Comparison
The best free client gallery for photographers (2026)
Every free client gallery plan compared on storage, caps, video, branding, downloads and store commission, plus who each one suits. Prices checked 12 September 2026.
We make FOCL, which is one of the eight products below, so read this knowing that. We checked every pricing page on 12 September 2026. Where a page does not state something, the table says so instead of guessing. Three of the eight have no free plan at all, and one of them, ShootProof, changes its free plan on 23 September 2026, so both versions are shown.
The five free plans side by side
| Storage | Photo and gallery caps | Video | Branding | Downloads | Store commission | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOCL Galleries | 3 GB | Unlimited galleries and couples; 50 MB per photo | None on Free (paid plans only) | Logo, studio name, bio, socials and watermark included; custom gallery domains require Studio or Pro | Full resolution or 2048px, whole gallery or one section; no bandwidth cap | You set a markup over WHCC lab cost and keep the difference |
| Pic-Time | 10 GB (about 3,000 photos) | Unlimited galleries | 1 GB | No logo or watermark on Free; Pic-Time branding stays until Professional | Not stated | 15%, always collected |
| Pixieset | 3 GB | Not stated | 30 minutes, HD | Not stated | Not stated | 15% |
| ShootProof | 100 photos today (their estimate: up to 5 GB); 3 GB of photos from 23 September 2026 | Unlimited galleries; mobile gallery app for up to 5 | None | Logo and watermark included | Download controls included | $0 |
| CloudSpot | 5 GB | 3 galleries; JPEG only | Links to YouTube, Vimeo, Animoto or Google Drive only | No logo upload, no custom watermark, “powered by CloudSpot” tag | Capped at 2048px | 15% |
The three with no free plan
- Zenfolio has a free trial with no card, but the pricing page does not say how long it lasts. The cheapest plan is Basic at $9 a month for 15 GB.
- SmugMug has a 14-day trial. The cheapest plan is Direct at $29 a month, or $20 a month billed annually, with unlimited full-resolution JPEG storage.
- PASS shows no free plan on its plan cards, although its FAQ still mentions one. The cheapest card is Starter at $1 a month for 10 GB, with 15% commission and no logo, domain or watermark.
What each free plan is actually for
FOCL Galleries Free is 3 GB, which holds about one full wedding gallery at a time. Inside that there is no limit on galleries or couples, downloads are full resolution with no bandwidth meter, and your logo and watermark are on from day one. It is photos only. Video requires a paid plan. Custom gallery domains are included with Studio and Pro, not Free. Your default portfolio address is galleries.getfocl.app/p/your-name. RAW files are not accepted. It suits a wedding photographer who wants to deliver a real gallery under their own brand while trying the wedding-day app on the same account.
Pic-Time Free has the most storage of the five, 10 GB, plus 1 GB of video and unlimited galleries. The catches are branding and the store. Free has no logo or watermark, and the store takes 15% of your markup whether or not you collect payment yourself. It suits someone who wants to test Pic-Time’s store and design tools during the 30-day Advanced trial, then keep a small footprint free.
ShootProof Free has the fullest feature list of any free plan: your logo and watermark, download controls, a commission-free store, email marketing, sales reports and 1-1 phone support. It also has the smallest ceiling. Today that is 100 photos online at once; from 23 September 2026 it becomes 3 GB of photos, still with no video. It suits a portrait or mini-session photographer who sells prints, not a wedding photographer.
Pixieset Free is 3 GB with 30 minutes of HD video and a 15% store commission. It is the only free plan here that hosts a real amount of video. It suits testing a photo-plus-highlight-film delivery before paying for Basic.
CloudSpot Free is 5 GB, 3 galleries, JPEG only, downloads capped at 2048px, and a “powered by CloudSpot” tag on every gallery. It is a demo of the paid product rather than a delivery tool. It suits seeing the gallery experience before paying for Entry at $7 a month.
Where free plans cost you
Store commission. Pixieset, Pic-Time and CloudSpot take 15% on their free plans. ShootProof takes nothing on any plan. FOCL’s store is prints by WHCC: you set a markup over lab cost and keep the difference, and FOCL handles payment and shipping.
Branding. Pic-Time Free and CloudSpot Free show the platform’s brand and hide yours. FOCL Free and ShootProof Free include your logo and watermark. Pixieset’s free-plan branding is not stated on its pricing page.
Download quality. CloudSpot Free caps downloads at 2048px, which is fine for phones and useless for prints. FOCL Free gives couples full resolution or 2048px, their choice. ShootProof Free includes download controls. Pic-Time and Pixieset do not state free-plan download sizes.
Video. None on FOCL Free or ShootProof Free. 30 minutes on Pixieset, 1 GB on Pic-Time, links only on CloudSpot. See client galleries that host video for how the paid tiers meter it.
How far free storage goes
Storage per wedding depends on how many photos you deliver and at what export size. At 2 GB per wedding, which is a lean full-resolution gallery, Pic-Time’s 10 GB holds 5 weddings online at once, CloudSpot’s 5 GB holds 2, and 3 GB (FOCL, Pixieset, and ShootProof from 23 September) holds one. At 5 GB per wedding, Pic-Time holds 2, CloudSpot one, and a 3 GB plan none. How much storage wedding galleries take walks through the export settings that move that number. An expiry date on each gallery keeps the meter from climbing. On Pic-Time’s 10 GB that is the difference between staying free for a year and upgrading in March. On a 3 GB plan it frees the room for the next wedding, one wedding at a time.
Which free plan to pick
- Deliver whole weddings free: Pic-Time has the most room, 10 GB plus 1 GB of video, if you can live with their branding on the gallery. FOCL is 3 GB, about one full wedding gallery at a time, and the pick if you want your logo and no bandwidth cap.
- Sell prints free without commission: ShootProof, as long as 100 photos, soon 3 GB, is enough.
- Test video delivery free: Pixieset’s 30 minutes.
- Just look at the interface: CloudSpot.
- Need unlimited storage or a custom domain: compare the paid tiers. FOCL includes custom gallery domains with Studio and Pro; it does not offer unlimited storage. See the best client gallery for wedding photographers for the paid tiers, and the storage math for what each gigabyte costs once you upgrade.
A free plan is a place to start, not a place to stay. Pick the one whose paid tier you would be happy to move to, because that is where a working wedding photographer ends up within a season.
Start on FOCL's free plan
Unlimited galleries and couples, your logo and watermark, and full-resolution downloads with no bandwidth cap. 3 GB free. Upgrade only for more storage or video.
Try FOCL free