Long before a client fills out an inquiry form, sends an email, or steps in front of your camera, they’re likely visiting your website.
It’s often their first impression of your business. The place where they learn about your work, your values, your experience, and what it feels like to work with you. In many ways, your website becomes the online home of your brand.
With so many website platforms available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the options. Some promise simplicity. Others promise customization. Some focus on galleries, while others focus on blogging, branding, and search engine optimization.
The truth is, not all photography website platforms are created equal.
Over the last seven years of running Morgan Rose Photography, I’ve used Showit as my website platform from day one. I’ve built my business on it, grown my blog through it, and watched it evolve alongside my brand. While there are several website platforms available to photographers today, two of the most commonly discussed are Showit and Pixieset.
Both have their place. Both serve photographers in different ways. But if you’re wondering which platform may be the best fit for your business, here’s my honest perspective.
This comparison is based on my personal experience using Showit for over seven years, along with observations from working with photographers through website audits, mentorships, and conversations within the photography community.
Not All Photography Website Platforms Are Created Equal
A photography website is so much more than an online portfolio.
It’s often the first impression a potential client has of your business. It’s where your brand comes to life. It’s where inquiries happen, connections are made, and bookings begin.
A well-designed website should help guide visitors through your work, tell your story, and create an experience that feels intentional from start to finish.
While many website platforms can accomplish the basics, they don’t all offer the same level of flexibility, customization, blogging capabilities, or long-term growth opportunities.
That’s where the differences between Showit and Pixieset begin to matter.
What I Love About Showit
If there’s one thing Showit does exceptionally well, it’s giving photographers complete creative freedom.
Showit is a drag-and-drop website platform that allows you to design nearly every part of your website exactly how you envision it. Unlike platforms that rely heavily on templates or rigid design structures, Showit gives you the flexibility to create a website that truly reflects your brand.
Some of my favorite things about Showit include:
- Complete design customization
- Easy drag-and-drop editing
- Mobile and desktop designs can be customized separately
- Large library of beautiful website templates
- Strong branding opportunities
- WordPress blog integration
- Excellent long-term scalability
As photographers, we often spend years refining our editing style, client experience, and brand identity. In fact, I’ve written more about why branding matters and how to create a brand that feels authentically yours in my blog, Branding for Photographers: What a Brand Really Is & How to Use It. I love that Showit allows my website to grow alongside those changes rather than forcing me into a limited design structure.
The Learning Curve of Showit
One of Showit’s greatest strengths is also what can make it feel intimidating at first: the amount of creative freedom available.
When you first open Showit, the amount of customization available can feel overwhelming. There are more design options, more settings, and more flexibility than beginner-friendly website builders.
However, I don’t necessarily view that as a negative.
Every software we use as photographers takes time to learn.
Lightroom has a learning curve.
Photoshop has a learning curve.
Gallery delivery platforms have a learning curve.
Even camera settings have a learning curve.
Showit is no different.
Once you spend time learning the platform, it becomes incredibly intuitive and gives you far more creative control than many alternative website builders.
What Pixieset Does Well
Pixieset has become increasingly popular among photographers, and for good reason.
One of its greatest strengths is simplicity.
Pixieset makes it easy to create a clean, professional website without needing extensive design experience. The platform is beginner-friendly, straightforward to navigate, and integrates seamlessly with galleries, booking systems, and client management tools.
For photographers who are just getting started, Pixieset can be a great option.
Some of Pixieset’s strengths include:
- Easy setup process
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Simple website management
- Integrated client gallery experience
- Clean and modern templates
- Minimal learning curve
For photographers who simply need an online home for their portfolio and contact information, Pixieset can absolutely get the job done.
Where Pixieset Feels Limiting
While Pixieset excels at simplicity, that simplicity can eventually become limiting as some businesses grow.
Compared to Showit, Pixieset offers significantly less design flexibility and customization. Many websites built on Pixieset can begin to feel similar because photographers are working within a more structured design system.
This isn’t necessarily a problem for everyone.
However, photographers who want a highly branded website experience may eventually find themselves wanting more creative freedom.
