Framekit vs Zenfolio 2026: Prints or Portfolio?

Photographers weighing Framekit vs Zenfolio are usually running one calculation: what a print store earns against what it costs. Zenfolio's answer is unusually clean.

It charges a flat 7% commerce fee per order, connects to labs such as Miller's, Mpix and Bay Photo, and in October 2026 its own pricing FAQ lists the Professional plan that unlocks selling at $11.50 a month billed yearly.

Our answer is that Framekit does not sell prints at all. That is a concession, and it belongs in the first paragraph rather than at the bottom of a feature table, because it decides this comparison for every photographer who sells wall art.

A client gallery platform is software that hosts and delivers finished photographs to the people who commissioned them through a private, branded link, and most of them also sell prints.

Framekit is an AI website builder that carries client galleries, video review, Slides and a digital-download store on one account, with no print fulfilment anywhere in it, so Framekit vs Zenfolio is really prints and studio tools against delivery, film and a portfolio.

Full disclosure: Framekit is our product. On 12 October 2026 we re-verified every Zenfolio price, storage figure and fee against Zenfolio's pricing page and its selling help article, and every Framekit figure against framekit.ai's plan table. This rewrite replaces a September 2026 version that described a hands-on test we cannot document, priced print sales on Zenfolio's Basic plan, which cannot sell, and said Zenfolio did not host video; it does, in HD on Basic and Professional and 4K on Advanced. The same October pass corrected our branding row and two lines that said paid Framekit plans remove the gallery credit; a small Made with Framekit footer line stays on every plan.

Where These Numbers Come From

Every figure in this Framekit vs Zenfolio comparison is either printed on one of the two companies' own pages in October 2026 or one line of arithmetic away from one, and anything we could not confirm is marked as unconfirmed rather than estimated.

Read at the source. Zenfolio's pricing page, its full feature comparison and the pricing FAQ embedded on the same page, and its Selling Overview help article, which sets out the commerce fee and the per-download charges.

For Framekit, the plan comparison at framekit.ai/pricing and the gallery settings the product ships.

Calculated. Storage for three shooting volumes at 10MB per delivered JPEG, and film sizes from bitrate times seconds divided by eight, so a 24-minute film at 10 Mbps is 1,800MB.

Zenfolio's pricing page showed European prices to our request, with US prices in its FAQ; this article quotes the US figures.

Not tested. We did not run a Zenfolio store through a season, use its labs, Volume Wizard or booking tool, or time uploads on either platform.

Zenfolio's yearly prices were shown beside higher "normally" prices on its European page, which suggests a promotion, so check the current rate before you budget around it.

Framekit vs Zenfolio at a Glance

Both platforms give you unlimited client galleries, favourites, watermarks, video and a custom domain, so the rows below concentrate on what separates a selling-and-studio platform from an all-in-one creative account.

In one lineZenfolio is a selling platform with a website attached and Framekit is a website with delivery, review and a store attached, and your revenue model picks one.

Seven Figures Worth Knowing

These seven figures, each read from Zenfolio's or Framekit's own pages in October 2026 or calculated from them, settle most Framekit vs Zenfolio decisions before features come into it.

• 7%. Zenfolio's commerce fee on every order, on Professional and Advanced, before Stripe or PayPal processing.
• $0.09 and $0.99. Zenfolio's base charge for delivering a sold digital download, per photo and per full gallery.
• Basic cannot sell. Zenfolio's selling tools, labs and product builder start on Professional.
• 150GB. Zenfolio Professional's storage for photos and video combined, at $138 a year billed yearly.
• 150GB of video. The video share of Framekit Pro's 300GB pool, at $180 a year billed yearly.
• 2GB and 2 hours. Framekit Pro's per-file video cap and its maximum video length. Business raises the cap to 3GB.
• 30 days. The window in which Zenfolio's FAQ says a refund is available after sign-up or an annual renewal; monthly plans are not refunded.

Where Zenfolio Wins

Zenfolio wins for any photographer who earns from products, volume events or a booking calendar, because its integrated labs, flat commerce fee, Volume Wizard, QR workflows and booking tools cover jobs that Framekit does not attempt at any price.

A predictable print fee. Zenfolio's help article on the fees involved with selling sets the commerce fee at 7% of the order subtotal, before tax and shipping and after any discount, on print, self-fulfilled and digital orders alike, with Stripe at 2.9% plus $0.30 or PayPal at 3.49% plus $0.49 on top.

The fee is waived for the first 30 days of a new paid Professional or Advanced account. On a $5,000 year of print orders it is $350, a number you can forecast.

