$27
per month, billed annually ($34 billed monthly)
Adds a WordPress blog with pre-installed plugins, 10K visits a month, 20 GB blog storage.
Showit & Advanced Blog$39
per month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
Up to 25K blog visits, custom WordPress plugins, unlimited WordPress users and free blog migration.
Showit & Advanced Blog 100K$63
per month, billed annually ($758 per year)
Advanced Blog with higher traffic limits, up to 100K blog visits a month.
Showit & Advanced Blog 200K$119
per month, billed annually ($1,430 per year)
Up to 200K blog visits a month and 30 GB of blog storage.
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.
Showit
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
The pricing page labels annual billing as a 20% saving over monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Format or Showit?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Format is cheaper to start with: $10 a month, against $22 a month for Showit. Format starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly), and Showit starts at $22 per month, billed annually ($27 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Format or Showit?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Format nor Showit has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Format and Showit 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.