Live demo
Click around a real studio
Galleries, agreements, invoices. No signup.
Open the demo
Edit vs SmugMug
Looking for a SmugMug alternative?
SmugMug is a great home for your archive and portfolio. Edit is built for the client side: booking, contracts, proofing, invoices, and delivery, all on one project.
No credit card required 60 days free Nothing to migrate
Your client and their team pick the keepers, with limits.
The short version
A home for your archive, or a home for the job.
SmugMug is unlimited storage, a portfolio website, and print sales. Edit has no website builder or print lab. It runs the client side instead: booking, contracts, proofing, invoices, and delivery, on one project per shoot.
Proofing with more voices
Your client’s picks and their team’s Guest picks side by side, Photographer’s picks, and a Matched filter for the shots everyone agrees on.
One project per shoot
Booking, contract, gallery, picks, invoice, and files together, with booking on every plan.
Contracts and invoices built in
E-signed contracts, invoices, deposits, and payment plans, with PO numbers, NET terms, and late fees for business clients.
Side by side
Edit vs SmugMug
| Feature | Edit | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| Proofing | ||
| Client selections with limits | YesEvery plan, per section if you want | Favorites through Events, Pro plan only. No limit you set |
| Guest picks | YesClient and team pick side by side | Registered guests each tag their own favorites. Pro plan |
| See where everyone agrees | YesThe Matched filter | Not found in their help center |
| Your recommended shots | YesPhotographer’s picks they can filter to | Not found in their help center |
| Extra retouches, paid in the gallery | YesStudio and Agency plans | Not found in their help center |
| Running the business | ||
| One project per shoot | YesBooking, contract, gallery, invoice, and files together | NoNot built-in |
| Contracts and invoices | YesEvery plan | NoNot built-in |
| Booking with deposits | YesEvery plan | NoNot built-in |
| Payment plans | YesUp to 12 payments, each with its own due date and reminders | NoNot built-in |
| Booking questions by kind of shoot | YesReady-made for 14 kinds, person or company | NoNot built-in |
| Multiple photographers | YesAgency plan: assign each shoot, clients can book a specific photographer, and each one sees only their own shoots | Assistant logins on Pro, 2 included. Assigning shoots not found |
| A client portal with their own login | YesGalleries, contracts, invoices, files, and messages in one place. Studio and Agency plans | A client area lists the galleries you shared. Portfolio and Pro |
| PO numbers, NET terms, late fees | YesLate fees added automatically | NoNot built-in |
| Files unlock when the invoice is paid | Yes | No invoices. Clients buy downloads in the gallery instead |
| Usage licensing | YesStudio and Agency plans: priced by use, length, territory, and exclusive, with renewal reminders and expiry locks | Personal or commercial download licenses, priced per size, always perpetual. No end dates or renewals |
| Getting paid | ||
| Card payments | Yes | YesStore checkout only. No client invoices |
| Apple Pay and Google Pay | Yes | Not found for store checkout |
| Clients pay by bank transfer (ACH) | Yes | NoNo client invoices |
| Payment processors | Your own Stripe or Square | SmugMug runs checkout, by card or PayPal, and pays out your profit |
| Connecting your processor | YesOne secure sign-in, no keys to copy | Nothing to connect. SmugMug pays your profit to your bank |
| Pass card fees to clients | YesOptional, kept within your state’s limit and never added to debit cards | Not found in their help center |
| Commission on your sales | 0%Every plan | 15%of your markup on prints and downloads |
| Processing fees | Stripe’s or Square’s standard rate | None extra. Card fees come out of SmugMug’s 15% |
| Where SmugMug goes further | ||
| Unlimited photo storage | No50 GB to 2 TB | YesEvery plan, full resolution, plus a RAW archive add-on |
| Portfolio website | NoNot built-in | YesTemplates and deep design control. Portfolio and Pro |
| Print lab fulfillment | NoNot built-in | YesLab partners, branded packaging, and proof delay |
| 24/7 live support | NoNot built-in | YesReal people, around the clock |
| Your brand | ||
| Your own domain | YesStudio and Agency plans: galleries, portal, invoices, and booking, all on your domain | YesPortfolio and Pro |
| White label (no platform branding) | YesStudio and Agency plans: your portal, client pages, and emails show only your brand | The SmugMug header can be hidden, but “Powered by SmugMug” stays in the footer |
| Price | ||
| Price | $29 to $99a month, galleries, booking, and business tools included | $29 to $52a month, 15% of your markup on sales |
SmugMug details are from smugmug.com and its help center, checked October 2026, billed monthly. Plans change, so check their site for the latest.
Where SmugMug is great
SmugMug has kept photographers’ work safe for more than 20 years. If storage and a beautiful site are what you need, it’s hard to beat.
- Unlimited storage. Every plan stores unlimited full-resolution photos, and a RAW archive is an add-on. Edit’s plans include 50 GB, 500 GB, or 2 TB.
- A portfolio website. Templates with deep design control, on your own domain. Edit doesn’t build websites; it links from the one you have.
- Prints and products. Lab fulfillment with branded packaging and proof delay. Edit sells digital downloads only.
- Support any hour. Live help from real people, 24/7.
Where Edit is different
SmugMug is a great place to keep and show your work. Edit is for running the job with the client on the other end.
- One project per shoot. The booking, contract, gallery, picks, invoice, files, and messages all sit together, with booking on every plan.
- Proofing that does more than favorites. Your client’s picks and their team’s Guest picks sit side by side, the Matched filter shows the shots everyone agrees on, and extra retouches are paid for right in the gallery (Studio and Agency).
- A real client portal. On Studio and Agency, each client logs in to one place on your studio’s address with their galleries, contracts, invoices, delivered files, and messages. On Solo, everything goes by secure link.
- Built for business clients. PO numbers, NET terms, automatic late fees, ACH bank transfer, files that unlock when the invoice is paid, and on Studio and Agency, up to 15 people on one client account.
Switching
Don’t migrate. Just start.
Moving years of work is awful, so don’t. Leave your SmugMug galleries where they are and run your next shoot through Edit.
- 1
Start free
Make your studio in a few minutes. No credit card.
- 2
Run one real shoot
Add the client, send the contract, deliver the gallery, and send the invoice, all from one project.
- 3
Decide with real data
If it feels better, book the next one in Edit too. Nothing you already have stops working.
“So many photographers I know run galleries in one app and invoices in another. That’s the split I wanted to end: one project, one client link, everything on it.”
Switching from SmugMug
Is Edit a good SmugMug alternative?
For client work, yes: Edit adds booking, contracts, invoices, and richer proofing that SmugMug doesn’t have. If you mainly need unlimited storage, a portfolio website, or print sales, SmugMug covers those and Edit doesn’t.
Can I keep SmugMug for my portfolio and use Edit for clients?
Yes. Plenty of photographers keep their archive and website where they are and run client shoots through Edit, from booking to the last invoice.
Does Edit take a cut of my sales?
No. Edit takes 0% of your invoices and gallery sales on every plan, and payments go through your own Stripe or Square account. SmugMug keeps 15% of your markup on each sale.
Does SmugMug have contracts and invoices?
Not that we could find. SmugMug’s plans cover storage, websites, galleries, and selling. Edit includes contracts, invoices, payment plans, and booking on every plan.
Try Edit on your next shoot.
Nothing to migrate. Run one real job through it, start to paid, and see how it feels.
No credit card required. 60 days free.