Gesso vs Zenfolio
Gesso
gesso.work
Zenfolio
zenfolio.comSide by side
| Figure | Gesso | Zenfolio |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $10/mo | $7/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 18 | 6 |
| Spec score · Portfolio Website Builders | 9.0 (#7) | 9.2 (#2) |
| Client proofing | No | Client galleries support sharing, delivery, proofing, and selling. |
| Selling tools | Yes | Photographers can sell prints, digital downloads, and video through their websites and client galleries. |
| Custom domain | Yes | Plans include a custom domain feature. |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Portfolio analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Security | Gesso says it uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect personal data. | Zenfolio describes two-factor authentication, password-protected galleries, customizable access controls, watermarking, and right-click and drag protection. |
| Paid from | 10 | Paid plans start at $9 per month. |
| Support | Gesso offers migration help for artwork, sales history, contacts, email lists, website content, and custom domains. | The plans page says every plan includes 24/7 customer support. |
Plans
Gesso
- FreeFree
- Portfolio$120 a year
- Studio$240 a year
- Pro$390 a year
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Portfolio$12 a month
- Portfolio$12 a month
- Studio$24 a month
- Studio$24 a month
Zenfolio
- Basic$9 a month
- Professional$23 a month
- Advanced$40 a month
- Basic$84 a year
- Professional$138 a year
- Advanced$240 a year
In their own words
Gesso
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.
Zenfolio
Zenfolio is a photography platform for building websites and client galleries, organizing and sharing images and video, and selling prints, downloads, and video. Plans include customizable websites, custom domains, client proofing, portfolio analytics, and video hosting. Storage starts at 15GB on Basic, about 4,500 photos; Professional provides 150GB, about 60,000 photos; Advanced offers unlimited JPEG storage and 150GB for video. MP4 and MOV are supported. Photographers can accept payments through Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, with print fulfillment through integrated labs including Miller’s, Mpix, Bay Photo, Fujifilm, and nPhoto. A Lightroom Classic plugin supports direct uploads, publishing edits, and replacing images. AI-assisted gallery creation and tagging are available, as is PhotoRefine.ai for grouping, rating, and culling images. BookMe handles bookings, availability syncing, invoicing, and payment collection. Basic costs $9 a month, Professional $23 a month, and Advanced $40 a month. There is no free plan, but a free trial is offered. Annual plans have reduced monthly rates, with a stated promotion of up to 50% savings through September 30, 2026. Commerce orders have a 7% fee, plus digital download fees.