picdrop alternatives: 6 galleries compared
scrappbook, Pixieset, Pic-Time, CloudSpot, Zenfolio and aftersnap as a picdrop alternative: pricing, proofing, shop, language and hosting, with strengths and limits.
picdrop is often the first answer in Germany when it comes to image selection and delivery: a Berlin company, hosting in Germany, on the market since 2014. If you are still looking for a picdrop alternative, there is usually a specific reason. The gallery should show clients and guests more, prints should sell directly, or the free plan isn't enough. Here are six galleries that fit those reasons, each with what it does well and what it lacks.
The short answer
| You want a picdrop alternative because … | Look at these first |
|---|---|
| you want a print shop in the gallery | scrappbook, Pic-Time or Pixieset |
| the free plan should be bigger | Pixieset (3 GB, unlimited galleries) or scrappbook (5 GB, three galleries) |
| an interface in German and EU hosting are a must | aftersnap, or scrappbook after asking about possible transfers to the USA |
| the gallery should be made for the couple and their guests, with slideshow and face search | aftersnap, scrappbook (face filter) or Pic-Time |
| you want website, bookings and contracts in the same account | Pixieset, CloudSpot or Zenfolio |
| you select images with an editorial team | stay with picdrop; that's what it's built for |
What you give up at picdrop
Before you switch, it is worth being honest about what picdrop does better than most galleries. It comes from commercial photography: colour labels, likes and votes, comments on the image, Live Push straight from the camera, inboxes for incoming files and video with conversion minutes are at its core (pricing). You filter the client's selection in Lightroom, Capture One or Photo Mechanic (FAQ). From Advanced, two to four people work in the same account, from Business up to nine, with their own permissions.
Prices are ex VAT: Free has 1 GB and three galleries. Pro costs €14.99 a month billed annually or €17.99 monthly, with 500 GB and unlimited galleries. Advanced costs €39.99 or €47.99 with 1 TB, Business €99.99 or €119.99 with 3 TB. The trial lasts 14 days with every feature and ends on its own. The interface and client view are available in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian (languages).
What picdrop doesn't list publicly: a print shop, a face search for guests and a slideshow with music. A custom domain works as a redirect, so guests then see picdrop.com in the address bar (domain FAQ). If you need exactly one of those, the alternatives below are for you.
The six alternatives
In order: first the two providers based in Germany and the EU, then the international ones.
scrappbook: German gallery with a shop
scrappbook is run by Photostore24.online GmbH in Düsseldorf, Germany. The interface is German, and a shop is built in: clients order digital files or print products directly in the gallery (shop). There is a Lightroom Classic plugin (plugin), slideshows and video in the gallery (features), and a face filter that groups recognised people in the gallery, which is not the same as a selfie search.
Prices are ex VAT (pricing). Free has 5 GB and three galleries, with 15 % commission on digital sales. Starter costs €19 a month with a three-month minimum term, or €14.50 a month billed annually, with 15 galleries and unlimited storage. Professional costs €39 or €29, with unlimited galleries and one custom domain. Paid plans take 4.9 % on digital sales, physical products carry no commission, plus €1 per order. The trial lasts 14 days, after which Free remains.
One limit concerns data protection: scrappbook names EU servers for the galleries, but its privacy policy also names Heroku as the application host and possible transfers to the USA (privacy). If you need processing exclusively in the EU, clarify that before booking. scrappbook fits if you work in German and want to sell through the gallery.
aftersnap: EU hosting, selfie search, 32 gallery languages
aftersnap is the publisher of this article, based in the EU, in Spain. Photos and image analysis, including face search, run on servers in the EU, and the data processing agreement is available as a PDF in your account. The photographer interface is available in 14 languages, client galleries in 32, chosen by the guest's browser language.
Every gallery runs in one of two modes. The delivery gallery is built for the handover: a slideshow with music (slideshow), large views, downloads on your terms, selfie search for guests (face search) and search by subject (content search). In the proofing gallery, clients select images and write requests directly on the photo (proofing gallery). The Lightroom Classic plugin creates galleries and sets from your catalogue, keeps them in sync and brings the finished selection back (Lightroom).
We bill in euros; the prices on our pricing page are for Germany, including 19 % VAT, and businesses with a valid VAT number are billed ex VAT (pricing). Basic costs €7.99 a month or €79.90 a year, with 50 GB and 15 galleries. Pro costs €14.99 or €149.90, with 300 GB, unlimited galleries, slideshow with music, content search, Lightroom plugin, watermark and galleries for vendors. Studio costs €24.99 or €249.90, with 1 TB, selfie search, proofing gallery and your own domain. The trial lasts 14 days with every Studio feature, no payment details.
The limits: no print shop, no website builder, no studio management, no video, no app and no permanent free plan, and beyond 1 TB we get expensive at €99 a month. aftersnap fits if the gallery is the moment the couple, the family or the guests see the photos for the first time, and EU hosting matters. If you select images with an editorial team, picdrop remains the better tool.
Pixieset: free plan, shop without commission, website and Studio Manager
Pixieset Media Inc. is based in Vancouver, Canada (company). The free plan has 3 GB and unlimited galleries, with a shop at 15 % commission. From Basic, at US$8 a month billed annually or US$10 monthly, you sell without commission, with 10 GB and your own domain. Plus has 100 GB for US$16 or US$20, Pro 1 TB for US$24 or US$30 (pricing). Website and Studio Manager with contracts, invoices and bookings come from the same provider. A face search for guests and a stated data location are not published; the DPA dates from 2018. Pixieset fits if you want to start cheaply with a shop and add a website and bookings later. More in our Pixieset alternatives.
