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Gesso

gesso.work

From $10/mo Free plan Web
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Spec score 9.0 #7 of 81 in Portfolio Website Builders

What it is

Gesso is studio management and portfolio software for visual artists, with a web portfolio, analytics, and selling tools. Its connected records link artwork, sales, inventory, and collector contacts: marking a work sold updates those records and the artist site. Users can track shows, grants, residencies, and open calls, sync them to a calendar, and receive reminders. Studio and Pro users can connect Stripe for checkout; Gesso says it takes no cut of sales. Those plans can also connect Prodigi, Gelato, or Printful for print production and shipping. Gesso says it syncs sales from Square and Shopify and connects to Mailchimp and MailerLite. Users can export artworks, sales, expenses, and contacts as CSV, and portfolio documents and certificates as PDFs. The free plan allows 10 artworks with 3 images per artwork; the listed Portfolio, Studio, and Pro tiers allow 10 images per artwork. Paid plans are listed at $120/yr, $240/yr, and $390/yr, each as one upfront payment. A 7-day trial is available. Gesso says it offers migration help for artwork, sales history, contacts, email lists, website content, and custom domains.

Spec sheet

What it does
Gesso combines an artist portfolio website with artwork records, inventory, sales, collectors, commissions, expenses and career-management tools.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Product
Gesso is all-in-one studio management and portfolio software for visual artists.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Audience
Gesso says it supports both artists building a first portfolio and established artists who need studio workflows.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Free plan
YesRead 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Paid from
10Read 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Integrations
Gesso says it syncs sales from Square and Shopify and connects to Mailchimp and MailerLite.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Security
Gesso says it uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect personal data.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Support
Gesso offers migration help for artwork, sales history, contacts, email lists, website content, and custom domains.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Maker
Gesso's maker identifies herself as Liv Cappello, a painter and software engineer based in Portland, Maine.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
AI crawler controls
Gesso asks known AI training crawlers not to collect portfolio images and says it does not train AI on customer artwork or content.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Analytics
Portfolio and higher plans show visits, popular pages and visitor sources without adding third-party trackers to the portfolio site.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Artwork management
Artwork records support images, titles, mediums, dimensions, years, prices, framing details, notes and available, sold, commissioned or draft statuses.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Career tools
Gesso includes event, class, opportunity, statement, biography, CV and studio-log tools, with advanced exports on Pro.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Checkout
Studio and Pro provide a cart and Stripe checkout for originals and prints, with configurable shipping and local pickup.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Client proofing
NoRead 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Collections
Portfolio and higher plans let artists group pieces into named collections that appear as browsable categories.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Collector CRM
Studio and Pro profiles store purchase history, spending, notes, tags, segments and follow-up dates, and track commission leads.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Connected records
Marking a work sold updates the artist site, sales records, inventory, and collector CRM.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Custom domain
YesRead 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Custom domains
Paid plans support connecting an artist-owned domain with one DNS record and automatic SSL provisioning.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Data export
Users can export artworks, sales, expenses, and contacts as CSV, plus portfolio documents and certificates as PDFs.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Data import and export
CSV tools import artworks, collectors, sales, subscribers, expenses, events and opportunities, and exports are available for major record types.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Email integrations
Studio and Pro synchronize Gesso subscriber lists with Mailchimp or MailerLite.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Independent added features
Cambridge Day said tester suggestions led to tools for freelance illustration work, class offerings and reusable client and collector communication templates.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cambridgeday.com
Independent beta testing
Cambridge Day reported that Cappello refined Gesso with feedback from 14 artists during beta testing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cambridgeday.com
Independent description
Cambridge Day described Gesso as combining artwork management, sales tracking and a portfolio website in one platform.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cambridgeday.com
Independent launch report
Cambridge Day reported that Gesso was scheduled to launch on May 1, 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cambridgeday.com
Independent praise: reduced admin
Beta tester Julia Emiliani told Cambridge Day that tools like Gesso could reduce the administrative time competing with artists’ creative work.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cambridgeday.com
Independent problem statement
The same report said Cappello created Gesso after managing her practice across spreadsheets, website tools and accounting software became burdensome and expensive.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cambridgeday.com
Independent product iteration
The report said beta testers supplied roughly 30 to 40 comments and feature suggestions during development.Read 15 Oct 2026 · cambridgeday.com
Limit: free-account deletion
Free accounts that remain inactive for one year can be automatically deleted after a warning email.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Limit: no bulk email
The help center states that Gesso does not send bulk emails itself; users must use an email-service integration or another method.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Limit: third-party fulfillment risk
Terms make the artist responsible for refunds or fulfillment when a connected print service rejects, delays, cancels or fails an order.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Maker identity
Gesso was built by Liv Cappello, described as a painter and web developer based in Somerville, Massachusetts.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
No-code operation
Gesso says the product is managed through its dashboard and requires no coding, plugins or theme installation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Opportunities
Users can track shows, grants, residencies, and open calls, sync them to a calendar, and receive reminders.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Portfolio analytics
YesRead 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Portfolio websites
It generates artist sites with artwork, about, contact, events and CV pages, plus image, gallery, slideshow, video and embed blocks.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Print editions
Studio and Pro support edition size, paper type, prices, per-print inventory and checkout for prints.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Print fulfillment
Studio and Pro users can connect Prodigi, Gelato, or Printful to produce and ship print orders.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Print-on-demand integrations
Prodigi, Gelato and Printful can produce and ship print orders when connected by the artist.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Privacy and payments
Gesso states payment card details are collected by Stripe and are not transmitted to or stored by Gesso.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Privacy processing
The privacy policy says Gesso acts as processor for customer-uploaded collector, inquiry, mailing-list, invoice and order data, while Stripe handles payment-card details.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Proprietary licence
Terms state that Gesso software, design, branding, intellectual property and documentation are owned by Gesso or licensors and protected by intellectual-property law.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Sales
On Studio and Pro, users can connect Stripe for checkout, and Gesso says it takes no cut of sales.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Sales tracking
Studio and Pro record sales manually, by CSV, or through Stripe, Square and Shopify synchronization, linking transactions to artworks and collectors.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Security controls
The service documents SSL/TLS connections, password hashing, encrypted backups, two-factor authentication and Stripe handling of card data.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Security disclosure
Its security policy provides an email reporting channel, a three-business-day acknowledgement target and safe-harbor language for good-faith research.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Security reporting
Gesso aims to acknowledge security reports within three business days and offers safe harbor for good-faith research following its policy and applicable law.Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Selling tools
YesRead 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Support and documentation
The help center provides setup instructions, feature guides, plan details, FAQs and migration templates.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Third-party dependency limit
Terms say Gesso relies on outside providers for infrastructure, payments, storage, email, analytics, monitoring and integrations and disclaims responsibility for provider downtime or errors.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work

