The best website builders for photographers in 2024

Whether you simply want a place to show off your portfolio, or you need a professional-looking site where you can sell your prints and services, there's a website builder to suit your needs. 

The idea of building a website from scratch can feel incredibly daunting - especially if you're not, particularly computer savvy. But fear not, website building sites make it incredibly easy and often operate a drag-and-drop system so you can start adding content blocks to your site. If you've ever eyed up another photographer's site and thought how beautiful it is, chances are they've started off with a simple template and expanded on it to make it their own. 

You no longer have to worry about knowing how to code as these website builders do that all behind the scenes for you. If you do want to create it all from scratch, you might be better off looking at the best web hosting sites for photographers so you can have complete control. 

Lots of these website-building platforms offer a free trial so you can have a play on different sites before deciding which one is best. Creating a website gives your images a more permanent home and is a great way of coming across as a professional. In this guide, we've rounded up the best website builders for photographers to help you get the most out of your images.

The Quick List

Best website builders for photographers in 2024

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

Squarespace

(Image credit: Paul Hatton / Digital Camera World)
If you need a website fast but want it to look beautiful Squarespace is the obvious choice

Reasons to buy

+
Designing is easy
+
Loads of functionality
+
Good image display options

Reasons to avoid

-
No free tier
-
Popularity makes it hard to be original

Squarespace is one of the most popular website builders around - but it's especially good for image-driven photography websites (which is why I chose it to build my own photography website). You can select a desired template and drag and drop content or you can build it from scratch if you want it to be more unique. It's easy to add text, image galleries, quotes or even import your Instagram grid so you have content that constantly updates itself. I put my site together relatively quickly by using a. mix of templates and my own design. 

There is no free tier with Squarespace so if you're just looking to make a website for fun there are better options out there. However, if you are looking to create a website to take your business to the next level, Squarespace offers a user-friendly design interface, competitive pricing and the ability to add an e-commerce section to your site. Squarespace also offers students 50% off their first full year when they sign up with an educational email address.

Squarespace's strength is also perhaps its weakness in that sites can start to look quite similar if you're not careful. You can sign up for a two-week free trial so if you start building a website and decide it's not the platform for you, you can change your mind without spending a penny. 

Read our full Squarespace review

Format

(Image credit: Paul Hatton / Digital Camera World)
A powerful website builder suited to photographers or videographers

Reasons to buy

+
14 day free trial
+
Online store option
+
Easy to use

Reasons to avoid

-
Could be cheaper

It's a little more pricey than other platforms starting at $12 a month for an annual plan but it does include a wide range of useful services. 

I found the website builder really to use, there is an option to build each page entirely from scratch or you can choose from one of the templates provided. You'll be recommended certain themes that are more geared towards photography portfolios but even these can be customized. Format offers a 14-day free trial so you'll have plenty of opportunities to test it out and decide if you like it or not. 

There is also an option to include a shop on your website should you want to sell prints. Format isn't the cheapest but it has a lot of features that are worth paying for and is especially good for anyone who wants a lot of control over how the site looks.

Read our full Format review 

Zenfolio

(Image credit: Zenfolio)
Voted the #1 website builder by pro photographers

Reasons to buy

+
Affordable
+
Sell prints immediately
+
Great experience for user and client

Reasons to avoid

-
Easier options for beginners

The Zenfolio site states it is the number one website builder, as voted by professional photographers. And the deeper we delve into its offerings, we can understand why. One of the biggest pulls for Zenfolio is its clearly well-considered toolset, which looks to really help photography businesses grow. Its features focus not only on the user but their clients too – something other website builders on the market might not. 

Zenfolio offers a variety of templates that can be easily customized to suit your brand and make you stand out. It's quick and easy to upload photo galleries and there is an option to password protect them - which is great if you're a wedding photographer. There's a built-in payment system that makes selling your prints a breeze, and unlimited storage, image protection, and image security are guaranteed. 

In addition to all that, Zenfolio automatically adjusts image sizes to suit a device and features auto-dim effects and image optimization to make browsing photo collections the best experience they can be. Price plans start at as little as just $5 a month, making this quality website builder an absolute steal.

Read our full Zenfolio review

Wix

(Image credit: Paul Hatton / Digital Camera World)
With a free option to choose from it's ideal for anyone just starting out who can't spend lots on a site

Reasons to buy

+
Easy to use
+
Free version

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited storage (with free version)
-
Extra cost for ecommerce
-
Fixed designs

While not aimed specifically at photographers, we couldn't not Wix in a list of the best website builders. One of the most popular website creators around, Wix offers photographers an easy way to create an online home. 

Wix's services have been built with the novice in mind, providing everything you need to get started in a simple and accessible way. There's a library of over 500 templates to choose from, 30 of which have been designed for photographers. A simple-to-use drag-and-drop editor enables easy placement of text and images on a page, and in just two clicks, you can access the image upload manager to upload, review, edit, and manage photos as you see fit. 

Wix offers all the functions a photographer might want, but if you want your website to operate more than just a bog standard online portfolio, with e-commerce functionality and unlimited storage for example, you'll have to pay more. And if that's the case, one of the other more dedicated photography services on this list might be better suited. Wix's design options are also slightly limited, for example, there's no option to change templates at a later date (unless you want to start from scratch). 