Framekit cannot take a print order, so its zero commission is worth nothing to a print seller.

Real labs and products. Professional and Advanced connect to Miller's, Mpix, Bay Photo, Miller's School and Sports, OVI, Technicare, HCPro, Fujifilm and nPhoto, depending on your country, alongside self-fulfilment, packages that bundle prints and downloads, coupons, and a product builder for items such as memory mates and collages.

Volume photography. Sports leagues, schools and events are where Zenfolio is most clearly ahead.

The Volume Wizard handles QR codes, bulk folder generation and registration, and the QR Code Workflow manages large sports, school and event sessions, with 5 uses on Professional and unlimited on Advanced.

Framekit has no student lookup, QR workflow or volume tooling.

Booking, payments and a team. Booking and scheduling is a $10 a month add-on, included on Advanced, with payments through Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay, automated marketing campaigns and team member management.

SMS delivery sends galleries by text: 500, 2,500 or 5,000 messages a month by plan. Framekit has no booking, invoicing or SMS delivery.

Cheap storage at the current yearly rates. Professional's 150GB costs $138 a year billed yearly, and Advanced gives unlimited JPEG storage plus 150GB of 4K video for $240, with add-on storage available up to 100TB.

The number that matters$138 a year. That is Zenfolio Professional billed yearly, the cheapest plan in this comparison that can both store a stills-only wedding season and sell prints from it.

The gotchathe yearly prices look promotional. Zenfolio's FAQ describes Professional's $11.50 as 50% off the $23 monthly rate, and its European page shows the yearly figures beside higher "normally" prices.

Monthly billing is $108, $276 and $480 a year. Basic cannot sell at all, Basic and Professional are HD-only for video, and Zenfolio does not store RAW files.

Skip it ifyou never sell products, you deliver films that need a review round before delivery, or you want a builder-led website rather than block templates.

Verdict: Zenfolio is the better platform for portrait, family, sports and school photographers whose income includes prints or volume sales. Readers comparing it with neighbours can see the best Zenfolio alternatives, Zenfolio vs Pixieset and ShootProof vs Zenfolio.

Where Framekit Wins

Framekit wins for photographers and videographers who are paid for the shoot rather than the print, because its galleries put every delivery and proofing feature on every plan including free, hold films under the same link as stills, and share one account with a full website, video review, Slides and a digital store.

A free plan that delivers. Framekit's free plan holds 10GB with watermarking, a gallery password, a separate download PIN, favourites, slideshows, full-resolution downloads, ZIP downloads of everything or favourites only, email registration, auto expiry with a reminder email and email sharing.

Paid plans add your own domain and uploaded fonts, and the small Made with Framekit footer line stays on every plan. Zenfolio has a free trial but no permanent free plan.

Selections that arrive with instructions. Clients sign in with an email, heart frames into lists they name, write a note on any photo and press Send to photographer, which notifies you in Framekit and by email.

Lists can be shared with family by link, and the Activity panel logs each favourite list and each download, including whether it was a photo, a set, a list or the whole gallery.

Film without the HD ceiling. Video uploads on every plan, is transcoded for smooth playback and is never watermarked.

Framekit does not tier video resolution by plan; it caps file size instead, at 500MB, 1GB, 2GB and 3GB, with up to 3GB, 15GB, 150GB or 750GB of the pool available for video.

The number that matters300GB for $180 a year on Pro, enough for 25 weddings of stills plus a film each, against 150GB on Zenfolio Professional.

The detail most comparisons missFramekit's watermark protects the gallery view, and downloads always deliver clean originals, so download control comes from the PIN or switching downloads off. Zenfolio, by contrast, lists access control to original files as part of its security tools.

The gotchano print sales, no labs, no volume workflows, no booking, no SMS delivery, no Lightroom plugin, no RAW support and no unlimited storage, and the per-file video cap means a long film may need a lighter export.

Skip it ifprints, albums or school and sports orders are part of your income, or you want booking and payments in the same login as your galleries.

Verdict: Framekit is the better fit for commercial, editorial, event and hybrid photographers whose income is the shoot fee and whose clients want stills and a film in one place.

Limits and Specs Side by Side

This table collects the published limits that decide whether a delivery fits and how it is protected, from storage and file caps to watermarking, the download PIN, favourites, custom domains and branding, with Zenfolio's entries from its pricing page and FAQ in October 2026.

Two rows favour Zenfolio outright: a custom domain on its cheapest plan and SMS delivery. Two favour Framekit: video on every plan without a resolution tier and a published per-file cap. Neither stores RAW files.

