Format vs Zenfolio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Format grades higher than Zenfolio: 2.4 against 2.2 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. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
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
Zenfolio
Photographer websites, client galleries and print sales in one 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 Zenfolio if
- Fits if you deliver galleries to clients and want a site on the same plan
- Works for photographers who sell prints through a lab
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you sell: a Zenfolio commerce fee comes on top of Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 or PayPal's 3.49% + $0.49
- Tight if you shoot a lot, with 15 GB on Basic, 150 GB on Professional and extra storage sold as an add-on
- Watch out: booking and scheduling cost $10 a month extra on Basic and Professional
- Watch out: refunds are a courtesy within 30 days, and monthly plans are not refunded
- Watch out: the page also showed a 60% first-year sale, so check the price at checkout
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFormatFair | 2.2GPAZenfolioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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$7 a month yearly for Basic, $11.50 for Professional and $20 for Advanced. That is just above the cheaper quarter of $6.75, and selling starts on the middle plan. |
| 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 trial with no card, but 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. | CSite and blog, client galleries, selling prints and digitals, and AI tagging. The gaps are in the extras: booking is $10 a month on Basic and Professional, and storage stops at 15 GB and 150 GB. |
| 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 site from templates and set up galleries and a store. |
| 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. | BWeb only, with Lightroom, Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and print labs. |
| Best for | photographers' portfolios with client galleries | a photographer's site, galleries and print sales on one bill |
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 Zenfolio. 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. Zenfolio starts at $7 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Zenfolio starts $3 a month lower. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 5 score higher than Format for less, and 3 score higher than Zenfolio 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 no-code.
- Zenfolio also covers appointment booking, online store, digital downloads and print on demand.
At a glance
| Format | Zenfolio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) | $7 per month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | Free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Ideaform Inc. | Zenfolio |
| Price read from | format.com | zenfolio.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.
Zenfolio
- Selling adds a Zenfolio commerce fee plus payment processing (Stripe 2.9% + $0.30, PayPal 3.49% + $0.49), and downloads carry a small per-file fee.
- Booking and scheduling costs $10 a month extra on Basic and Professional.
- Refunds are described as a courtesy within 30 days of signup or annual renewal; monthly plans are not refunded.
- Storage is 15 GB on Basic and 150 GB on Professional, with extra storage sold as an add-on.
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.
Zenfolio
- Customizable website and blog
- Build a photographer site from templates and blocks, with a custom domain, blogging and built-in SEO settings on every plan.
- Client galleries and proofing
- Unlimited client galleries with favorites, comments, watermarks and delivery of files, including by SMS.
- Selling prints and digitals
- Professional and Advanced plans sell prints, digitals and packages from a branded store, with lab fulfillment or self-fulfillment.
- Booking and scheduling
- Calendar, invoicing and online payments for sessions. It is a $10 a month add-on on Basic and Professional and is included in Advanced.
- Volume tools for events
- Volume Wizard and QR code workflows for sports, school and event jobs: up to 5 uses on Professional, unlimited on Advanced.
- AI tagging and culling
- AI gallery descriptions and image tagging; AI culling through PhotoRefine is a $7 a month add-on and included in Advanced.
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.
Zenfolio
Basic$7
per month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly)
15 GB storage (about 4,500 photos), HD video, unlimited client galleries, custom website, 500 SMS deliveries a month and 3 custom watermarks.
Professional$11.50
per month, billed annually ($23 billed monthly)
150 GB storage, selling of prints and digitals, branded store, 2,500 SMS a month.
Advanced$20
per month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly)
Unlimited JPEG storage plus 150 GB of video with 4K, booking and scheduling included, 5,000 SMS a month.
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.
Zenfolio
- Annual discount
Save about 22 to 50% with annual billing
Zenfolio lists annual prices of $7, $11.50 and $20 a month against $9, $23 and $40 on monthly billing.
- Other savings
Cyber November sale: 60% off first year
The page advertises 60% off the first year of an annual Professional or Advanced plan, to be claimed by November 25 (2026).
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Format or Zenfolio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zenfolio is cheaper to start with: $7 a month, against $10 a month for Format. Format starts at $10 per month, billed annually ($14 billed monthly), and Zenfolio starts at $7 per month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Format or Zenfolio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Format nor Zenfolio has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Format and Zenfolio 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.