Platform·Guide
Choosing the right platform
Own your domain. Deliver to clients in the same product. Upload masters once, not into a Frankenstein stack of separate apps.
Criteria
What to evaluate
Your domain & brand URL
Public work under your brand, not a vendor subdomain you’ll outgrow and migrate off later. Clients remember your name, not a subdomain. Migrate later and every link you’ve ever sent a client (email signatures, Instagram bio, old invoices) quietly breaks.
All-in-one client delivery
Proofing, favorites, and downloads in-product, not a third-party link as the only option. A separate proofing app means a second login for your client, a second brand they see, and a second bill for you.
A unified media spine
Upload high-res masters once. Feed portfolio, client rooms, and print from the same library. Two libraries means two versions of the truth: re-export, re-upload, and re-check that the crop matches, every single job.
Website + portfolio merged
Marketing pages and galleries in one workspace, with no dual dashboards or bolted-on plugins. If your site and your gallery live in different tools, so does your SEO, your analytics, and your Tuesday afternoon.
Fast, indexable pages, not just pretty ones
Speed and structure clients never mention and always feel. A gallery-first tool built for delivery, not discovery, is often the slowest page a prospective client ever loads, right when they’re deciding whether to hire you.
Plain-language limits
Storage and bandwidth caps stated in numbers, not fine print. “Unlimited” that quietly throttles at 500GB isn’t a limit you can plan around. It’s one you find out about mid-wedding-season.
Don’t build a Frankenstein stack
Creators often pay for a marketing site in one tool and client proofing in another: separate portals, proofing apps, or zip links on the side. Then they upload the same high-res files twice: once for the public site, again for delivery or commerce.
Skip the affiliate “best of” listicles. Score platforms on the six criteria above: brand URL, native delivery, one media spine, site + portfolio in the same workspace, page speed, and plain-language limits.
Where ArtInStack fits
ArtInStack combines site, portfolio layouts, client proofing, and optional print sales on one media spine, so you stop juggling subscriptions and duplicate uploads. It’s built for studios that want that full loop.
None of the gallery-first tools let you teach. Add a course or workshop to the same account that delivers your galleries: same media library, same students, same domain.
If you only need a quiet five-page brochure with no client interaction, you may want less. Choose ArtInStack when one archive should power public pages, private client rooms, and store; when branded delivery replaces manual handoff; when plan limits should be plain language; and when leaving WordPress or SmugMug later matters.
Honest alternatives: best when…
Squarespace: Best for a marketing-led site with light gallery needs and simple layout blocks.
Format: Best when the site is mostly a visual home for the images themselves.
WordPress: Best for teams that want full CMS control and will own hosting, security, and plugin upkeep.
Pixieset, Pic-Time, ShootProof: Best for gallery delivery and proofing alone, if you’re happy running a separate tool for your public site.
Zenfolio, SmugMug: Best when you want portfolio and galleries in one tool but don’t need courses, and don’t mind older template designs and slower mobile performance.
Ready when you are
Keep researching with related guides, or move into pricing when you want plan limits for ArtInStack in plain language.
Also in Guides: One unified OS for your visual business · Migrate from WordPress