What Happens When Plans Meet Real Life

The questions that cost photographers an evening are rarely answered on a pricing grid, so here is what each platform documents for the six situations readers ask about most.

You downgrade with more files than the new plan holds. Zenfolio's FAQ is unusually clear: the downgrade starts at the next billing period, nothing is deleted, but you cannot upload new files until you are back within the limit.

Framekit's plan table does not describe this case, so treat the storage figures as hard ceilings and leave headroom.

You cancel. Zenfolio says your account stays active to the end of the billing period, then your website goes offline and your content becomes inaccessible, and it recommends backing up first.

Refunds are available within 30 days of sign-up or an annual renewal. Framekit plans are month-to-month or yearly and can be cancelled at any time, and the free plan is permanent.

A film is too big. Framekit refuses files over the plan's per-file cap or longer than 2 hours at upload, so you re-export or upgrade before delivery. Zenfolio does not publish a per-file cap; its limits are storage and the HD or 4K tier of your plan.

The gallery should expire. Framekit unpublishes the gallery on the date you set, keeps the files, shows visitors a message to contact the photographer, and can email you and the linked contacts three days before.

Zenfolio's pricing page lists folder and gallery tools but not its expiry options, so check them in the plan you choose.

A client wants prints. On Zenfolio Professional or Advanced they order in the gallery and a lab fulfils, minus the 7% fee. On Framekit you take the order by email, use your own lab and invoice outside Framekit.

You shoot a school or league. Zenfolio's Volume Wizard and QR workflow are built for it. Framekit has no student lookup or QR ordering, so a volume photographer should not choose it for that work.

Three Seasons Priced on Both Platforms

The cheaper platform changes with your volume and whether you deliver film, and at the current yearly rates Zenfolio is cheaper for a stills-only wedding season, so these three worked seasons show both directions with the arithmetic in full.

Assumptions: 10MB per delivered JPEG, films at 10 Mbps, galleries online all year, yearly billing. Framekit prices include the website, review, Slides and store; Zenfolio prices include its website and galleries.

The second row is the honest one for us. At $138 a year, Zenfolio Professional undercuts Framekit Pro by $42 for a stills-only wedding season, and it can sell prints on top. On monthly billing the order flips: Zenfolio Professional is $276 a year against $228 for Framekit Pro.

The third row is where Framekit's pooled storage pays off. Forty-five gigabytes of film pushes the season past Zenfolio Professional's 150GB, so the next step is Advanced at $240, which also brings 4K video. Framekit Pro holds it at $180, with each 1,800MB film under the 2GB cap.

Now the print year. If those 25 couples order $5,000 of prints and albums, Zenfolio Professional's 7% fee is $350, plus card processing, and the lab ships.

Framekit cannot take the orders, so the comparison for a print seller is not $138 against $180, it is a working store against none.

Check it against your own books. Multiply last year's delivered photos by your average file size, add each film's seconds times its export bitrate divided by eight, and note last year's print revenue.

If print revenue is above about $1,000 or you shoot volume events, price Zenfolio first. If you deliver films and sell nothing physical, price Framekit first.

Print Labs, Packages and Volume Work

Zenfolio is the clear choice for print, package and volume sales, because it combines integrated labs, a flat 7% fee, a product builder, paid access and QR-based volume workflows, while Framekit offers no print ordering, price sheets, packages or school and sports tooling on any plan.

Zenfolio's selling sits on Professional and Advanced.

You create price lists, add vendor-fulfilled products from its partner labs, digital downloads in original, high, medium or low resolution, and packages that combine them, then assign a price list to galleries or folders.

Zenfolio delivers sold downloads directly, with a base charge of $0.09 per photo or $0.99 for a full gallery. Paid access lets you charge a fee before a client can view a gallery, which suits event and school work.

Framekit's store does a different job.

It sells digital products such as presets, LUTs, guides and templates from your site and through shareable buy links, at 5% on Free and Starter, 3% on Pro and 0% on Business, with Stripe processing on top and you as merchant of record.

It is not wired into galleries, so a client cannot buy extra frames from their own shoot inside the gallery.

If you sell prints occasionally, ordering from your own lab keeps the margin and costs some time, as the guide to selling prints from a client gallery explains.

If you sell to schools or leagues, Zenfolio is built for it, and the best client galleries for school photographers covers the specialists.

Video, Review and the Final Delivery

Both platforms now put video in client galleries, so the meaningful differences are how resolution and size are limited, and whether the edit can be reviewed and approved before the final film is delivered.

