Unlimited portfolio, or event delivery.
SmugMug is the long-running portfolio and hosting platform with unlimited storage, Lightroom and Capture One plugins, and photographer-curated pricelists. DeliverShot is narrower: event delivery, AI face matching, subscription or PAYG pricing, prints fulfilled by Gelato, GBP payouts straight to your Stripe Connect account.
SmugMug is infrastructure. DeliverShot is the event workflow.
SmugMug has been around since 2002 and it shows: unlimited storage, Lightroom and Capture One integrations, deep customisation, a mature print pipeline. Photographer-owned infrastructure that’s been trusted for decades.
DeliverShot is a narrower tool. Event galleries only. Selfie-based face matching as the guest-first flow. Prints fulfilled globally via Gelato. Pricing that scales with how often you shoot, not how many gigabytes you’re hoarding.
If you need a home for your entire back-catalogue plus sales, SmugMug is the safer bet. If you run events and the job is ‘get every guest their photos, sell prints, get paid’, DeliverShot is purpose-built for that.
- Your core use case is events: weddings, races, corporates, clubs, festivals.
- You want guests to find themselves by selfie, not scroll a massive gallery.
- You want transparent public pricing: subscription plans or PAYG credits, plus a flat £30 event-creation fee.
- You want direct Stripe Connect payouts and UK/GDPR data residency.
- You don’t need a Lightroom plugin or unlimited archival storage.
- You want unlimited storage for a flat subscription.
- You want to publish from Lightroom Classic or Capture One.
- You want a deeply customisable portfolio website with blog.
- You sell in multiple currencies and need photographer-curated pricelists.
- You value a 20-year-old brand with a long support track record.
Where the two platforms actually differ.
Storage and workflow
| Feature | DeliverShot | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Tied to plan tier (Starter 1,500 photos/mo up to Studio 20,000). | Unlimited on all paid tiers. |
| Lightroom plugin | Not offered. | Built in — publish directly from Lightroom Classic. |
| Capture One plugin | Not offered. | Built in. |
| Google Drive import | Built in. | Available via file upload; not a first-class picker. |
- StorageDeliverShotTied to plan tier (Starter 1,500 photos/mo up to Studio 20,000).SmugMugUnlimited on all paid tiers.
- Lightroom pluginDeliverShotNot offered.SmugMugBuilt in — publish directly from Lightroom Classic.
- Capture One pluginDeliverShotNot offered.SmugMugBuilt in.
- Google Drive importDeliverShotBuilt in.SmugMugAvailable via file upload; not a first-class picker.
Photo discovery
| Feature | DeliverShot | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| AI selfie face matching | Built in — default guest flow. | Not offered. |
| Face liveness verification | Studio plan. | Not offered. |
| Real-time gallery | Live from the first photo. | Post-event publishing. |
| Password / PIN protection | Optional per event. | Gallery-level password protection. |
- AI selfie face matchingDeliverShotBuilt in — default guest flow.SmugMugNot offered.
- Face liveness verificationDeliverShotStudio plan.SmugMugNot offered.
- Real-time galleryDeliverShotLive from the first photo.SmugMugPost-event publishing.
- Password / PIN protectionDeliverShotOptional per event.SmugMugGallery-level password protection.
Money
| Feature | DeliverShot | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Subscription plans (£29–£149/mo) or pay-as-you-go credit packs, plus a flat £30 event-creation fee per event. | Subscription: Direct, Portfolio, Pro (from around $20–$37/mo annual). |
| Sales commissionSmugMug advertises a 15% cut on standard print and merchandise sales; verify on their current plans page. | 0%. You keep 85–90%. | 15% commission on sales. |
| Payouts | Direct Stripe Connect in GBP. Monthly on the 1st. | Payouts via SmugMug’s payment flow. |
| Multi-currency | GBP only. | Multiple currencies. |
- Pricing modelDeliverShotSubscription plans (£29–£149/mo) or pay-as-you-go credit packs, plus a flat £30 event-creation fee per event.SmugMugSubscription: Direct, Portfolio, Pro (from around $20–$37/mo annual).
