Lightfolio

Overview

Lightfolio combines online photo galleries with client proofing and image sales for independent photographers and small studios. It is a strong fit when clients need to select, discuss, and order work in one place; photographers with growing sales should compare the free plan’s commission and tight caps with paid-plan storage.

Key features

Clients can favorite images, sort selections into lists, collaborate, and comment or message on individual photographs. Keeping choices and feedback attached to the images suits approval-heavy projects better than a gallery used only to deliver finished files.

Photographers can password-protect galleries, add text or image watermarks, organize files in folders, and configure downloads. These controls support private review and tailored delivery. JPG, GIF, PNG, and TIF files are supported up to 70 MB each; larger limits are available on request, which may matter for photographers working with unusually large files.

Galleries can sell prints, albums, and digital downloads. The free plan charges 15% sales commission, while paid plans have none, making a paid tier more appealing as orders become a regular part of the business. A Lightroom Classic plug-in and print lab partners Bay Photo Lab and Loxley Colour connect the service to editing and fulfillment, though the core value remains the proofing and gallery workflow.

The proofing platform is mobile friendly for clients. Lightfolio offers email support and a knowledge base, with priority support on Pro. Its privacy policy names Lightfolio in St. Petersburg, Florida, as the company and GDPR data controller, and cautions that absolute security cannot be guaranteed.

Pricing

Lightfolio has a free plan and paid plans available monthly or annually. Annual plans are billed for the full year. Lite, Starter, Pro, and Premium use custom pricing.

• Free: free, no charge forever. It includes 3 GB photo storage, 500 MB video storage, and 3 galleries, with a 15% sales commission. This is a workable starting point for occasional proofing, but the small gallery and storage allowances and commission make it less suitable for a growing sales workflow.
• Lite: custom pricing, 30 GB photo storage, unlimited galleries, and 3 GB video storage. It removes the free plan’s gallery cap and expands storage, but retains a relatively small video allowance.
• Starter: custom pricing, 100 GB photo storage, unlimited galleries, and 10 GB video storage. It offers more room for an active portfolio of client work without the much larger capacity of Pro.
• Pro: custom pricing, 1,000 GB photo storage, unlimited galleries, and 30 GB video storage, plus priority support. It suits photographers handling larger volumes who value a higher support priority.
• Premium: custom pricing, unlimited photo storage, unlimited galleries, and 60 GB video storage. It is the capacity-focused option for photographers who would otherwise need to manage photo-storage limits.

The free plan’s 15% commission is the clearest cost to weigh against paid plans’ zero commission. Paid prices are custom, so photographers should compare the quoted cost with expected sales and storage needs rather than assume a paid tier will save money.

Platforms

Lightfolio supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. Clients can use the mobile-friendly proofing platform on their mobile devices.

Who it's for

Lightfolio is best for independent photographers and small studios that need client selections, image-specific feedback, controlled galleries, and sales in a single workflow. It is less compelling for a low-volume user who can live within three galleries and the free plan’s storage caps, or for a seller who wants to avoid a 15% commission without first establishing the cost of a paid plan.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Favorites, selection lists, collaboration, and image-level comments keep proofing decisions tied to the photographs.
• Pro: Passwords, watermarks, folders, and download controls give photographers practical options for managing gallery access and delivery.
• Pro: Unlimited galleries on every paid tier means higher plans scale storage without adding a gallery-count ceiling.
• Con: The free plan is limited to 3 galleries, 3 GB of photo storage, and 500 MB of video storage.
• Con: Free-plan sales incur a 15% commission, while the prices of the commission-free paid tiers are custom.
• Con: The stated file ceiling is 70 MB, so photographers with larger files must request a higher limit.

Alternatives

For photographers comparing adjacent tools, Photo Proofing Software is the broader category to explore. Those building a photography site rather than prioritizing proofing can browse Photography Website Builders.

Pixieset Website is a website-builder alternative with a free plan that includes 15 pages, 100 photos, five blog posts, unlimited bandwidth, SSL security, and a mobile-optimized website; choose it when those site-building limits and features better match the need.

FolioHD is another web-based option, with a Starter plan offering 36 uploads and limited features, and a Basic plan at $6 a month with 200 uploads and 10 galleries. It may suit someone whose needs are better measured by upload and gallery counts than Lightfolio’s storage tiers.

LentloSites, RebookMedia, ShootCal Websites, Zarla, EasySite, and Plot are also listed as alternatives.

Verdict

Choose Lightfolio if you are an independent photographer or small studio that wants client proofing, gallery access controls, and image sales together, and can match its storage tiers to your workload. Its strongest case is the connected review-to-sale workflow; look elsewhere if the free tier’s commission and caps are unacceptable and a custom-priced paid plan does not fit your budget.