Plans and prices

Free Free 10 artworks · 3 images per artwork Read 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Portfolio $120 a year One upfront payment of $120/yr 10 images per artwork Read 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Studio $240 a year One upfront payment of $240/yr 10 images per artwork Read 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Pro $390 a year One upfront payment of $390/yr 10 images per artwork Read 23 Sep 2026 · gesso.work
Free Free Portfolio site · up to 10 works · no card required Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Free Free up to 10 works · public portfolio site · basic artwork management · dashboard overview Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Portfolio $12 a month Billed monthly unlimited works · custom domain · 10 full-quality images per work · collections · custom pages · analytics Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Portfolio $12 a month Billed monthly Unlimited works · 10 full-quality images per work · portfolio site and Gesso subdomain Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Studio $24 a month Billed monthly Everything in Portfolio · checkout and payment links · collector CRM · expenses · opportunities tracker Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Studio $24 a month Billed monthly checkout · payment links · print editions · collector CRM · certificates · events · blog · expenses · Mailchimp/MailerLite sync Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Pro $39 a month Billed monthly invoice generator · gallery consignment tracker · portfolio and label exports · memberships · press release editor · advanced analytics Read 15 Oct 2026 · gesso.work
Pro $39 a month Billed monthly Everything in Studio · invoice generator · gallery consignment tracker · recurring memberships · advanced analytics Read 8 Oct 2026 · gesso.work

Every Gesso plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Marking work sold updates connected records
  • Tracks opportunities with calendar sync and reminders
  • Studio and Pro connect Stripe without a sales cut
  • Exports records as CSV and portfolio documents as PDFs

Limits

  • Free plan allows only 3 images per artwork
  • Client proofing is not included
  • Studio and Pro require one upfront payment

Who it suits

Gesso suits artists building a first portfolio or established artists who need studio workflows. Its connected records, opportunity tracking, and sales tools are relevant to artists managing artwork and sales in one place.

Gesso in depth

Read the full write-up

Overview

Gesso is a web-based portfolio and studio-management platform for visual artists. It suits artists who want their online presentation connected to sales, inventory and opportunity tracking. Its strongest case is keeping those parts of a practice in one system; the free plan’s image cap and confusing paid-plan prices call for care.

Key features

Gesso links portfolio presentation to working records: marking a piece sold updates the artist site, sales records, inventory and collector CRM. That can reduce duplicate record-keeping for artists managing sales alongside a public portfolio. Custom domains, portfolio analytics and selling tools round out the presentation side, but there is no client proofing for artists who need clients to review or approve work within the platform.

Opportunity tracking covers shows, grants, residencies and open calls, with calendar syncing and reminders. This makes Gesso more useful than a portfolio alone for artists who actively manage submissions and deadlines. Users can export artworks, sales, expenses and contacts as CSV, and portfolio documents and certificates as PDFs, which gives them portable records.

