BrandStudio vs SmugMug
Built for the event, not the after-party.
SmugMug is a proven place to host your portfolio and sell your prints — durable, unlimited storage and a print store with fulfillment handled, which is why so many photographers have run on it for years. BrandStudio does a different job: it runs the event itself — capture on iPhone, iPad, or a tethered Mac, every photo branded with your client’s logo, and each guest finds their own photos by selfie before they leave. Different jobs — this page shows you which one you’re hiring for.
FeatureBrandStudioSmugMug
What it’s built forRunning events: capture on-site, brand every photo, deliver to each guest by faceHosting your portfolio website and selling prints after the shoot — a mature, proven platform for it
On-site capture (iPhone, iPad, tethered Mac)Native apps for all three — shoot the room, photos go straight to deliveryNo on-site capture; you upload from Lightroom afterward
Photo boothIncluded — iPad booth with GIFs, boomerangs, branded printsNot a booth platform
Face Match (guests find their photos by selfie)Included on every plan — every guest, no scrollingNot built for guest face-match delivery
Delivery speedOn the guest’s phone before they leave; lobby screens during the eventYou edit and upload after the event, then send a link
Whose brand is on itYour client’s logo, colors, and domain on every plan — our name never showsCustom domains and branding on the Portfolio and Pro tiers; lower tiers carry SmugMug’s identity
Custom domainIncluded on every planPortfolio and Pro tiers
Print salesNo built-in print store — BrandStudio is capture + delivery, not print salesBuilt-in print store, lab fulfillment, and shipping handled for you — SmugMug takes ~15% of your print profit
Live slideshow / photo wallIncluded — face-matched, photos hit the screens during the eventNot an on-site display tool
Post-event messaging, surveys, CRMFull suite on the Engage planNot the focus
SetupFree 30-minute Event Kickoff Call with every planSelf-serve; 24/7 support
PricingPublic: $149 / $299 / $599 per month on annual billingPublic: $20 / $23.50 / $37 per month on annual billing, plus custom Enterprise
Why teams pick BrandStudio
- Built for the event, not the after-party. Photos hit the guest’s phone before they leave — not after two nights of culling and uploading from Lightroom.
- Every guest finds their own photos with a selfie. No scrolling a giant gallery, no “can you send me mine?” the next day.
- Your client’s brand on every surface, on every plan — your logo and your domain, included from the entry plan rather than reserved for a higher tier.
- Guests download your originals at full resolution — not a re-compressed web copy — so the photos look as good as they were shot.
- One platform for the room: capture, booth, branded delivery, live slideshow, on-site printing, and follow-up — not a portfolio host you bolt other tools onto.
- A real person sets you up on a free Kickoff Call and answers same-day when it’s 10 minutes to doors.
When SmugMug might be a better fit
- If you want a portfolio website and a self-serve print store for selling images after a shoot, that’s exactly what SmugMug is built for — and it’s been doing it reliably since 2002 (it owns Flickr too).
- If your priority is durable, unlimited, long-term hosting with deep customization — a highly customizable home where your whole catalog lives safely for years — SmugMug’s maturity, unlimited storage, and customization are real advantages an event platform doesn’t try to match.
- If you’re a solo photographer whose business is selling prints from galleries weeks later, SmugMug’s built-in store, lab fulfillment, and shipping are a genuinely lower-lift fit than running your own event platform.
Not sure if we're the right fit?
Book a 30-minute Event Kickoff Call with Jon. We'll walk through your event, hear what you're trying to do, and tell you straight if BrandStudio is the right match — or point you somewhere better if not.