Pixieset is known for galleries. Apture's galleries do the same job (hearts, picks, proofing, downloads, download sales) and sit next to the booking, the contract and the payment that came before them.
Step 1
Tap every tool you pay for. The page rewrites itself around your setup.
Your website and galleries live in Apture, next to the booking and payment that came before them, with every feature on every plan. Clients order prints in the gallery and you send the order to your lab.
Moving from Pixieset, step by stepWhat you get with Apture
Instead of Pixieset
From the first inquiry to the final gallery, every client has one record: sessions, messages, forms, contracts, payments and galleries.
No copying a client from your CRM into your gallery tool, and no wondering which app has the latest email. Your team sees the same record you do.
Instead of Pixieset
Plans differ in storage, video hours and team size. Nothing else is held back for a higher tier.
Automations, proposals, payment plans, video, RAW files, your own domain and AI writing help are on the smallest plan too. There are no add-ons to buy.
A client picks a session, signs your contract on their phone and pays the deposit, in one booking.
Turn on signing before paying and the contract becomes part of booking, so a date is never held without a signature and a deposit. Your client gets the signed PDF, and the signed record stays with the booking.
Instead of Pixieset
Deliver photos, video and RAW files side by side, in galleries clients open without an account.
Hearts, picks and proofing, downloads in the sizes you allow, download sales, and print orders you send to your own lab. Galleries are linked to the booking that came before.
A photographer's website on your own domain, with booking, galleries and the client portal built in.
Pick a design, add your photos and words, and preview it on a phone and a computer. A blog, search settings and a link-in-bio page come with it.
Instead of Pixieset
Clients see their sessions, contracts, forms, payments and galleries in one place, on their phone.
They pay a balance, answer the questionnaire and find their gallery from the same link, so they stop emailing you to ask where things are.
Instead of Pixieset
Deposits, balances, payment plans and gift cards are paid into your own Stripe account. Stripe's card fees apply; we add nothing.
Payment plans with autopay, bank transfers (ACH) for balances, and tips on the final payment are all there when you want them.
A setup guide walks you through packages, hours, contracts and Stripe, with sample clients to click around first.
“Honestly, you killed this. Setup was so easy. Once I saw how everything connects, it all just clicked.”
Ready-made workflows for weddings, portraits, branding and minis mean you change a few emails instead of building from scratch.
Instead of Pixieset
Send us your client list and we'll bring your clients and upcoming sessions across, with what each has already paid.
You check a preview of every row before it goes live, nobody is emailed, and one click undoes an import.
Side by side
| Feature | Apture | Pixieset |
|---|---|---|
| Inquiries, contracts and invoices | YesEvery plan, with no limits on clients or contracts | YesStudio Manager, part of Suite |
| Online booking with a deposit | YesClients can sign the contract before they pay, in the same booking | Extra costRetainer at booking on Pro and up; 3 session types on Starter |
| Proposals with packages to choose from | YesUp to three packages side by side | PartlyQuotes on every plan; choosing between packages isn't described |
| Automations and reminders | YesReady-made workflows per type of shoot | Extra costBooking reminders on Pro and up; no workflow builder listed |
| Client portal | YesSessions, contracts, forms, payments and galleries in one place | NoNot listed on Pixieset's Suite pricing page |
| Client galleries | YesFavorites, proofing and downloads | Yes |
| Video in galleries | YesOn every plan | Yes1 hour on Suite Starter |
| RAW files in galleries | YesOn every plan | Extra costSuite Pro and up |
| Website builder | Yes15 designs, your own domain, a blog | Yes |
| Every feature on every plan | YesPlans differ only in storage, video hours and team size | NoRAW and unlimited session types need Pro or higher |
| No platform fee on client payments | Yes0% from Apture; Stripe's own card fees apply | YesNo commission on paid plans; 15% on the free plan |
| Automatic lab printing | Coming soonAutomatic ordering through a pro lab is on the roadmap; for now orders come to you to send to your lab | Yes |
| QuickBooks or Xero sync | Coming soonQuickBooks and Xero sync is on the roadmap | NoNot listed on Pixieset's Suite pricing page |
| Free-forever plan | NoA 14-day free trial, no card needed | YesFree gallery plan, 3 GB |
Checked on each company's own pricing page on 22 October 2026. “Extra cost” means a higher plan or an add-on; “Not checked” means their page didn't say. In fairness, some of them are ahead in places: galleries like Pixieset, ShootProof and Pic-Time send print orders to a lab automatically, several have a free plan, Studio Ninja syncs with QuickBooks and Xero, and Pixieset has a mobile gallery app. Apture works in your phone's browser.
Checked 22 October 2026. Prices and plans change; tell us if something here is out of date.
About $108 a year less with Apture, and every job in one place.
| Tool and plan | A month |
|---|---|
| Pixieset Suite Starter, 100 GBGalleries, website and studio manager together | $28 |
| Starter | $19 |
Each company's own published price on 22 October 2026, billed yearly, for the plan named. Plans and features differ and prices change, so check before you decide. Card processing fees are extra with all of them, including Apture.
Galleries your clients already have keep working where they are until they expire, so nobody's link breaks. There's no need to move old work.
Make a gallery, type a scene (Getting ready, Ceremony), and drop in that folder's photos. Copies for the web and for phones are made for you, and downloads keep your camera and copyright details. Send it to the couple and up to ten family members in one go.
Download your client list as a spreadsheet (CSV) and drop it into Clients, Import in Apture. You match the columns once, check a preview of every row, and import. Upcoming sessions come too, with what each client has already paid, and nobody is emailed. Changed your mind? One click undoes the import. Or send us the file and we'll do it for you.
Add your sessions with their price, length and deposit, then the hours you're open each week. Apture keeps those times open on your booking page, and a client who books pays the deposit there and then.
Deposits, balances and payment plans go straight into your own Stripe account. Apture adds no transaction fee; Stripe's usual card fees apply.
What you keep: Print and download sales are built into every gallery, paid straight to you. You send print orders to the lab you already use.
Yes. They can download a single photo or the whole gallery at once, in the sizes you allow.
Yes, by the photo or the whole gallery. You can also lock downloads until a client's balance is paid.
Pick one of Apture's designs, add your photos and words, then point your domain at Apture when you're ready.
Free move-over help
Export what you have in Pixieset and send it over. We import your clients and upcoming sessions, with what each has already paid, and you check everything before it goes live. Nobody is emailed.
Or write to us first: support@aptureapp.com