Studio and Pro users can connect Stripe for checkout; Gesso says it takes no cut of sales and that Stripe collects card details without transmitting or storing them at Gesso. Those plans also connect to Prodigi, Gelato or Printful for print production and shipping. Gesso says it syncs sales from Square and Shopify and connects to Mailchimp and MailerLite. These links make the upper plans more relevant to artists already using those services, while the integrations do not replace the need to choose the appropriate plan.

Gesso offers migration help for artwork, sales history, contacts, email lists, website content and custom domains, a useful onboarding option for artists moving an existing practice. It says it uses administrative, technical and organizational safeguards for personal data, and aims to acknowledge security reports within three business days, with safe harbor for good-faith research under its policy and applicable law.

Pricing

Gesso has a free plan and three paid plans, with a 7-day trial. The plan figures need checking before purchase: Portfolio is shown as $120 a year with one upfront payment of $120/yr, but Studio is shown as $20 a year alongside one upfront payment of $240/yr, and Pro as $32.50 a year alongside one upfront payment of $390/yr. The annual totals and stated upfront payments do not match for Studio or Pro; confirm the intended charge before committing.

Free: free, with 10 artworks and three images per artwork. It is a reasonable starting point for a small portfolio, but the low image allowance may constrain documenting individual works.

Portfolio: $120 a year, described as one upfront payment of $120/yr, with 10 images per artwork. It raises the image cap, but the plan details supplied do not establish which studio-management or sales features it includes.

Studio: $20 a year, described as one upfront payment of $240/yr, with 10 images per artwork. It is the entry point for Stripe checkout and print fulfillment, but resolve the price discrepancy first.

Pro: $32.50 a year, described as one upfront payment of $390/yr, with 10 images per artwork. It includes the same stated access to Stripe and print fulfillment as Studio; the available plan details do not establish what else distinguishes it.

The paid plans increase the per-artwork image limit from three to ten. No seat or sales-volume limits are given, so those should not be assumed. Artists who need more than ten images per work should look elsewhere.

Platforms

Gesso runs on the web. That is a fit for artists who manage their portfolio and studio records in a browser, but it is not a stated choice for a native mobile or desktop app.

Who it's for

Gesso is best for visual artists who want their portfolio connected to sales, inventory, collector contacts and submission deadlines, especially those who already use Square, Shopify or the supported email services. It can serve both artists building a first portfolio and established artists managing studio workflows. It is less suitable for client-proofing workflows or image-heavy portfolios that exceed ten images per artwork.

Pros and cons

Connected sale records: Marking a work sold updates the site, sales records, inventory and collector CRM, reducing the need to keep those entries aligned manually.

Useful practice-management tools: Opportunity reminders, calendar syncing and exports cover work beyond simply displaying a portfolio.

Practical migration support: Help covers artwork, sales history, contacts, email lists, site content and custom domains.

No client proofing: Artists who need an approval workflow for clients will need another tool.

Limited image allowance: Even paid plans cap each artwork at ten images.

Unclear paid-plan charges: Studio and Pro show annual figures that conflict with their stated upfront payments, making the commitment harder to assess.

Alternatives

Portfolio Website Builders is a broader starting point for comparing portfolio-focused options.

Choose Framer if you want a freemium website builder with a free tier that includes a Framer domain, design pages, CMS collections and 1 GB bandwidth, rather than Gesso’s linked studio records.

Zenfolio is an alternative to consider for a paid photography-oriented option with a Basic plan at $9 a month, 15 GB storage and up to 4,500 photos.

Portfoliobox may suit someone who wants a free web portfolio with 30 images, five pages and a Portfoliobox subdomain, without Gesso’s studio-management emphasis.

Wfolio is another web-based freemium option; its free plan specifies 120 GB of storage, a different constraint from Gesso’s free cap of 10 artworks and three images per artwork.

Consider Pixieset Website for a free website plan with 15 pages, 100 photos and unlimited bandwidth.

FASO is a paid alternative with a free trial and an Intro plan at $12 a month when billed annually, including 40 images, three collections and three event listings.

Portfolio Studio is another freemium web portfolio option with a free plan; the available plan details do not support a closer feature comparison.

Readymag is a freemium alternative whose free plan allows one published project, up to 10 pages and desktop, mobile and tablet layouts.

Verdict

Choose Gesso if you are a visual artist who wants a portfolio tied directly to sales, inventory, collector records and opportunities, and can work within ten images per artwork on paid plans. Its connected records and exports are the main reasons to choose it over a site-only portfolio tool. Look elsewhere if client proofing is essential, your works need more images, or you need clear paid-plan charges before signing up.

Verdict

Gesso connects portfolio presentation with records for artwork, sales, and collectors, alongside opportunity tracking and exports. Compare the image limits and listed annual payments with the workflows you need.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to GessoAll alternatives →