Which Website Builder Should a New Photographer Use?

The short answer: For a first photography website, pick a platform built for photographers rather than a general-purpose one. Pixieset Website starts free and runs $12 to $18 a month once you outgrow it, Format starts at $10 a month and bundles client galleries, and Showit starts around $27 a month and gives you the most design control at the highest price.

Why platform choice matters less than you'd think, and more than you'd think

The good news first: none of this affects your SEO. File names, alt text, and page speed, the things that actually move search rankings, work the same on any of these platforms. Don't let platform choice stall you for weeks. Pick one from the list below, then move on to the SEO checklist for new photographers.

Where the platform does matter: a photography-specific builder comes with things you'd otherwise have to bolt on yourself, client gallery delivery, proofing, print sales, EXIF display, image-heavy templates that don't slow to a crawl under 50 full-resolution photos. A general-purpose builder can be made to do all of this, but you're assembling it from parts instead of getting it built in.

The three built-for-photographers options

Pixieset. Client Photo Gallery, Website, CRM for Photographers.

Free plan gets you 15 pages, 100 photos, and 5 blog posts, no credit card. The Plus plan is $12 a month billed annually ($15 monthly) and removes the page and photo limits, adds a custom domain, and removes Pixieset's own branding. Pro is $18 a month annually ($24 monthly) and adds custom code support and AI-generated alt text and page copy.

If you also need client gallery delivery, Pixieset bundles it with the website and other tools in a Suite plan starting around $28 a month. I'd recommend this one if budget is your main constraint, since it's the only option here you can have live today for nothing.

Format. Create Your Online Portfolio Website.

Basic is $10 a month billed annually and covers 10 pages and 70 images, enough for an early portfolio but no client galleries or custom domain. Pro, at $12 a month annually, is where it gets useful for a working photographer: unlimited pages and images, 100GB storage, a free custom domain for the first year, and 50 client galleries built in, so your portfolio and your gallery delivery live in one subscription.

Format also advertises built-in SEO tools and Lightroom integration. I'd recommend this one if you want your portfolio and client gallery delivery running on a single subscription from day one, instead of paying for two separate tools.

Showit. A Web Builder by Creatives for Creatives.

Starts at $27 a month billed annually, with no client gallery delivery included at the base tier. What you're paying for is design control, Showit separates the visual design from the code, so you can drag and drop a layout without touching CSS, and it can run a WordPress blog underneath the site if you want to publish content regularly.

Showit is not usually the first choice for someone who is just starting out. However, it's a good option if you want a website that looks distinctly yours and have the budget to avoid using the same templates as other photographers.

All three offer a free trial or free tier, so the real cost of testing one is an afternoon, not a subscription.

Where a general-purpose builder fits

Squarespace and similar general site builders are a reasonable choice if you're already comfortable in one, or you want a single platform for photography plus something else, a side business, a blog outside photography. You'll set up gallery delivery separately, since it isn't built in the way it is with Format or Pixieset.

A simple way to decide

If cost is the main constraint, start with Pixieset's free plan or Format Basic and upgrade once you're booking regularly. If you want your portfolio and client gallery delivery in one subscription from day one, Format Pro is built for exactly that. If you already have a following, a budget, and want a site that looks unmistakably yours, Showit is worth the extra cost.

None of these choices is permanent. Photographers migrate between all three regularly, and it's a few hours of work, not a rebuild from scratch.

Once your site is live, the SEO checklist for new photographers covers what to set up next, and when you start collecting client feedback, how to get client testimonials as a photographer covers how to ask.

The part a website doesn't solve

A fast, well-built site still needs a gallery that looks current behind it. If you're spending your weekends culling instead of finishing your site, that's worth fixing before the site is the priority.

Try Narrative Free, and see how much time AI-assisted culling gives back to setting your business up right.