Read our full Wix review

Weebly

Screenshots from the Weebly website builder

(Image credit: Paul Hatton / Digital Camera World)
Unlimited storage and a huge variety of apps makes Weebly a top choice for photographers

Reasons to buy

+
Unlimited storage 
+
Huge variety of apps

Reasons to avoid

-
Advanced features cost more
-
Reduced image quality

Another popular name in the website-building world, Weebly is a powerful editor that offers a wide range of features. Weebly's free version is adequate if you are simply looking to quickly get your images online, but it limits space to 500MB and imposes (usually unwanted) ads on your site. If you need and want more from your website, its premium plans offer unlimited storage, custom domain connections and access to many other hugely useful tools to help fully customize your web design

One of Weebly's biggest draws for photographers, in particular, is the above-mentioned unlimited storage. There's also its impressive Weebly App Center, which offers incredible scope to drive your site's functionality. However, this is only available to premium access subscribers, which doesn't come cheap. 

Like Wix, Weebly operates as a simple drag-and-drop builder and takes just two clicks to add a gallery and start uploading images, so it's a good option for those new to creating their very own corner of the internet. However, it's worth noting Weebly's auto-optimize function when uploading, which can result in a slight loss in image quality. 

Read our full Weebly review

SmugMug

Screenshots from the SmugMug website builder

(Image credit: Paul Hatton / Digital Camera World)
Sell prints and upload unlimited photos with the photo focussed SmugMug

Reasons to buy

+
Easy to use
+
Sell prints immediately
+
Images fully protected
+
Unlimited photo uploads

Reasons to avoid

-
Cheaper options available 

Labeled as the 'home for photographers', website builder SmugMug has been developed from the ground up to specifically accommodate the needs of photographers. 

At a very basic level, SmugMug provides a quick and easy way to showcase and sell your images online. But what sets the platform apart from other website builders is its photography-focussed features. This includes unlimited photo uploads, backed up by cloud storage, e-commerce optimization, the ability to sync a photo library with Lightroom, add custom watermarks to fully protect your work, and an in-built printing service so visitors can order images directly from the website. SmugMug also supports connection with users' own domain names. 

Unlike some of the other options on this list, there's no free version of SmugMug available, however, there is the option to trial the software for 14 days to see if it suits you. If you decide in that time that SmugMug is the website builder for you, there are four different price plans, which meet a range of skill levels and needs, to choose from. 

Read our full SmugMug review

Adobe Portfolio

(Image credit: Paul Hatton / Digital Camera World)
If you already have Adobe Creative Cloud it does the job

Reasons to buy

+
Comes free with Creative Cloud's Photography & All Apps plans
+
Stylish designs
+
Simple to use

Reasons to avoid

-
You need a Creative Cloud subscription
-
No ability to host a shop
-
Limited design options

If you already have a Creative Cloud subscription Adobe Portfolio will do the job but I wouldn't pay for it as a website builder. While it is easy to use you are limited by how much you can customize it. There's no way of making a Home page for example and you can't change the layouts of the templates. You can't be particularly creative with the design either so if you want to build a website with a bit of oomph, definitely look elsewhere. 

That being said, if you are simply looking for a website that you can use as a portfolio it is very easy to use and you can quickly upload a lot of content. You can also import images directly from Lightroom and add photos into grids. There is no option to add a store on the website so if you have any plans to sell prints or services, a different web-building site would be better. 

If you take out the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (for around £10 / $10) or the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan (for around £50 / $50), then you'll get free access to Adobe Portfolio.

Read our full Adobe Portfolio review

Editor X

(Image credit: Paul Hatton / Digital Camera World)
Sleek templates, an easy-to-use web builder and a free SSL certificate - shame there isn't a plan with unlimited storage

Reasons to buy

+
Looks slick and modern
+
Very customizable
+
Free SSL certificate

Reasons to avoid

-
Even the "Ultra" package doesn't have unlimited storage 

Editor X is the new website builder from Wix that promises advanced web design layouts without having to know CSS. The drag-and-drop builder allows you to control the position, size, and design elements when it comes to text, photos, graphics, and headers. Choose the font, font color, and font size, add containers, galleries, and grid layouts, and embed your social media news feed. 

It offers a wide range of integrated business solutions including eCommerce should you want to sell prints and professional marketing and SEO tools. Price plans start at £15 a month for the most basic package which includes 10GB storage, a free domain for a year, and 24/7 help. The Ultra package is for those after the "VIP" experience and it includes 35GB of storage space, visitor analytics for one year, and up to 10 hours of video content. With Editor X you can create complex, unique websites with ease and without having to know any coding at all.

Read our full Editor X review

How to choose the best website builder

Do I need to buy my own domain separately?

You will look a lot more professional if you have a unique domain rather than yourname.wix.com but luckily most plans include a free domain. If it doesn't you can buy a domain separately from one of the best web hosting sites for photographers and import it. Some sites will offers a free domain for the first year but after that will charge so it's best to make sure it won't cost you an arm and a leg. 

How much storage will I need?

If you have lots of images you want to upload and you want to update it regularly, you'll need a website builder that offers unlimited storage or at least the option to upgrade your storage at a later date. Many of the cheaper plans will give you a set amount of storage which is fine if you just have a few choice images to upload. If you're worried about your images being downloaded and used without your permission, some sites will give you the option to add a watermark or even password protect certain galleries.

Hannah Rooke
Staff Writer

Having studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. For the last 3 years Hannah has worked at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With 5 years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups.

With contributions from