Pixieset is one of the best-known names in photography software, and for good reason: its galleries are beautiful and it’s easy to start. But more and more photographers are asking for an alternative, usually because of price, because booking and contracts cost extra, or because they want one app instead of several. This is an honest look at how PhotoEZ Cloud compares, including the places where Pixieset is still ahead.
A note on who’s writing: I’m a photographer, and I built PhotoEZ Cloud. I’ve tried to be fair. Every Pixieset price and limit below comes from Pixieset’s own pricing pages as of October 2026, and you should check their current prices before you decide.
The short version
- Choose Pixieset if you want a full website builder, a branded mobile gallery app, video delivery, RAW uploads, email marketing campaigns, or a store with many labs and products today.
- Choose PhotoEZ Cloud if you want booking, contracts, proofing galleries, invoices with payment plans, and AI help in one app and one plan, with no limits on sessions or contracts and no commission on your sales.
How they’re put together
Pixieset is a family of separate apps, each with its own plans: Client Gallery (galleries and the store), Studio Manager (booking, contracts, invoices), and Website. You can buy them one at a time or together as the Pixieset Suite.
PhotoEZ Cloud is one app. Your studio page, booking, contracts, proofing galleries, delivery, invoices, reminders, and AI features all share the same clients and the same login, on one plan.
Price, side by side
Here are the plans that do a similar job. Prices are per month: billed yearly first, then month to month.
| What you need | Pixieset | PhotoEZ Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Client Gallery Free: 3 GB, 15% commission on store sales. Studio Manager Free: 1 session type, 3 contracts. | Free: 3 GB, 3 active galleries, booking, contracts and proofing included, no commission. |
| Galleries + booking + contracts | Suite Starter: $28 yearly or $35 monthly. 100 GB, 3 session types. | Pro: $24.17 yearly ($290/year) or $29 monthly. 150 GB, unlimited sessions. |
| Lots of storage | Suite Pro: $38 yearly or $50 monthly. 2,000 GB. | Studio: $40.83 yearly ($490/year) or $49 monthly. 2 TB. |
| Galleries only | Client Gallery Basic $8 to Ultimate $40 yearly ($10 to $50 monthly), 10 GB to unlimited. | No galleries-only plan: every plan includes booking and contracts too. |
At the mid level, PhotoEZ Cloud Pro costs a little less than Pixieset’s Suite Starter, with more storage and unlimited session types. With lots of storage, Pixieset’s Suite Pro is a little cheaper billed yearly, and PhotoEZ Cloud Studio is a little cheaper month to month. On PhotoEZ Cloud Pro and Studio you can add storage in 500 GB blocks for $10 a month each.
Booking, contracts, and invoices
This is the biggest difference. In Pixieset, booking and contracts live in Studio Manager, and its plans set limits: the free plan allows one session type and three contracts, and the Plus plan ($12 yearly or $15 monthly) allows three session types. Unlimited session types start at Studio Manager Pro or Suite Pro.
PhotoEZ Cloud has no limits on session types, bookings, or contracts on any plan, including Free. Clients book in a few steps from your real open times, pay a deposit through your own Stripe account, and sign your contract online right after booking. On Pro and Studio you also get quotes and invoices with payment plans (a deposit and monthly or bi-weekly installments), with automatic reminders before each payment is due.
Galleries and delivery
Both give clients a polished gallery to pick favorites from and download their photos, and both let you watermark proofs. Pixieset is ahead on media: it handles video and RAW files and offers a branded mobile gallery app, which PhotoEZ Cloud doesn’t.
PhotoEZ Cloud’s galleries are built around proofing: clients choose their included photos from watermarked proofs, leave notes on the ones they want touched up, and can pay for extra photos beyond their package (Pro and up). Then you upload the edited finals for clean, full-resolution download. Pro and Studio add slideshows set to a song you choose.
AI that saves you time
PhotoEZ Cloud puts AI to work on the busywork, on every plan:
- Inquiry help: each new inquiry is read and sorted, with the client’s session type and date pulled out and a reply drafted for you to send.
- Culling help: flags blurry frames, closed eyes, missed flashes, and near-duplicates before your client sees them. It runs in your browser, so it’s unlimited on every plan.
- Gallery search: clients type “grandma” or “the dog” and find those photos (3,000 photos a month on Pro, 10,000 on Studio).
- Studio Assistant: ask about your business in plain English, like “which galleries expire this week?” (300 questions a month on Pro).
Pixieset offers culling and editing through its Photo Editor, a separate add-on at $12 a month.
Selling to your clients
Pixieset’s store is a real strength: prints and products sell right from the gallery, with automatic lab fulfillment. Its free gallery plan takes a 15% commission on store sales; its paid plans are commission-free.
PhotoEZ Cloud never takes a commission on any plan. Client payments go straight to your own Stripe account (you pay only Stripe’s standard processing fee). You can sell extra photos, sessions, gift cards, and products: clients order photo prints and gifts from their gallery, and our partner SwaggPress Creations makes and ships them, or you sell prints and products you make yourself. The store starts small, with that one partner.
Where Pixieset is ahead
To be straight with you, Pixieset is the better pick if you need any of these right now:
- A full website builder (PhotoEZ Cloud gives you a studio page with your work, sessions, reviews and booking, not a whole website)
- A branded mobile gallery app for clients
- Video delivery and RAW file uploads
- Email marketing campaigns to your client list
- A store with many labs and products (PhotoEZ Cloud’s starts small, with one partner)
- A long track record: Pixieset has been around for years, and PhotoEZ Cloud is new
Where PhotoEZ Cloud is ahead
- One app and one plan for booking, contracts, galleries, invoices, and reminders
- No limits on session types or contracts, even on the free plan
- Invoices with payment plans and automatic payment reminders
- AI inquiry help, culling, gallery search, and a Studio Assistant included
- Text reminders through your own Twilio account (Pro and Studio)
- No commission on your sales, on any plan
- Built by a working photographer, with a WordPress version too: PhotoEZ runs on your own site, and you can move between the two
Try it without risk
PhotoEZ Cloud has a free plan that never expires, and every new account starts with a 14-day Pro trial with no card needed. Set up your studio page and a session, send yourself a test booking, and see how it feels before you move anything over. Then compare the plans on the pricing page.
Pixieset prices and limits are from pixieset.com’s Client Gallery, Studio Manager, and Suite pricing pages, checked October 20, 2026. Pixieset is a trademark of its owner; this article isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Pixieset.