- Sales commissionSmugMug advertises a 15% cut on standard print and merchandise sales; verify on their current plans page.DeliverShot0%. You keep 85–90%.SmugMug15% commission on sales.
- PayoutsDeliverShotDirect Stripe Connect in GBP. Monthly on the 1st.SmugMugPayouts via SmugMug’s payment flow.
- Multi-currencyDeliverShotGBP only.SmugMugMultiple currencies.
Portfolio and branding
| Feature | DeliverShot | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio website | Portfolio page at /p/[handle] with themes and testimonials. | Full custom website builder with templates, blog, pages. |
| Custom domain | Pro and Studio plans. | Paid tiers. |
| Full white-label | Studio plan. | Portfolio and Pro tiers include extensive branding control. |
| Native mobile apps | Not offered. | Native iOS and Android apps. |
- Portfolio websiteDeliverShotPortfolio page at /p/[handle] with themes and testimonials.SmugMugFull custom website builder with templates, blog, pages.
- Custom domainDeliverShotPro and Studio plans.SmugMugPaid tiers.
- Full white-labelDeliverShotStudio plan.SmugMugPortfolio and Pro tiers include extensive branding control.
- Native mobile appsDeliverShotNot offered.SmugMugNative iOS and Android apps.
Privacy and residency
| Feature | DeliverShot | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| UK data residency | Stored in the UK. | Global infrastructure; residency not UK-specific. |
| GDPR one-click export | Built in. | Data request via support. |
- UK data residencyDeliverShotStored in the UK.SmugMugGlobal infrastructure; residency not UK-specific.
- GDPR one-click exportDeliverShotBuilt in.SmugMugData request via support.
Hosting subscription vs event-first subscription or PAYG.
SmugMug’s value is in unlimited storage and multi-purpose hosting. DeliverShot’s value is in how each event is priced, how each guest finds their photos, and your option to skip the subscription with pay-as-you-go credits.
- Subscription: Starter £29/mo (1,500 photos), Pro £59/mo (5,000), Studio £149/mo (20,000).
- Or pay-as-you-go: £19 for 500 photos up to £99 for 5,000, valid 12 months.
- £30 flat event-creation fee per event.
- 0% commission on sales. Monthly Stripe Connect payouts in GBP.
- Direct: around $20/mo annual, unlimited storage, no e-commerce.
- Portfolio: around $23.50/mo annual, e-commerce enabled.
- Pro: around $37/mo annual, full business tools.
- 15% commission on sales.
SmugMug pricing checked at smugmug.com/plans on 2026-04-21. Verify current pricing and commission rates before signing up.
Things SmugMug genuinely does better than us.
Unlimited storage on every paid tier
SmugMug’s core promise is unlimited storage. If you want to keep ten years of weddings searchable in one place, SmugMug’s model is unbeatable. We size plans to monthly upload volume, not archive size.
Lightroom and Capture One plugins
Publish directly from your editor without leaving it. Both plugins have been mature for years. We don’t offer either.
Portfolio and website builder
SmugMug has a deeply customisable website builder with templates, blog, and pages. We offer a single portfolio page at /p/[handle] — much less customisable.
Native mobile apps
iOS and Android apps for photographers and clients. We’re web-only.
Multi-currency sales
SmugMug sells in multiple currencies with photographer-curated pricelists. We’re GBP-only today.
Twenty-plus years of track record
SmugMug has been trusted by photographers since 2002. If you’re archiving work for the long term, that track record is a real consideration.
Quick answers.
Try DeliverShot for one event.
No lock-in. Keep SmugMug for your archive and website; pick a DeliverShot subscription or just a PAYG credit pack for your next event, and see if the selfie flow changes how guests buy.
Questions? Email hello@delivershot.com.