Zenfolio accepts MP4 and MOV, in HD on Basic and Professional and in 4K on Advanced, where its pricing page estimates 150GB of video at about 10 hours. Its feature list includes hosting, streaming, sharing and selling video. It does not publish a per-file cap.

Framekit accepts MP4, MOV, M4V, WebM and MKV on every plan, transcodes ProRes and HEVC MOV files so they play in the browser, never watermarks video, and caps files at 500MB, 1GB, 2GB or 3GB by plan with a 2-hour maximum length. It does not tier resolution by plan.

The step Zenfolio does not cover is approval.

On Framekit's video review, the client comments at an exact frame, draws on the frame, replies and reacts without an account; version 2 stacks on version 1 with the old notes kept; and once the cut is marked approved, the final film goes into the gallery beside the stills. Delivering a wedding film walks through that sequence end to end.

The Portfolio and the Store Around It

Zenfolio includes a customisable website, blog and custom domain on every plan, and Framekit is an AI website builder at its core, so the difference is between a solid photographer site attached to a gallery platform and a full site that hosts galleries as pages.

Zenfolio's website uses customisable blocks and modern templates, with built-in SEO, a blog, public galleries that visitors can buy from, and email capture into a contact list.

For a photographer whose site mainly exists to sell from the archive and take bookings, it covers the job.

Framekit's builder generates full sections, writes copy, can recreate a layout from a reference screenshot, and hosts the site with SSL on every plan, with your own domain from Starter.

Each gallery lives under /client/ on that site, so a client coming back to download is on the same domain as your portfolio and enquiry form.

Slides makes proposals, treatments and lookbooks on the same account, with unlimited decks and a monthly AI allowance for generation. The store's hosted checkout carries your name and logo and gives buyers an instant download.

Switching From Zenfolio to Framekit

A move from Zenfolio to Framekit works best as a forward switch, with new jobs going to Framekit from a set date and existing Zenfolio galleries left to run, because neither platform imports the other's galleries and Framekit has no redirect manager for old links.

Step 5 is the one that catches people. Zenfolio accepts HEIC photos and Framekit does not, so an iPhone-heavy workflow needs a JPEG export before upload.

A Decision Path for Framekit vs Zenfolio

This decision path asks the questions in the order that removes options fastest, starting with prints and volume work, because those two answers settle Framekit vs Zenfolio for most portrait, school and sports photographers before price or video matter.

1. Do prints, albums or wall art make you real money? If yes, choose Zenfolio Professional or Advanced; Framekit sells no physical products. If no, go to question 2.

2. Do you shoot schools, leagues or large events with QR or registration workflows? If yes, choose Zenfolio. If no, go to question 3.

3. Do you want booking and payments in the same login as your galleries? If yes, Zenfolio Advanced includes booking, and it is $10 a month on the other plans. If no, go to question 4.

4. Do you deliver films, and do clients review the cut before delivery? If yes, Framekit puts review and delivery on one plan with video on every tier. If you deliver stills only, go to question 5.

5. Is your season stills only and under 150GB? If yes, Zenfolio Professional at $138 a year billed yearly is the cheaper option today. If you also need a builder-led site, Slides or a digital store, Framekit Pro at $180 covers all of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Framekit or Zenfolio better in 2026?

Zenfolio is better for photographers who sell prints, shoot volume events or want booking built in, because its Professional and Advanced plans sell through integrated labs at a flat 7% fee and include QR and Volume Wizard workflows.

Framekit is better for photographers and videographers paid in session fees, because every gallery feature is on every plan, films share the gallery with no resolution tier, and one plan also runs the website, video review, Slides and a store.

Does Framekit sell prints like Zenfolio?

No. Framekit has no print lab, price lists, packages or album ordering on any plan, and no upgrade adds them. Its store sells digital products such as presets, LUTs and guides from your website at a 5% to 0% fee by plan.

Photographers whose income includes physical products earn more on Zenfolio even after its 7% fee.

How much is Zenfolio's commission on sales?

Zenfolio charges a 7% commerce fee on the order subtotal, before tax and shipping, on Professional and Advanced, and it applies to lab-fulfilled, self-fulfilled and digital orders.

Stripe or PayPal processing is charged on top, and the fee is waived for a new paid account's first 30 days. Sold digital downloads also carry a $0.09 per photo or $0.99 per gallery base charge. Basic cannot sell.

How much does Zenfolio cost in 2026?

