Permafiles vs SmugMug
Permafiles
permafiles.com
SmugMug
smugmug.comSide by side
| Figure | Permafiles | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | £1.99/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 12 |
| Spec score · Photo Storage Services | 8.9 (#7) | 8.6 (#11) |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | Mountain View, California, United States |
| Integrations | The Nextcloud Mail app can connect to Gmail and other email providers using IMAP and SMTP. | Official integrations include Adobe Lightroom, Flickr uploads and Dropbox uploads. |
| Intended users | Permafiles says it is primarily aimed at customers in the UK and EU and presents family photo storage and sharing as a key use case. | SmugMug says photographers use the service for hobbies, side-hustles, and businesses. |
| Product | Permafiles is fully managed cloud storage powered by the open source Nextcloud platform. | SmugMug describes its service as an all-in-one platform for storing, sharing, and selling photography. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.7 out of 5 from 10K ratings for the Nextcloud iOS app. | 4.8 out of 5 from 48K ratings |
| Rating on Google Play | 4.0 out of 5 from 1.93K reviews for Nextcloud Talk. | 4.5 out of 5 from 7.58K reviews |
| Security controls | The service describes HTTPS/TLS, server-side and end-to-end encryption options, two-factor authentication and brute-force protection. | Users can apply passwords, visibility settings, watermarks, right-click protections and custom display sizes at photo, gallery, folder or site level. |
| Support | The contact page promises replies within 24 hours and offers live chat during office hours. | SmugMug advertises 24/7 human customer support and provides a support center and contact channel. |
| What it does | Permafiles provides managed private cloud storage for photos, videos, documents and other files using Nextcloud. | SmugMug is a photography platform for storing, sharing, showcasing and selling photos and videos. |
Plans
Permafiles
- Nextcloud FreeFree
- Nextcloud Tiny£1.99 a month
- Nextcloud Small£2.99 a month
- Nextcloud Medium£3.99 a month
- Nextcloud Large£4.99 a month
- Nextcloud 1TB£9.99 a month
- Nextcloud 2TB£18.99 a month
- Nextcloud 3TB£27.99 a month
SmugMug
- Direct$20 a month
- Portfolio$23.50 a month
- Pro$37 a month
- SmugMug Source RAW add-on$10 a month
- SmugMug Source RAW storage add-on$10 a month
- Direct$20 a month
- Portfolio$23.50 a month
- Pro$37 a month
- Direct$240 a year
- Portfolio$282 a year
In their own words
Permafiles
Permafiles is managed cloud storage built on the open-source Nextcloud platform, for files, photos, and folders. Users can share family photos and set permissions controlling who may access, edit, or download them. Shared links can also have passwords and expiration dates. Nextcloud Office supports online editing of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, while Nextcloud Talk provides calls with up to 10 people. The Nextcloud Mail app can connect to Gmail and other email services through IMAP and SMTP. Sync clients are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, with web access as well. Security measures described include HTTPS/TLS, two-factor authentication, brute-force and antivirus protection, and optional end-to-end encryption for supported folders and use cases. Permafiles says its server infrastructure is hosted in Germany, while customer file data is stored with third-party S3-compatible storage in the United Kingdom. It also says it makes daily offsite backups and can restore a complete server failure within a couple of hours. The free plan includes 5 GB. Paid plans range from £1.99 per month for 64 GB to £27.99 per month for 3 TB.
SmugMug
SmugMug is a photography service for storing, sharing, and selling images. Its plans include unlimited full-resolution JPEG storage; RAW storage is a separate add-on priced at $10 a month for up to 1TB, then $6/mo for each additional TB. The Direct plan is $20 a month billed annually and includes privacy controls, digital delivery, Lightroom integration, and 24/7 live human support. Portfolio costs $23.50 a month billed annually and adds print and digital download sales, website templates, and order fulfillment. Pro costs $37 a month billed annually and adds custom pricelists, coupons and packages, client favoriting, and customer download limits. Subscribers can manage photos with iOS and Android apps, or use macOS and Windows apps for automatic uploads. Integrations include Adobe Lightroom and uploads from Flickr and Dropbox. Privacy settings, passwords, watermarks, and right-click protections help control access to photos and galleries. SmugMug offers a 14-day trial but no free plan.