Some limitations photographers commonly encounter include:
- Less design flexibility
- More structured layouts
- Limited customization compared to Showit
- Fewer opportunities to create unique website experiences
- Less control over advanced design elements
Another consideration is template selection and customization. Showit has a large ecosystem of website designers and template shops creating designs specifically for photographers, giving users a wide range of styles and customization options. Pixieset offers a selection of built-in templates, but photographers may find fewer options available when compared to the extensive template marketplace that exists around Showit.
If your long-term vision includes a highly customized website that feels uniquely yours, Showit often provides more room to grow.
Showit vs. Pixieset: SEO and Blogging
When photographers ask me about SEO, my answer is almost always the same:
Blogging matters.
Consistent blogging can help photographers increase website traffic, answer client questions, improve visibility in search results, and establish authority within their niche.
This is one area where Showit truly shines.
Showit integrates directly with WordPress, which remains one of the most powerful blogging platforms available. The combination of Showit’s design flexibility and WordPress’s blogging capabilities creates a strong foundation for photographers who want to invest in long-term SEO.
To Pixieset’s credit, their SEO features have improved significantly over the years. The platform has made meaningful efforts to support search engine optimization and continues to evolve.
However, for photographers who plan to build an extensive blog strategy and focus heavily on organic search traffic, Showit paired with WordPress often offers more flexibility and growth potential.
If blogging and SEO are important parts of your business goals, this is a factor worth considering.
An example of my own Showit + WordPress blog, The Nostalgic Journal, which I’ve used to support SEO and educational content for over seven years.
Showit vs. Pixieset at a Glance
| Feature | Showit | Pixieset |
|---|---|---|
| Design Flexibility | Excellent | Limited |
| Ease of Use | Moderate Learning Curve | Beginner Friendly |
| Website Templates | Extensive Designer Marketplace | Built-In Templates |
| Blogging | WordPress Integration | Basic Blogging |
| SEO Potential | Strong | Improving |
| Branding Capabilities | Extensive | Moderate |
| Best For | Long-Term Growth & Custom Branding | Simplicity & Beginners |
Who I Recommend Each Platform For
Ultimately, there isn’t a single “right” answer for every photographer. The best website platform is the one that supports your current season of business while giving you room to grow.
I typically recommend Pixieset for photographers who:
- Are just getting started
- Want a simple and easy-to-manage website
- Prefer convenience over customization
- Primarily need an online portfolio and inquiry form
- Don’t plan to focus heavily on blogging or SEO
Pixieset can be a wonderful starting place for photographers who want a clean, professional online presence without a steep learning curve.
I typically recommend Showit for photographers who:
- Want complete creative freedom
- Care deeply about branding and client experience
- Plan to invest in blogging and SEO
- Want access to a large ecosystem of templates and designers
- Desire a website that can evolve alongside their business
For photographers who view their website as more than just a portfolio, Showit often provides the flexibility and long-term growth potential they’re looking for.
Why I Chose Showit and Never Switched
When I first started Morgan Rose Photography over seven years ago, I chose Showit as my website platform.
At the time, I didn’t know exactly where my business would take me. I didn’t know how my brand would evolve, how many blog posts I would eventually write, or how much importance I would place on creating a thoughtful online experience.
What I did know was that I wanted a website that felt like me.
Over the years, my business has changed. My editing style has evolved. My client experience has grown. My website has gone through multiple redesigns.
Through all of those changes, Showit has grown with me.
I’ve never felt boxed in by my website platform. I’ve never had to sacrifice creativity for convenience. I’ve never reached a point where I felt I had outgrown it.
That’s why I’ve never switched.
While every photographer’s needs are different, Showit continues to be the platform I personally trust and recommend for photographers who want the freedom to create a website that reflects their brand, supports their growth, and feels like home.
At the end of the day, your website should be more than a place to showcase your work.
It should tell your story.
And whichever platform you choose, that’s the part that matters most.
Your Website Should Feel Like Home
Your website isn’t just a place to display beautiful photos. It’s where future clients get their first glimpse into who you are, what you value, and what it feels like to work with you.
Whether you choose Showit, Pixieset, or another platform entirely, my hope is that you create a website that feels authentic, welcoming, and unmistakably yours.
And if you ever need a second set of eyes along the way, whether through a website audit, mentorship, or educational resource, I’d be honored to help.