Zenfolio's pricing FAQ lists Basic at $7 a month billed yearly ($9 monthly), Professional at $11.50 ($23 monthly) and Advanced at $20 ($40 monthly) in October 2026, or $84, $138 and $240 a year on yearly billing.

Its European page showed the yearly rates beside higher normal prices, so check whether the current rates are promotional before you commit.

Can Zenfolio's Basic plan sell prints?

No. Zenfolio's selling tools, integrated labs, packages, coupons and product builder start on the Professional plan at $11.50 a month billed yearly. Basic covers a website, client galleries, proofing, 15GB of storage and HD video.

Framekit's Starter plan, at the same $7 a month billed yearly, cannot sell prints either but includes a digital product store.

Does Zenfolio host video?

Yes. Zenfolio hosts MP4 and MOV video in client galleries, in HD on Basic and Professional and in 4K on Advanced, where its pricing page estimates 150GB of video at about 10 hours, and it can sell video. It does not publish a per-file cap.

Framekit hosts video on every plan with per-file caps of 500MB to 3GB and adds timecoded video review.

Which is cheaper for a wedding photographer?

Zenfolio is cheaper for a stills-only season at current yearly rates: 125GB of photos fits Professional at $138 a year against $180 for Framekit Pro.

Add a 24-minute film for each of 25 weddings and the season needs Zenfolio Advanced at $240, while Framekit Pro still holds it at $180. On monthly billing, Framekit Pro at $228 a year is cheaper than Zenfolio Professional at $276.

Does Framekit work for school and sports photography?

Not for volume ordering. Framekit has no student or athlete lookup, QR code workflow, bulk folder generation or parent print ordering.

Zenfolio's Volume Wizard and QR Code Workflow handle large sports, school and event sessions, with 5 uses on Professional and unlimited on Advanced, so a volume photographer should choose Zenfolio or a dedicated school platform.

What happens to my Zenfolio galleries if I cancel?

Zenfolio's FAQ says your account stays active until the end of the current billing period, then your website goes offline and your content becomes inaccessible, so back up before the period ends.

If you downgrade instead, files are not deleted, but you cannot upload new ones until you are within the new plan's storage limit.

Does Framekit have a free plan?

Yes. Framekit's free plan is permanent and needs no card, with unlimited galleries, 10GB of pooled storage and every gallery feature, including video, watermarking, passwords and the download PIN.

Paid plans add your own domain and uploaded fonts, while every gallery keeps a small Made with Framekit footer line. Zenfolio offers a free trial without a card but no permanent free plan.

Does Framekit accept HEIC or RAW photos?

No. Framekit galleries accept JPEG, PNG, WebP and GIF photos up to 100MB, so HEIC and RAW files need converting first.

Zenfolio accepts JPEG, PNG, GIF and HEIC, and its FAQ says it does not store RAW files either, because it is designed for processed images ready for delivery and sale.

Can I put Framekit galleries on my own domain?

Yes, from Starter at $7 a month billed yearly. Each Framekit gallery lives under /client/ on one of your Framekit websites, at a framekit.ai address on the free plan and on your own domain on paid plans.

Zenfolio includes a custom domain on every plan, including Basic at the same yearly price.

Should I move from Zenfolio to Framekit?

Move if your income is shoot fees, you deliver films that need a review round, and you want the website, delivery and a digital store on one plan. Stay if prints, packages, volume work, booking or SMS delivery are part of how you earn.

Some photographers keep Zenfolio for selling and use Framekit for the portfolio and film delivery.

Final Verdict

Zenfolio is the stronger choice for photographers who sell products or shoot volume work.

A flat 7% fee on lab, self-fulfilled and digital orders, integrated labs, packages, a product builder, Volume Wizard and QR workflows, SMS delivery and booking on Advanced add up to a business platform that Framekit does not try to copy, and its stills-only plans are cheap at the current yearly rates.

Framekit is the stronger choice for photographers and hybrid shooters paid in session fees.

Every gallery feature is on every plan including free, films share the gallery with no resolution tier, review happens before delivery, and $180 a year on Pro also covers the website, Slides and a digital store.

Where Framekit loses: it does not sell prints or offer price sheets and packages, has no school or volume workflows, no booking, no mobile app or SMS delivery, no client uploads, RAW or HEIC support, and no unlimited storage.

If those run your business, Zenfolio is the better fit.

Related readingthe best client gallery platforms compared, commission-free client galleries, SmugMug vs Zenfolio and what client galleries cost.

More head-to-heads: Framekit vs Pixieset, Framekit vs ShootProof and Framekit vs SmugMug.