Pic-Time: selling, automations and selfie search
Pic-Time Ltd. is based in Caesarea, Israel. Its strength is sales: a shop with partner labs, sales campaigns and marketing automations. Free starts with 10 GB and drops to 3 GB after three months. Beginner costs US$7 a month billed annually or US$8 monthly, with 20 GB, Professional US$21 or US$25 with 100 GB, Advanced US$42 or US$50 with unlimited photo storage (pricing). Binding client selections, your own domain and two-way Lightroom sync of selections start at Professional. If Pic-Time collects the payment, it takes 15 % on Free and Beginner, 8 % on Professional and 6 % on Advanced (commission). The selfie search for clients sits in Advanced and is currently unavailable in the new 2.0 galleries (help centre). Pic-Time fits if you sell a lot through the gallery. More in our Pic-Time alternatives.
CloudSpot: galleries with studio management
CloudSpot names Argyle, Texas, as its base. Free has 5 GB and three galleries with 15 % store commission, Entry costs US$7 a month with 15 GB and up to 15 galleries. From Lite at US$17 with 100 GB you sell without commission and get the full studio suite with contracts, invoices and scheduling; Pro costs US$34 with 500 GB, Unlimited US$50 (pricing). Lightroom integration is included on every plan. The photographer interface is in English, client galleries can be set to other languages (gallery languages). A face search and an EU storage location are not publicly stated. CloudSpot fits if bookings, contracts and galleries should live in one piece of software. More in our CloudSpot alternatives.
Zenfolio: website, proofing gallery and sales
Zenfolio Inc. is based in Redwood City, USA, and stores personal data in the USA according to its privacy notice (privacy). Every plan includes a website with your own domain and proofing galleries. Basic costs US$7 a month billed annually or US$9 monthly, with 15 GB and without a shop. Professional costs US$11.50 or US$23 with 150 GB, Advanced US$20 or US$40 with unlimited JPEG storage; both sell, with a 7 % fee per order (pricing). For faces, Zenfolio advertises Face Finder. There is a trial without a credit card and no permanent free plan. Zenfolio fits if your portfolio website and client galleries belong together. More in our Zenfolio alternatives.
At a glance
| Based in | Free | Paid entry (monthly) | Print shop | Face search for guests | Data location stated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| picdrop | Berlin | 1 GB, 3 galleries | Pro €17.99 ex VAT | not listed | not listed | Germany |
| scrappbook | Düsseldorf | 5 GB, 3 galleries | Starter €19 ex VAT | yes | face filter | EU galleries, US transfers possible |
| aftersnap | EU (Spain) | 14-day trial | Basic €7.99 incl. VAT | no | selfie search from Studio | EU |
| Pixieset | Canada | 3 GB, unlimited galleries | Basic US$10 | yes, commission-free from Basic | not stated | no |
| Pic-Time | Israel | yes, 3 GB after three months | Beginner US$8 | yes, with commission | from Advanced, currently not in 2.0 | EU, USA, Australia |
| CloudSpot | USA | 5 GB, 3 galleries | Entry US$7 | yes, commission-free from Lite | not stated | no |
| Zenfolio | USA | no, trial | Basic US$9 | from Professional, 7 % fee | Face Finder | USA |
For a wider overview of ten providers, see the comparison of online galleries for photographers.
Switching without taking anything away from clients
- Open the new account alongside the old one. Every provider here has a trial or a free plan. Your picdrop galleries stay online as long as the account runs.
- Start with the next job, not the archive. Publish the next delivery from Lightroom into the new gallery. The source is your catalogue, not the old gallery, so every image arrives in the approved version.
- Check the selection on a phone. Have someone mark five favourites and see how you find them again in Lightroom. That separates the providers faster than any table.
- Only cancel picdrop when nothing is open. picdrop has no minimum term; after the billing period ends the account falls back to Free, and galleries beyond its limit are no longer reachable (FAQ). Download anything clients might still need first.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free picdrop alternative? Yes. Pixieset has a permanent free plan with 3 GB and unlimited galleries, scrappbook and CloudSpot with 5 GB and three galleries, Pic-Time as well. Free plans usually take commission on sales. aftersnap and Zenfolio only offer a trial.
Which picdrop alternative stores photos in the EU? aftersnap stores photos and face data on servers in the EU. scrappbook names EU servers for the galleries but mentions possible transfers to the USA in its privacy policy. Pic-Time has EU servers but doesn't promise storage exclusively in the EU.
Which picdrop alternative has a print shop? scrappbook, Pic-Time, Pixieset and CloudSpot, Zenfolio from Professional. aftersnap has none.
Is there an alternative with team voting like picdrop? None of the providers here puts voting among colleagues at the centre the way picdrop does. If you select images with an editorial desk, stay with picdrop and look at delivery elsewhere.
Can I combine picdrop with another gallery? Yes. Some photographers keep collecting selections in picdrop and deliver the finished images through another gallery, both from Lightroom. Two subscriptions are two subscriptions, but it works.
Details as of: every provider's prices checked on 30 October 2026, some feature details on 23 October 2026. Prices without guarantee; what counts is what the providers state on their sites today. Our plans: aftersnap pricing.
