Choose Pic-Time if you want your gallery to help sell more prints. Its store and sales automations are a main part of the service. Choose Pixieset if you want galleries beside your website, bookings, contracts and invoices. Both share photos well, but they help with different parts of your business.
What is the main difference between Pic-Time and Pixieset?
Pic-Time puts print sales at the heart of its galleries. Pixieset joins its Client Gallery with a wider set of website and studio tools. This basic difference matters more than any one feature because it shapes what each service does best.
| Decision | Pic-Time | Pixieset |
| Best fit | Galleries built to support print sales | Galleries beside website and studio tools |
| Gallery experience | Storytelling grid and visitor access rules | Branded galleries, sets and mobile albums |
| Proofing | Client selections and album proofing on Professional and Advanced | Favorites, comments and edit requests |
| Print sales | Built-in store, 30+ labs and sales automations | Built-in store with lab printing and shipping |
| Business tools | Focuses on gallery delivery and sales | Website and Studio Manager are available |
| Photo storage | 10 GB free at first, then 20 GB to unlimited | 3 GB free, then 10 GB to unlimited |
| Video | 1 GB free, then 5 GB to 60 GB | Starts on Basic with 30 minutes |
| Visitor search | People, keyword and selfie search on Advanced | Galleries organized with sets |
| Workflow | Lightroom tools, plus slideshows and blogs on higher plans | Lightroom plug-in and linked Pixieset products |
| Yearly price | Free, then $7 to $42 each month | Free, then $8 to $40 each month |
Which one gives clients a better gallery experience?
Both tools give clients a polished place to view, share and download photos. Pixieset keeps the design simple and gives you clear controls for branding and gallery sets. It also lets you make mobile albums that clients can keep on their phones.
Pic-Time uses a storytelling grid and sets different access rules for clients, guests and vendors. Its store also stays close to the photos as people browse. Pixieset may feel easier when you already use its other products under the same account. Pic-Time takes more setup when you want to get the most from its shop and sales automations.
Which one is better for proofing?
Pixieset has the simpler proofing flow for clients who need to choose photos and ask for edits. Clients can save favorites in separate lists, comment on chosen photos and send a final list. You can then export the file names or replace the proofs with edited photos. These steps are part of Pixieset’s proofing tools.
Pic-Time also supports client selections and comments on album pages. Its full professional workflow tools need the Professional or Advanced plan. Those plans let you set a choice limit and download a file list for editing.
Which one is better for selling prints?
Pic-Time is the stronger choice when print sales bring in a large share of your income. Every plan includes sales automations, coupons and gift cards. Its store works with more than 30 labs, and your chosen lab prints and ships each order.
Pixieset also puts a store inside each gallery and can send orders to a lab. That setup may be enough for a studio that treats print sales as an extra service. Its free Client Gallery plan takes a 15 percent fee from each store sale. Paid Client Gallery plans remove that sales fee.
Outside labs make the products for both services, so print quality depends on the lab and item you choose.
How do their business tools and workflows differ?
Pixieset covers more of the work that happens before and after a shoot. Its wider product range includes a website builder and Studio Manager. Studio Manager handles bookings, contracts, invoices, forms and client messages. These products have their own plans, while Pixieset Suite puts them in one paid group.
Pic-Time stays closer to gallery delivery and sales, with Lightroom tools and several visitor roles. Higher plans add slideshows and gallery blogs, while every plan includes a mobile app and support. This focus can suit you if other tools already handle your bookings and payments.
How much do Pic-Time and Pixieset cost?
Pixieset’s Client Gallery pricing starts with a free plan and 3 GB of photo storage. With yearly billing, Basic costs $8 a month, Plus costs $16 and Pro costs $24. Ultimate costs $40 a month and includes unlimited photo storage. Video starts on Basic with 30 minutes, while extra video time costs $5 per hour each month.
Pic-Time’s pricing also starts with a free plan. The free plan begins with 10 GB of photo storage, but that amount falls to 3 GB after three months. With yearly billing, Beginner costs $7 a month and Professional costs $21. Advanced costs $42 and includes unlimited photo storage. Professional adds client selections and album proofing, while Advanced adds search for people, keywords and selfies.
What happens if you switch between Pixieset and Pic-Time?
Moving from Pixieset to Pic-Time
Pic-Time offers self-service and paid ways to move galleries from Pixieset. Its paid migration service costs 50 cents per gallery with a two-year plan paid yearly. The price is $1 per gallery with a one-year plan paid yearly, or $2 with a monthly plan.
Pic-Time says the paid move now takes about ten weeks and needs at least 20 galleries. Photos, gallery order, groups and client email addresses can move to the new account. Favorites lists and videos can’t move, while gallery links may also change. Clients may need new passwords, so plan the move well before your busiest season.
Moving from Pic-Time to Pixieset
Switching in the other direction takes more manual work. Pixieset doesn’t advertise a migration service for moving galleries from Pic-Time. You’ll need to create new collections and upload the original photos again, either directly or through the Pixieset Lightroom plugin. Gallery settings, client details, favourites, passwords and store information may need to be recreated separately.
Before moving everything, test the process with one gallery and keep your Pic-Time account active until you’ve checked the replacement galleries and informed your clients about any new links or passwords.
Should you choose Pixieset or Pic-Time?
Choose Pixieset when you want your gallery beside your website and studio tools. It also makes sense when simple photo proofing matters more than detailed sales campaigns. If you are new, you may like keeping bookings, contracts and invoices under the same platform.
Choose Pic-Time when your gallery needs to keep selling after you send it. Its store campaigns, wider lab choice and visitor rules give you more sales control. It also suits photographers who want album proofing and slideshows, as long as the right plan fits their budget.
You can compare more choices in our online galleries for photographers overview. You can also read our focused guides to Pic-Time alternatives and Pixieset alternatives.
When is Honcho the better third option?
Honcho is a strong choice for large event galleries where many people need to find their own photos.
Its AI-powered search tools help visitors quickly find the photos that matter to them. They can upload a selfie, browse a list of people, or search using everyday words. This makes Honcho especially useful for conferences, corporate events and races, where a gallery may contain thousands of photos featuring hundreds of people.
Honcho also gives you the option to upload and share photos as you shoot. Guests can access and share their photos during the event, adding to the experience while the excitement is still high.
Frequently asked questions about Pic-Time vs Pixieset
Pic-Time is better when you want stronger print sales tools. Pixieset is better when you want galleries beside website and studio tools. Your choice should follow the work you need the service to handle.
Pic-Time has the cheaper yearly paid plan at $7 a month, while Pixieset starts at $8. Pixieset’s top gallery plan costs $40 a month with yearly billing, while Pic-Time Advanced costs $42.
Pic-Time can move Pixieset galleries through a paid service or a self-service tool. The paid service doesn’t move favorites or videos, and Pic-Time says it now takes about ten weeks.
